Brian loves Amsterdam cyclists

From Brian's web page:

"I stopped in Amsterdam, Netherlands on my way back from a 2006_europe_motorcycle_trip.  During a 73 minute period on 9/12/06 at one corner of Nieuw Markt (a nice open square in Amsterdam), I took the following 82 pictures of bicycles.  Why?  Because sitting there I noticed how remarkably different the whole Amsterdam bicycle scene was from my home, and at the same time certain very clear 'Amsterdam Bicycle Trends' appeared I thought might be interesting to point out.   I am from the San Francisco area, California, USA."

Here are the categories of Amsterdam cycling trends Brian noticed:
1. Formally Dressed Bicyclists
2. Multiple Riders on One Bike
3. No Helmets EVER
4. Dogs on Bikes
5. Human Powered Generator (Dynamo) Bicycle Light
6. Spectacular Gigantic Unbreakable Security Chains
7.  other trends

Sadly, Brian claims that "EVERY bicycle in Amsterdam is outfitted with a dynamo powered head lamp, where the rider has to pump extra super hard and the head lamp shines dimly.  If you are younger than 35 years old, you probably have never seen one of these in the USA, we have very bright headlamps for bicycles that add much less weight and do not increase resistance.  I haven't seen a single dynamo powered bicycle in San Francisco in over 20 years.   Once I saw a 'Simpsons' (animated comedy) episode where Bart turned on his dynamo bicycle headlamp and could barely make forward progress-> in the USA these dynamo powered headlamps are considered a JOKE, but almost a quarter million bicycles in Amsterdam all have them"

The truth is that the bicycles my friend and I rented in SAN FRANCISCO had dynamo lights. AND they were bright. AND they required almost no extra work to power. That technology has come a long way since Brian dismissed it. And it's on the rental bikes in his very own city.

Also, about the huge chains that the Dutch use to lock up their bikes, Brian says "The ton of high tensile, military hardened steel in each security chain must be worth more than the bicycle it is keeping safe!" He fails to see the point that locking one's bike is not just about protecting a monetary investment. It's about preventing the extreme inconvenience of losing one's bike. When a bike is stolen, the bike's rightful owner has to find another way home AND has to file a police report AND has to obtain a new bike. AND that person has to go to all the trouble of customizing the replacement bike to his or her needs. Big-time hassle.

In any case, it's awesome that Brian is so into commuter cycling! Right on, Brian!