The Outlaw Cyclist

Many years ago when I worked for a computer company on the Cambridge Science Park, a circular came around telling us that the then available informal cyclists entrance at the Western end of the site was being closed because undesirables came through it. This resulted in those of us who cycled to the Science Park having to make a considerable detour to use the always open car entrance at the Eastern end of the park.

Many years later the entrance in the photo above was built - joining up not with a road or cycle path but with some waste ground at the other side next to a disused railway. The photo shows how the cycle and pedestrian entrance to the Cambridge Science Park is closed during night-time hours for "security reasons".

Show larger map Initially, the parallel road for motor vehicles had no restrictions on it at all. When it gained a gate and restrictions, the hours were more generous. The front entrance still provides very generous 24 hour per day access for any size of motor vehicle including anonymous Ford Transit vans which were once used in 95% of all robberies. Logic would suggest that these vans are more likely to be used by criminals than bicycles, but the time restriction on the bicycle gate of the Science Park has nothing to do with logic.

How does one explain the need for cyclists to be kept out of the Science Park when it is possible to drive a truck along the roads into and through the Science Park at any time of day or night ? I am pretty sure that the majority of England's criminals, like the majority of other people in that country, are drivers. However, cyclists are painted as being "outlaws" and a greater threat - even though you'd be doing very well indeed to carry off as much swag in a bike basket as in a car or on a truck.

The answer to this mystery is to be found in sociology. In societies like the UK's, where only a small number of people cycle, cyclists are an out-group. Apart from cyclists being considered to be on the edges of society, and quite possibly criminal, cyclists also suffer from homogeneity bias. An example of this is the way in which newspapers in the UK often carry accusations of cyclists "all" being law-breakers.

Well intentioned campaigns to improve the position of cyclists in society by improving their behaviour, such as those to encourage cyclists to always stop at red traffic lights fail due to a mis-understanding of what causes cyclists to be disliked in the first place.

While many people in places with little cycling may express that they dislike cyclists because of such things as going through red lights, this is simply an expression of a dislike due to cyclists being cyclists. If it were not red lights that they commented on, it would be something else (as demonstrated by this letter, or this one). In some places, even providing sidewalks is thought to draw in undesirables (see comments here).

There is only one way to improve the public perception of cyclists, and that is to make cycling attractive enough that everyone becomes a cyclist. For this to be the case, cycling must be safe as well as direct and convenient.

Of course, some cyclists genuinely are outlaws. Here's a video of Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds talking about cycling. But bear in mind that while some outlaws are cyclists, that does not imply that all cyclists are outlaws:


Read other posts about campaigning for more cycling when cyclists are an out-group.

To illustrate this phenomena I had to use a photo taken when we still lived in Cambridge and links to letters to the newspaper there as this sort of thing simply doesn't happen here. In this society, cycling is a normal thing. It is part of everyone's life. As a result, newspaper letters pages and editorials are free of complaints about "outlaw cyclists" even though the actual behaviour of cyclists here is quite similar to elsewhere, and there are no arbitrary restrictions against cyclists. Quite the reverse in fact.

Don't cut the corner !

This photo is from the edge of a cycle path through an industrial estate which is currently being improved.

Motorists are discouraged from cutting the corner and driving onto the cycle path or parking on the cycle path by these large sharp edged pieces of concrete.

The corner here is necessarily of larger radius than usual, and certainly of larger radius than you find in residential areas, because there are a lot of trucks in use in the industrial estate. However, they should not drive on the cycle path.

Another view in the opposite direction.

Note that the sand eventually goes between the tiles with sort of surface.

Update 29/1/2009. There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding about the angles of things in these photos. This is far from the best junction for cyclists in this area. However, note that at the point of crossing cyclists are crossing the road at very nearly a right angle. Also note that cyclists have priority at this crossing. Drivers have to wait in both directions. The first photo shows that there is a car's length between the road and the cyclist crossing which gives a space for a car to wait to pull into or out of the road.

This picture shows a child's playground in a residential area, again protected by concrete from residents or visitors deciding to park on it. It's in the same residential area that I made a video of a few weeks ago. A very child friendly area, as Dutch residential areas are. The speed limit is always either 30 km/h (18 mph) or "walking pace" (the phrase used in the law).

2015 update
Unfortunately, the safe (no recorded incidents) crossing shown in the first two photos no longer exists. A roundabout of inferior design has replaced it.

Cyclists are ill less often - Dutch companies gain competitive advantage

A new report from the Dutch Research and Testing organisation the TNO says that every 1% increase in the number of employees that cycle to work saves their employers €27M per year due to lower sickness costs. The research was carried on behalf of Tineke Huizinga, the deputy minister for traffic and works.

The article says that employees who regularly cycle to work take on average one day less sick leave per year than their non-cycling colleagues. If employers encourage employees to cycle to work more, then they can save more.

Across the Netherlands, 26% of all commuting journeys and 10% of business trips are already made by bike, though of course in some locations these figures are somewhat higher. The TNO suggests in the article that employers should be trying to increase these figures, but already that €27 M for 26% of commuters adds up to a total of 702 M Euros per year saved by Dutch employers due to their employees cycling.

The main reason given by those who currently cycle is that it is good for health, while for those who don't cycle the main reasons are the distance that they live from work, the weather, that they will sweat and the journey time.

The ministry of traffic and works is shortly to start a test of financial incentives for cycle commuting also in order to increase this percentage.

The Dutch spend more money on cycling infrastructure than any other country in the world, but even that amount is less than they are saving for businesses by having such a high cycling modal share.

Oh, and that figure is for the small Dutch population of 16M. If it scales, then a 1% difference in the UK is worth about 95 million British pounds, or in the US about 2/3rds of a billion US dollars - that's just for a one percent rise. If Britain could achieve the level of cycling seen in the Netherlands, it could save employers nearly 2 and a half billion pounds per year. For the USA it could be over $17 billion per year.

That's enough to pay for a lot of cycling infrastructure.

The Netherlands is one of a select group of nations which has
an overall positive current account balance. Being the world's
leading cycling nation has clearly not harmed the economy.

I have seen cycling organisations make similar claims when I lived in the UK, but it is something else for a government department to be behind this. The commuting statistics come from this document, which is well worth seeing for it's wonderful photographs apart from anything else.

Leaving a village

This photo was taken at the edge of a village near here. It's a pretty typical view of a country road.

You'll see the sign that indicates the edge of Noordlaren and underneath it is a crossed out 30, that being the speed limit in kilometres per hour within villages (18 mph). The sign on the right hand side of the road shows the speed limit on a rural road. 60 km/h ( 37 mph ). Note also the deliberately rough road surface to encourage drivers to slow down. Speed limits used to be higher, and quite a lot of them were reduced recently.

Within this village, which has very little through traffic, cyclists share the road with drivers. However, at the edge there is a single direction cycle path on both sides of the road. On the right it starts just before the 60 sign, which is why some of the rough surface is left smooth for cyclists.

Note also the rubbish bin for cyclists visible on the left side of the road. That's a pretty good give-away that this is a popular route for school children. Also, look at that beautiful blue sky. Not at all bad for January.

Almost all villages have 30 km/h speed limits on all their roads, even when they also have cycle-paths.

More cycle parking at Assen Railway Station

Another headline in our local newspaper. The amount of outdoor cycle parking is to be more than doubled. At present there is space for 750 bikes outdoors, and another 800 are to be added this year. This is in addition to the 754 places which there are now in the indoor guarded cycle park (which was more than doubled in size last year).

The total is now to be over 2300 places. Assen's population is 65000, so that's one place for every 28 residents in this one location (naturally there are also thousands of other places to park your bike spread around the city, including another large guarded cycle park in the shopping centre). By comparison, London has only around 2800 spaces for eight million people.

The additional space for bikes in Assen is to come in part by removing fifteen car parking spaces.

The article goes on to say that the local government is committed to stimulating more use of bicycles and public transport. However, they are also going to be more active in making sure that bicycles are parked correctly. It is a problem at present that because there are more bikes parked at the station than there is space for them, there are many incorrectly parked bikes which can get in the way and look rather untidy. Badly parked bikes really can cause a problem here because there are so many of them.

The local paper also is running an online poll about the cycle parking. Three responses are possible. a) Good Idea, b) Not necessary, c) Why don't they do it straight away ?

Currently the poll results stand as 45% wanting immediate action, 32% saying it is a good idea and just 23% saying it's not necessary.

For an example of somewhere with a higher proportion of spaces per person, and a discussion of the amount of cycle parking provided at British railway stations, see this earlier post.

Update 29/1/2009. Here's the outcome of the poll in the paper, published a week later.

47% say it's a good idea, 41% say the local government is dragging its feet and that this should be done immediately and just 12% say it's not needed.

The number of cycle parking spaces at the station will soon have more than doubled from the situation last september when I last wrote about it. There are other posts about cycle parking and integrated transport.

Anatomy of a reliable, everyday bicycle

A few days ago someone who had watched my video of the rush hour in Assen asked me why there were so many similar looking bikes and so few had derailleur gears. This post is an attempt to explain.

The bike in the photo belongs to my wife, Judy. I am sure that some people looking at this picture will think it looks like an "old fashioned" bicycle. It's not. It's just a very practical bicycle. It's the result of many years of evolution of bicycle design for everyday use.

These bicycles are not an anachronism, they are an enabling technology for mass cycling. If you want the entire population to cycle, then this is the sort of bike they need to do it on. This bike has covered thousands of kilometres since we bought it (second hand), but apart from a little splashed mud it is spotless. It keeps itself clean and in good condition, despite no maintenance at all.

I'll explain some of the details of the design below.

The handlebars are relatively high and shaped like this because this leads to a very comfortable ride. This shape is also better suited than dropped or straight handlebars for attaching a basket. Judy's baskets were made in 2004 for her previous bike but they are still good. A bicycle bell is fitted. It's a legal requirement here in the Netherlands, and also just a very good idea.

Chain case. This keeps your clothes clean, and makes it practical to ride in normal clothing. It also keeps the chain spotless, so that less maintenance is required. Chains last for many years when fully enclosed. Riders of bikes like this don't have to clean their chain after riding and while having to clean your chain might seem reasonable to mountain bikers who use their machines only for riding on the weekends, no-one wants this job on a bicycle which they use every day.

A full chain case like this is required to get these benefits. I have just a "hockey stick" shaped chain guard on my older English 3 speed but this does not fully protect the chain so I have had to replace my chain this year and have also had to clean and re-lube the chain. However, a hockey stick style chain case does protect trousers and can be retrofitted to other bikes.

The front light and dynamo (generator). Having lights permanently attached to your bike in this way is far more convenient than having to remove them when you park the bike. Having a dynamo to run the lights means that they are always available. (see our blog post about selecting and setting up dynamo lighting systems)

Batteries go flat - especially if lights are left on. Removable lights can be removed by other people when you park your bike.

The rear wheel lock and the skirt guard.

The lock on its own offers enough security for leaving your bike for a short period of time while shopping. Good quality locks of this type are very secure, and can be used with compatible add-on chains and cables to provide more security when needed. The skirt guard keeps your clothes clean while you cycle, and make riding in normal clothing viable.

Note also the mudguards (fenders). These are steel and made to last. Thermoplastic mudguards also work well, and can be retrofitted to other bikes, but they're not so durable as steel and can crack after a few years use. The mudguards on this bike are adequately long at the front to prevent excess spray on your feet. With shorter mudguards, a mud-flap is very helpful to prevent spray. Note that this bike has a mud-flap at the rear, on what is really too short a mudguard to be entirely successful (even with practical Dutch bikes there is an element of style over substance).

This is the rear hub. This incorporates both the three gears on the bike and the rear brake, operated by a lever on the handlebars.

Enclosing the brake and gears leads to extremely high reliability. Neither the gears nor the brakes have required any maintenance, unlike my bike which has rim brakes and has required new brake pads. Not only rim brakes, but disc brakes also are not really low maintenance components. When used in winter, salt on the road causes the disc to rust, and brake pads need replacing fairly regularly. Drum brakes, or Shimano's roller brakes, are much more reliable than this.

Front wheel hub. The front brake is built into the wheel hub, and operated by the handle on the handlebars. Again, this type of brake is extremely reliable. No adjustment has been required at all in the time we've owned the bike.

Some other features of the bike, all directed towards reliability and convenience, are:

1. Sturdy steel luggage rack. It's much more pleasant to carry luggage on a rack than in a rucksack. Let the bike do the work. If it's sturdy enough, as this one is, then it can also be used to carry friends.
2. Puncture proof tyres.
3. Reflective sidewalls.
4. Thicker spokes for stronger wheels.
5. Chrome plated stainless steel rims - which look beautiful and last forever (a good idea with hub brakes as fitted on this bike, not a good idea on a bike with with rim brakes)
6. A paint finish designed to last 20 years of use outdoors.
7. A kick stand. That's why the bike can stand up on its own, with no support.
8. On an upright bicycle, a wider saddle is needed than on a sports bicycle. Read about saddles in another blog post.

Looking for parts to make your bicycle more practical ? All the components featured above are available online through our bicycle components webshop.

Unsure about which inner tube or tyre size that you need ? Read our informative blog post which explains all about different bicycle wheel and tyre sizes and how to choose the correct size for your bike. Tyres to fit your bike can be bought online through our bicycle components webshop.


These are a very common type of bicycle in the Netherlands because they are very practical. When taking note of the bikes parked en-masse all around Assen, similar features are seen:

Two interesting bikes. The pink one is a child's bike made just as practical as an adults bike with all the features discussed above. This is needed as virtually all children use their bikes daily to get to school. Note that this bike is parked in the centre of the city. Many Dutch cities have been made safe enough that children can ride their own bicycles right into city centres. The other bike to its right has a low step over frame, which is useful for people with limited ability to lift their legs. e.g. older people, or people with disabilities.

The bike to the left of the child's bike has a fold down child seat on the back.

Two bikes fitted with front child seats and windscreens for the children. These are very common, as otherwise children sitting in front of their parents can get quite cold when being transported by bicycle in winter.

You can buy bicycles (moederfietsen) built specifically to carry two children, one in front and one behind. They come as standard fitted with both child seats and with a windshield like this.

One of the other ways that people use to carry small children is in bike trailers. This bike also has a seat mounted behind the handlebars, but no wind-shield.

This bike is fitted with a "springer" for walking a dog while you cycle. Just one of many ways of cycling with pets. Most people simply hold the dog's lead, which with a well trained dog works well, but the springer does add a degree of safety. It is legal in this country to walk one dog while you cycle (but not two or more dogs).

An extra tall frame bike (the Dutch are now the tallest race in the world) and a bike with a serial number pressed into the frame in a very obvious way - an anti-theft idea that some manufacturers are using, and which makes it very difficult to disguise the serial number of a bicycle.

Bike fitted with a sturdy front rack. These are quite commonly used and work extremely well for carrying large and heavy items. Again an enabling technology to allow people to make journeys by bike for which they might otherwise have used a car. They fit most bikes and you can buy them here.

A traditional looking bike, but actually new. This design is very popular, quite trendy, and many people like them.

As with many of the other bikes shown, this has just a back pedal (coaster) brake. It is legal to have just the back pedal brake in this country, and it's a common arrangement. Coaster brakes are very reliable, so again this is useful for an everyday bike.



Finally a view of people getting on with using their bikes, as they do everyday in the centre of Assen and all across the country...

If you have an existing bike with fewer of these practical components, it is possible to convert it. This website provides components for conversion of mountain bikes or road bikes.

Read our other bicycle photo blogs

We use similar bikes for our cycling holiday customers.

This blog post also appears on the Dutch Bike Bits blog.

Racing against Grandad

I had some parcels to pick up today. Due to rain earlier in the day, and having baskets to make, I didn't end up getting around to going out for for the parcels until it was getting a bit uncomfortably close to 5pm when the depot shuts.

The depot is just 4.5 km (3 miles) away, but I'd left myself short of time so I had to ride flat out to get there on time. I rode the Xtracycle so that I'd be able to move the weighty parcels. 90% of the distance is on the excellent four metre wide cycle path in the photo, which unlike the road offers a completely uninterrupted route on which your speed is limited by your ability, not traffic, nor the four sets of traffic lights and one roundabout I'd have had to go through if I'd ridden on the road or gone by car.

The cycle path was fairly busy and I joined it a few metres ahead of an elderly gentleman on a traditional opafiets. With help from a tailwind, I soon had the Xtracycle going at 35 km/h (22 mph) and rode along for a bit before glancing behind before I overtook someone, and... there was "Grandad" ! At a guess, he was around 70 years old. He was just a few centimetres away and perfectly positioned to get maximum aerodynamic benefit from sitting in the considerable wind shadow of my cargobike.

A quick guy still, and skilled on the bike. He probably used to race. Maybe he still does. Something I noticed on moving here is that a lot of people are fast, and you can't necessarily tell from appearances who the fast ones are. Moving here, to a city with slightly over half the population of the one we came from in the UK, but at the same time a city with so many more cyclists, gave me that feeling of going from being a big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond.

People in other countries, particularly the English speaking countries where there are few cyclists, often make an incorrect assumption that Dutch cyclists are slow based simply on an idea that the millions of utility bicycles here are slow bikes. While the everyday bikes may not be the fastest bikes in the world, they are efficient enough to travel at pretty good speeds given a good set of legs pedalling them.

Until you enter the realm of extreme aerodynamics, the speed of a cyclist is limited far more by muscle power than it is by the bicycle. Muscles used for cycling get stronger as a result of cycling a lot. The Dutch cycle more than people of any other nation. There is no Clif Bar 2 mile challenge here.

It's not just utility cycling, of course. Sport cycling is also much more popular here than in most countries. Many, many high specification sport bicycles are sold, and bicycle paths like that pictured go in virtually every direction. These provide a great place to train. What's more, cycle racing circuits are also common in many places, including here in Assen.

You can see the result of the popularity of sport cycling in the country's results in the Tour de France. No fewer than 61 Dutch cyclists have won stages in the Tour, vs. 10 Americans, 8 Australians and 6 Englishmen. Not a bad tally for 16M Dutch people vs. 380M from elsewhere.

There are several major sport cycling events in this area this year, including the start of the Vuelta a Espana, which starts in Assen this year and the Jeugdtour - the world's biggest youth cycle racing event, the Triathlon, the Erik Dekker Classic etc.