" Hello list, whould you recomend me to buy my bike in NL or bring it over from the US? What about prices, are they cheaper in NL? Also, what type of bike would you think it will work better in NL, a mountain, hybrid or clasic bike? Do you think that a Trek or Specialized brand will be too much, considering that one day might be stolen (haha)? What about when the wheather is pretty bad, do you always ride your bike? Any additional information on bikes will be appreciated. Thanks & take care, JM "

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" The better your bike is, the more likely it will be stolen. It''s not unusual to see a wheel locked to a bike rack with no bike. Or a bike missing a wheel. Or sawed-through bits of lock or bike rack. Mountain bikes are difficult to put in a bike rack because the tires are wider than the slot where the tire is supposed to go. I have a Specialized that I brought from the US to the UK and then to NL. I keep it in my storage area in the basement and sometimes ride it to work where I can lock it up in the underground car park. If I rode it frequently, leaving it outside, I''m sure it would disappear. And it''s not always convenient or possible to use a bike rack. And parts are more difficult to find than for a Dutch bike. Dutch bikes have ''fenders'' on the wheels and a rubber flap on the front fender to help avoid road spray getting on your clothes. The chain is entirely enclosed to stop your trousers getting caught. Some even have plastic guards on the top half of the rear wheels to keep a long coat from getting snagged. Cheap waterproof trousers and a Gore-Tex coat help in the rain. If you''re not going to want to ride in bad weather, you''re probably not going to want to ride much. A lot of the time it''s either raining or looks like it will rain soon. I generally ride my bike whatever the weather. I guess one of the signs of being ''settled'' is that you''ve learned to ride a bike with an umbrella like many Dutch people do. You are required to have lights on your bike (although most people don''t). Last week the police were out on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam stopping cyclists without lights giving them a ''yellow card'' warning them to get lights before ''death crosses your path'' and that the next time you may be fined. Lights on a Dutch bike are driven with a generator (I don''t know about here, but in Germany it is illegal to use battery lights unless you have a super light touring bike). Most bike shops also sell used bikes. You can get a good Dutch bike in good condition for under 300 Guilders. That''s what I''d recommend. "

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" If your company is paying for a container for your furniture, then bring your bikes BUT if they are expensive ones then only use them for riding and NOT from getting from A to B otherwise they may get stolen. (Mu husband ONLY uses his racer for long exercise/pleasure rides - he NEVER leaves it anywhere unattended!!) For doing a bit of shopping or getting from A to B but a second-hand ''normal'' Dutch bike. ALWAYS put a heavy-chained lock on it even if the bike has an integral lock (some Duthc bikes do) otherwise your insurance company may not pay up. Take out bike insurance (bikes are NOT covered on house contents insurance unless they are IN the house when stolen.), unless they are REALLY cheap second-hand ones in which case it isn''t worth it as most bike insurance policies only cover 1/2 the cost of the bike! (I learnt this from my friend whe she had two bikes stolen from her garden!!) "

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