just after wwII many of us didn't cycle. The germans used the bikes for their steel -.- My mom, for years after the war would ask random Germans she'd meet (in Dutch); 'where's my bike?'.

For us, cycling and owning a car don't have anything to do with status. Nothing at all

Plus the wind will blow it out going downhill lol

and the nationwide cycle paths. They have a network of trails that takes you all over the country.

Het is nu te koop! The Dutch & Their Bikes ligt sinds zaterdag 1 maart in de boekwinkel maar je kan hem ook online bestellen bij Bol.com.

bij De Slegte.....

Free shipping or the cost of shipping are very low here or people use a car.

I'm assuming you're american judging from your 1 line comment, don't hate me if i'm wrong. ;) 1. Big box retailers are far less prevalent in The netherlands and EU in general. They are very much an american thing. And the few that do exist tend to be much closer to cities' centers than in the US since most cities are much smaller and/or more concentrated and far less spread out than in the US. 2. Giant 180cm tv's don't sell quite as well in the netherlands either since most people live a lot smaller than most americans and the optimal TV size is thus much smaller. Only an idiot buys a 2m tv for a 2.5 to 3m wide TV room since the optimal viewing distance even for an ultra HD TV is minimum of 1.2 times the diameter of the TV. Only people living in suburbs in larger houses tend to buy these large tv's and they tend to use the car more anyway because of larger distances. Buying a 2m tv for a small tv/living room is just useless. 3. Even a 180cm tv can be crammed into a cargo bike. No problem there. Most will use a car, but if you want to, it is quite possible to use a cargo bike. 4. Lastly, there are MANY alternatives. Internet shopping and delevery, borrowing a car from a friend, car sharing,... Just an example: I bought a 1,7m sofa from ikea 2y ago and i don't even have a drivers licence. Rented a van through a car sharing company a friend of mine is a member of. She drove and we went shopping together. It was an electric van, that we charged for free in front of the entrance of IKEA in the especially reserved parking spots. It cost us 15 Euro for an entire afternoon on top of the monthly 10 euro fee she pays. She pays actually less since she shares her subscription with a friend, but i'm not going into that. ;) Much, much cheaper than actually owning a car. If i for example buy a christmas tree (true it's a tiny 1,2m one compared to american standards) i take public transport and carry the thing. You simply adjust to living without a car and it is not that hard at all. I could rent a cargo bike, but i couldn't be bothered since public transwork works just as well where i live. And remember that most dutch people do own a car, they just choose not to use it when it isn't necessary.

Cargo bike or car. Most people have a car and several bikes.

Phillip Mulligan By car or delivery

@@johanwittens7712 To be honest, most American Big Box retailers are struggling mightily, and most young people do not necessarily think televisions are worth the money. But honestly, as a utility cycling American, I would say if you really have a lot of big loads that you need or would like to transport by bicycle, get a bakfiets or a Danish Long John or a cargo tricycle. They would be well worth it.

How is a helmet going to save you if you get forced off the road by a road raged driver. Helmets don't work if you get assaulted from behind.

@@ph11p3540 How often do you get assaulted by a road raged driver? Wtf is that bullshit.

@@ph11p3540 Why were you cycling on a road for cars instead of on a bicycle path? Oh right, you have no transportation infrastructure except for cars.

Don't know about everlasting, but mine is still a pretty nice ride after just 30 years.

I find it hard to believe, since the Netherlands is 90% flat as a pancake.

@@shannontrainer5857 And what happens with wind on a "land as flat as a pancake"? Exactly! I much rather use my bike uphill than on a flat surface against the wind... At least if you go up, you will go down too.

@@shannontrainer5857 You have never experienced our winds, have you?

@@mariadebake5483But is it windy 24/7?

@@shannontrainer5857 most times yes

+craig horton Well well, mr. Horton....I don't know where you're from, but I suggest you take matters into your own hands and do something about that crappy policy in the Netherlands.......wondering if the utilities for cyclists in YOUR country are like in the Netherlands......

+jhombergh I think, Sir, that you completely misunderstood my post. I love the infrastructure of the Netherlands, but I, like a lot of people in the Netherlands, see a creeping back of the automobile culture in the planning stages that is financed by the automobile companies and their dependents. Hopefully, the Dutch people will realize this before it is too late and all the hard won gains that are the admiration of the world will begin to be lost. As for the U.S. I despair that it will ever get any better as the big corporations now totally own the local, state and national governments through unrestricted campaign donations and anything that would threaten their profits, which a bicycle infrastructure and usage on the order of The Netherlands or Denmark would, will be fought tooth and nail on all levels. I'm not sure why my post upset you, but hopefully this explains my meaning a little better.

+craig horton. Unfortunately you're right. In 2016 the Dutch car union ANWB together with car brand Volvo (!) declared cycling unsafe, and offers at low prices bike helmets since. Also rather sudden many helmets in bike (on-line) shops, in (bicycle) TV-adverts, in TV-programs, etc. Resulting in more and more helmets in the Dutch bike-landscape, a very annoying look and unnecessairy. Helmets give negative connotations to a bicycle, making people think it's dangerous when it's not! So, the number of cyclists will drop, like in other countries with bike helmet mandatory. The Dutch Cyclists Union ('Fietsersbond') is against these helmets, like the German cyclists union ADFC. However, despite in Germany already more helmets, and less cyclists. Thus motorists less used to cyclists, triggering more accidents, and the helmet-maffia will benefit from that. Regarding infrastructure: the design wins from bike safety lately; for instance: more and more cycle lanes before a bus stop, in stead of the safe, old Dutch tradition: cycling around a bus stop.

It really is the other way around. City centers are becoming less and less car friendly. Dirty old diesels aren't allowed in city centers and there's a big push towards electric cars. Also big trucks aren't allowed in cities anymore. You must be extremely left wing and don't want cars at all...

@@Whistler4u "You must be extremely left wing and don't want cars at all..." Aaahhh the voice of the nuanced. You've got an incredible amount of pro-bike-video's on your channel, all of your "liked'-ones. Are you a selfhating leftwinged person? Seriously, you're sending mixed messages.

Wel eens Duitsers gehoord die al hun halve leven in NL wonen?

@@Saartje05 Ja, ik heb een Duitse collega die hier al meer dan 20 jaar hier woont, verschrikkelijk!

@@Populiervogel Hahaha, ik ken iemand die Pools is/was, die woont hier 13 jaar, die spreekt het ook nog niet. En iemand uit Turkije, 16 jaar, die zegt 'sneuveltjes van de vogel' in plaats van 'de snavels van de vogels' en 'onderhuid' in plaats van 'onderhoud.' Het is wel ontzettend lollig. :P Ik ga vanmiddag naar een Russische/Duitse workshop-mevrouw met een Finse assistente, ook die spreken alles heel grappig uit.

@@Widdekuu91 Ik ken een Italiaan die hier al 50 jaar is, bijna niet te begrijpen wat die zegt, gelukkig spreken we bijna allemaal Engels in Nederland, maar ook vaak met een foeilelijk steenkolen accent, ben in Finland geweest, een vriend van me is daar gaan wonen, als je het over een moeilijke taal hebt dan is Fins er een van, fijne workshop!

Not mispronounced, that's how it's pronounced in the English speaking world. How do you pronounce Berlin , Paris, London ...

@@GerbenDub Either 'Bärlynn" (German) or 'Berlyne" (Dutch) Pah-reese (German) or "Pahr-eyes" (Dutch) London (German) or "Londann" Dutch.

She didn't say Gouda at any point.