Pre-Amsterdam

Lock em up: Such a demonstrative photo. Even the crappy little kids bikes are locked up with HEAVY CHAINS. Check out Rob's b&w photo gallery of Amsterdam bikes. Very well done.

Helmets: Practically no one wears a helmet while riding in Amsterdam, or so I've read. Odd. I'm actually thinking of leaving mine home since we aren't bringing our bikes after all and our rentals will probably chug along slowly.

Where to rent? I've just started looking, but MacBike sounds like a popular place. Damstraat Rent A Bike sounds cool too.

Ugh: I really wish bike theft wasn't so much of a problem in A'dam. If it wasn't, I'd much rather bring my Cannondale and in addition to getting around town, ride the extensive bike trails the city has to offer. I do know my road bike would stand out among the beater bikes and solid commuter bikes of the city. Therefore, I'd probably be spending more time locking up the bike, removing the seat, etc., etc., than actually doing stuff.

Granny bikes: Apparently the term for the practical looking bikes that populate Amsterdam is OMA FIETS, aka, granny bikes.

More about the bike thing from VirtualTourist: Click here