How to get and keep a bike in Rotterdam

How to get and keep a bike in Rotterdam

As soon as you move to the Netherlands and start meeting people living there, you will inevitably be asked: "Did you buy a bike yet? "

You might even think you can get through without it, but once you tried cycling in the Netherlands, there is no going back. Most likely, you will continue that practice of a bicycle being your main mode of transportation even after you move back home. Not only did it happen to me, but I heard about it being the case with other ex-Dutch expats.

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Where to find and buy a bicycle in Rotterdam?

• Commodity Market Rotterdam

There is a Facebook group called Commodity Market Rotterdam, used for selling and buying stuff. Members are mostly expats selling household stuff, furniture and, you guessed it, bikes.

• Marktplaats

If you’re not having luck on Commodity Market, which especially happens in August – September when there is a big shift in the student population, Maarktplaats is another option. Martkplaats is something like Dutch Ebay or Amazon. Everything is in Dutch, but you can get by with the browser translate option, maybe even with your basic Dutch, or in my case with my English and German knowledge. For starters, all that you need to know is that bike is fiets in Dutch. So type fiets into the search engine and you are ready to go. If you find anything you like, feel comfortable to text or email the seller in English.

• Bike shops

Third option is to hit the bike shops, where they sell both new and second hand bikes. Interestingly, the month I arrived to Rotterdam a Dutch colleague told me that all bicycles were sold out in one bike shop, because it’s the start of the new school year/ semester, so everybody wants a new bike.

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One important thing I want to emphasize is: Please don’t buy stolen bikes. If you get approached in the middle of the street, especially during the night, and are asked if you want to buy a bike, just say NO. They do cost 20-30 euros, but it is not worth it. Not only do you support theft by doing so, but you may encounter the real owner at one point; Rotterdam is not that big. Also, as I’ve heard, you could get in trouble with the authorities. Therefore, don’t buy stolen bikes.

How to keep your new bike?

Bike thefts are unfortunately common in the Netherlands. You can even see people walking down the street and looking at bikes to check if there is any unlocked one that they can just take. Sights like that are rare, but they happen.

So here are some tips on how to avoid your bike getting stolen:

• Don’t buy a fancy bike

You can notice that rarely anyone has new expensive bikes. More often you can notice old squeaky bikes. Even if your bike gets stolen then, the damage is smaller.

• Buy good locks

Generally, it is best if you have 2 locks; I even had 3. It is not only about quantity, but quality, so buy good locks. U-locks are supposed to be the best locks, but I don’t see them often in the Netherlands. Almost everybody has a fixed lock above the rear tyre which you can buy for about 5 euros in Action. Usually, the second hand bike you buy will already have that lock. Another good lock you can buy is the ˝chain lock˝. Best place to buy it is Action, and it costs about 7 euros. Don’t worry if your locks are worth half the value of your bike, that’s a good sign.

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• Always lock your bike

Even if it’s just to run in a store for a minute, lock your bike!

• Make your bike unique

Although your bike might get stolen, the chances of it getting stolen will decrease if it’s a bit different. For example, randomly spray your bike with paint. It will not look pretty, but it did help some people who had their bikes stolen a few times before trying that method. As an example look at the following photograph:

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My last advice is not about theft, but it relates to keeping your bike. Mostly, you can park your bike anywhere with a few exceptions of ‘bike parking forbidden zones’. For example, around Rotterdam Centraal parking your bike is only allowed on the parking. If you leave it anywhere else, it might get towed by the authorities. If it does happen, you can pay to get it back if you have evidence that it is your bike, e. g. keys to the lock on the bike. More information about retrieving your bike can be found here: http://www.rotterdam.nl/fietspunt

The online database of the towed bikes is here:

https://www.verlorenofgevonden.nl/gevonden-voorwerpen

One more tip

Another thing to add is that legally you have to have lights and a bell for your bike. They can be bought in Action. Cheapest bells are only 0, 5 euros, and cheapest lights are 1-1, 5 euros. Otherwise, legislation for bikes is pretty laid back, but in case you think you need any other equipment I would recommend checking Action again, as it has a wide offer of stuff for very good prices.

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