Dutch bikes are made for commuting. Do something off-road like driving on a path of gravel and your bike will commit self destruct. Do not underestimate our $500 bikes.
Comment on What makes a bicycle so expensive?
gerryflap@feddit.nl 11 months ago$500 is still insane to me. I’m Dutch and I’ve been riding bikes pretty much daily for my whole life. I don’t think I’ve ever used a bike that cost more than €200. Almost every bike I’ve used is either secondhand or a hand-me-down. My current bike has a front wheel that has been folded into a 90-degree angle and back (which is noticeable), has only one working brake, and only 2 of the 7 gears work well. Yet for the past 2.5 years I’ve reliably and comfortably driven trips without issues. Whether it is a 10-minute trip to the supermarket or work, or a 40-minute trip to the next city over for some party, it always gets me there.
I don’t really understand the sentiment in this comment section that a bike should always be a fancy new bike of $500 or even $3K when a trusty old rustbucked could also get you the same distance for a hundred bucks or even way less.
vsh@lemm.ee 11 months ago
redballooon@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Your bike doesn’t sound like I’d want to ride it up or down even a small hill. Unlike the Netherlands, many places on earth have a 3rd dimension, putting additional requirements on a bike.
Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I’m jealous of your bike culture
SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 11 months ago
A rusty old bike wont feel as bad when it inevitably gets stolen too.
Lemonparty@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Well first, €200 is not the same as $200, so it’s not as high as you think but also second, you just named like twenty things wrong with your bike! Granted at that price point it’s cheaper to buy a new bike than invest in parts, but for more expensive/purpose focused bikes, Longevity and durability is a big part of the cost, but to your point isn’t necessary for everyone. I commute to work (7 mi each way, urban environment) on my bike and also do longer distance rides (20-35 miles) a few times per month. My bike was about $800 when I bought it (2019), and has somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500 miles on it. The base model of my bike though - you guessed it, $500.
Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I think there is a difference when you are living in the netherlands.
-bikes are part of the culture and have been for like 100 years. there are cycle paths everywhere. Your infrastructure is built for cycling. Meaning you dont have many bad roads or paths to damage your bike.
The majority of the roads in the uk are terrible and dont have dedicated cycle lanes, and our walking and cycle paths are mostly dirt paths through wooded areas.
Again here in the uk the land is all over the place, hills everywhere, which puts alot of strain on your chain and gears as you have to change gear constantly so you dont have to work too hard to maintai your speed and momentum…
So i dont think a 30 year old double hand me doqn will suit most people here. And i imagine its a similar story in other countries.
Granted, im generalising a bit, and i dont live in the netherlands and haven’t seen much of it, but i dont think im being too liberal with my starements above. But if im wronf rhwn by all means correct me.
uis@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Have they? What I heard bikes became popular in 1960-1980s.
Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Honestly i wadnt sure so i google that part.
en.m.wikipedia.org/…/Cycling_in_the_Netherlands
Looking at this wiki page under history it date back to before 1900 and was becoming more and more popular until 1960 when it took a hit as cars became more affordable but then began to rise again following protests from the dutch people around road deaths. But the development of cycling paths/routes has been going on over there since before the 1900s
uis@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Huh. I was thinking about those protests. Because before cars there were only three options: bicycle, horse or tram/train. And before that only bicycle and horse.