Amsterdam bikes: omafiets & opafiets

Walking around Amsterdam oud-west and realized once again that densely populated older city centers are poor places to scout old trucks. It was time to try for a photo essay on that wonderful thing, the Dutch vernacular bicycle. 

Above, the machine in its purest form: the omafiets, ("granny's bike")the classic sit-up-and-beg Netherlands roadster bike. (The men's version, with a diamond frame, is opafiets; this type are also known as stadtsfiets ("city bikes")Clean and simple lines, no gearing needed since the whole country is flat, no fancy gew-gaws since bike theft is common and no one in oud-westwould ever think of carrying their bike up 4 flights of stairs to their flat. Amsterdam bikes are street creatures: battered and bruised and rain-soaked, also reliable, quick, and cheap, and the best way of getting around this city.

We have been living on our bikes since we got here in August and will be sorry to give them up.