You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'netherlands' tag.
Near the beginning of December I made an early entry to the Yehuda Moon headbadge contest, restricting myself to the Van Sweringen category since I normally ride a similar machine.
Looking at the other entries for the Van Sweringen, there seems to be an assumption of traditionalism or Olde Worlde-ness in both the imagery and choice of typeface. To me, this completely misses the point of the upright, three-speed bicycle as a twentieth-century urban phenomenon, not to mention a modernist icon.
When the early roadsters were being produced there was a certain degree of marketability in the notion of heritage, of something stable and familiar in a period of increasingly rapid modernisation.
I attempted to reflect the modern Dutch heritage of the city bicycle by drawing inspiration from the neoplasticist/De Stijl movement, in particular the limited primary palette so indicative of Mondrian or Rietveld.
I went for a slightly later style of typeface, the early De Stijl efforts being a tad too square and blocky for decorative purposes.
I made a few prelimary sketches as vector drawings – looking primarily at the arrangement of colours but with the main idea relatively concrete. It struck me immediately that an exaggerated elongated ‘S’ presented a strong visual analogy for the road. I toyed with the idea of using the lowercase ‘v’ as a headlight beam…but decided this would introduce too much of a narrative/figurative element into what was, after all, a logo.
I then worked it up in a CAD package before rendering it for the final image. In hindsight, I should probably have taken more time and curved the “badge ” to fit the headtube…
Anyway, you can pop over and vote for me – Flaneur Brian – should you feel charitable.
r:B
“It is a strange fact that the Dutch, among the most bicycle-conscious of Europeans, have the most dangerous bicycles. Equipped only with back-pedal brakes, they leave both hands free to fend off pedestrians and point out landmarks. The Germans share their preference for back-pedal brakes, but they suplement them with an emergency hand brake on the front wheel. This is of the ‘plunger’ type, and stops the bicycle more effectively than the rider; but it is at least a gesture to safety. The Dutch, one assumes, are keen to demonstrate their courage or geography or both.”
– The Times, Monday, July 18, 1955
R:B
In light of my brief exchange with Fixup on the subject of bars bereft of brakes, I felt I really had to share this snap of a generally unspectacular bicycle I spotted in Amsterdam. There are likely thousands like it but there was something about the empty square bars that, for me, just epitomised the idea of the bicycle as a modernist icon.
R:B
Marc at Amsterdamize.com has some very useful tips on cycling in Amsterdam (where else!) and I thought it might be worth appending what I learned on my recent visit.
- If you rent a bicycle as a tourist/visitor, make sure you go for one with the rental company sign on the front – I got the impression the locals appreciate the warning label! :c)
Rental bicycle showing "Tourist" warning label on front
- Before deciding to rent a bicycle with a coaster brake, bear in mind that mumblety-cough years of reaching for handlebar-mounted brake levers is an instinct that may take time to unlearn. Traffic – even two-wheeled – is probably definitely not the place.
- If you want transportation rather than recreation and you’re more familiar with “hand brakes”, then ask for them. Neither prayers nor swearing are effective methods of arresting a bicycle’s progress (see above).
- If I still haven’t put you off, bear in mind that a coaster brake, like a fixie, doesn’t let you “cock” your pedal for easy take-off at stoppages. You need to stop with your pedals in a sensible position or you’ll look like a grinning idiot with a touch of chorea as you try to bend the bicycle to your will. The locals know this and simply don’t stop.
- Don’t worry about the language. Everyone cycling in Amsterdam speaks English perfectly – you’ll frequently hear them offering helpful advice such as “You’re going the wrong way…!”
- In some areas of Amsterdam, you may find a bicycle symbol painted on the ground to mark a cycle lane. Sometimes you may also find cycle lanes where the symbol is painted upside down. Don’t worry, this is intentional and simply indicates that you’re going the wrong way…
- Don’t try and follow an Amsterdamer through a narrow gap – you won’t fit! Trust me! They’ve got retractable pedals or something…
- Dutch traditional black bicycles are quite tall in the stem compared to British roadster models. There is likely an historical reason involving tax avoidance. It means the zwarte fiets can perhaps feel twitchy and wobbly at low speeds to some riders. This is perfectly alright. Just pedal faster.
- Give it a go. Once you go black you may never go back…
We used Damstraat Rent-a-Bike which was convenient and inexpensive and we found the guys there to be helpful and friendly. Give them a try. I think they’ve possibly stopped laughing by now!
R:B
R:B
Just got back from Amsterdam – I promise to post some photographs soon – where I found a tasty 50’s ladies Rudge sitting in the corner of a bicycle rental shop. Only €110 but I would have struggled to transport it…
I’ll post at greater length when I’ve recovered from the fiasco of disorganisation that is the British rail network.
In the meantime let me just say that I now have an informed opinion on coaster brakes. Simply put, they are the work of Beelzebub!
No, really!
R:B
