If I didn’t come to Holland, I would never believe that Dutch people bike that much. Coming from Vietnam where motorbikes and bicycles are two major means of transportation, the picture of streets full of cars is what I got about a Western city. But here in Rotterdam, kids bike to school, adults bike to work, old people bike to do exercises. It’s just amazingly different.

I biked almost everyday in 4 years long when I was in middle-school. And later my Dad got me a scooter, I thought I would never bike again. In a 34 degree hot with smoke and dust from all kinds of motorbike on streets, you sweat, you stink and biking is definitely not a good idea.

And I bike again now. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy sunshine’s and cool breezes on a bike. However, it’s not very nice if you have to buy a new one after every 4 or 5 months. “My bike was stolen” is something very common that people here in Rotterdam share. After 4 bikes in 2 years, I can give you some tips if you want to keep your 2-wheels for a longer while!

Firstly, always make sure that you lock the frame and the wheels with something fixed. Don’t just lock your seat! What a silly mistake I did! And that was for my first bike.

Secondly, it’s suggested that you should have two or more different locks. And buy some good locks. Sometimes locks are more expensive than bikes (like my 2^nd hand bike cost 15euro, and the lock was 17euro).

Next, don’t put your bike overnight at the central station. This is a hot spot for junkies to hunt their earnings.

If you are student, want to save money of course, then this one is a good tip. Buy a second-hand bike instead of a new one. There are several websites that you can check – www.viavia.nl, www.marktplaats.nl, www.2dehands.nl People have bikes for sales, they put their ads there (most of the time, including pictures). The price differs from 15, 20 euro up to 450, 500 euro. If you are lucky you can find a good one with 15euro.

Another way to find a cheap bike that a lot of students do is asking from junkies at the central station. However, it’s risky and not legal. If you don’t like the bikes that the junkies bring you will have some little (or big) problems with them. Like a friend of mine, she was followed the whole evening by the junky she asked for a bike because she didn’t want to take the one he brought.

Good luck to bicycle riders and my bike as well.