Do you NEED an E-bike in the Netherlands? | NL by Bike – Day 11

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0:00 No, you don’t
0:43 Electric bikes are cool
1:45 Using an e-bike is cheating
2:47 E-bikers are lazy
3:25 The Netherlands is flat
4:20 Anatomy of an E-bike
5:14 Do you need an E-bike?
5:38E-bike Downsides
6:48 Helmets in the Netherlands
7:30 The North Holland countryside
8:15 Why I haven’t learned Dutch
9:06 School zones
9:42 Zaanse Schanse
10:41 We can learn from the Dutch
11:54 Amsterdam Bustle
12:44 Regrets
13:30 Come to the Netherlands
15:02 The End

No, no, you don’t. But you might want one. Hey, how’s it going? Welcome. This is day 11, the 
final day of my bike trip across the Netherlands. Today I’m headed from Alkmaar to Amsterdam, less 
than a 50 km journey to complete the loop of my second much longer trip across the Netherlands. 
Last time I was on what the Dutch might call a barrel, but this time I am on this ebike that I 
have ridden for over 700 km. So after all that time in the saddle, I have some thoughts. Bicycles 
have been a staple of Dutch culture for well over a century. But these new fangled electric 
bikes have taken the Netherlands by storm, accounting for over 50% of new bicycle sales 
every year. There are many types of ebikes, many of which are being ridden in the Netherlands 
today. Some of which even illegally, essentially electric motorbikes. But what I am talking about 
are pedelecs like the bike I rode this e-way from Superior courtesy of A-bike Rental and Tours in 
Amsterdam. Essentially, pedelecs are bikes fitted with a motor no bigger than 250 W that when you 
pedal and put in effort will help you up to 25 km/h, after which the power will cut out and any 
more speed will be up to you. Riding such a bike doesn’t come with any extra regulations or rules 
unlike speed pedelec or electric motorbikes that require a license and helmet among other things. 
And while e-bikes have become popular, there is still a lot of resistance. The common themes are 
that those who use them are cheaters, ebikes are for the weak, they rob you of necessary exercise, 
or you simply do not need one in the Netherlands because the country is so flat. Some of which may 
actually be true in some cases. But let’s actually dig in. First is that it is cheating. Sometimes 
coming from sports cyclists. Well, all the Sunday riders are out. Here they come. Which is kind 
of funny and I get it. Even when I am riding my traditional bicycle and someone flies by me on 
an ebike, I fight that very feeling that boils up doing my best to let go of my ego. But riding an 
e-bike is no more cheating than someone driving a car. Or better yet, it’s like claiming a bicycle 
is cheating over walking. Like you could run the 10 km to work every day, but why would you when 
you could take the leisurely bike ride instead? Similarly, why grind out that 60 km bike ride 
when you can make it a bit easier on yourself and thus encourage you to be more likely to get 
on two wheels as opposed to other options? It’s a matter of choice and purpose of the journey, which 
leads to the next point. They are for the week and rob you of exercise. Now, if you’re someone who 
rides, let’s say, 20 km a day, I mean, distance doesn’t really matter either way, but you replace 
the same ride on a traditional bike with electric and continue to ride the same amount, yeah, you’re 
going to get less exercise. However, studies suggest people who ride ebikes end up riding more 
often and further than the acoustic counterpart. One study suggesting an average 66% increase in 
daily riding distance. This is called the ebike effect. People who get an ebike get close to the 
same amount of exercise or often more than they would have without it, largely by replacing car 
trips. This is especially true with the elderly and people who have limited mobility. The last 
one is that you don’t need an ebike because the Netherlands is flat. Well, let me tell you, it 
isn’t flat everywhere. When I was in Gelderland, especially around Arnhem, I was very happy to have 
this bike while climbing hills at the end of the day. All right, this is like legit the steepest 
hill I’ve had to ride today. It’s pushing. I’m pushing. We’re pushing. But we’re going to 
make it. And where there aren’t any hills, there is the Dutch hill. Persistent wind that 
often feels like no matter which way you turn, it’s in your face. So, while you often find 
yourself on flat ground, you may be faced with consistent wind of just 15 km/h, that will 
feel like a moderate hill for your entire ride. This is where the ebike came in handy for me on 
multiple days. I hate to think of what my ride from Groningen to Leeuwarden would have looked 
like on an acoustic bike. This is crazy. No, I feel like I’m not moving. Jesus. Back to the bike 
I rode. It has the usual accouterments of a city bike like a front light, fenders, chain guard, 
rear rack, and swept back handlebars for comfort. The main difference is that this has a mid drive 
Bosch motor powered by a big old battery capable of helping you along for up to 120 km or even more 
if you have the wind on your side. And what I love about a mid drive ebike is its simplicity. It’s 
not creating propulsion by pressing a throttle and spinning a hub motor. It works by simply gauging 
the effort you put into the pedals and gives a compensatory boost just as you yourself were the 
one with the extra power. This bike has 250 watts of continuous output, which may be on the low end, 
but to put that into context, in its top mode, what you now have giving you a boost is equivalent 
to someone putting in a top 5% effort on one of those stationary bike apps. That’s a lot of juice. 
It’s like having an extra person pushing the bike without the extra weight. Well, some of the 
weight, but we’ll get to that later. Like I said, you certainly don’t need an ebike, but you might 
want one. But simply in the context of this bike, if you plan on riding 60 km a day or less and feel 
like you could use the help for whatever reason, an ebike is a great choice. During my trip, I 
found that those shorter days were when I got the most out of it. You can smash through the hills 
and wind and still have plenty of energy in your legs to wander around your destination at the end 
of the day. But it’s not all sunshine and tulips. Ebikes come with their own unique challenges. Not 
every journey is made equal. Going beyond 60 km, I had to manage the battery, meaning eco mode, 
which doesn’t do much more than get rid of the extra weight. That’s no different than just riding 
a nicely tuned touring bike. With a battery, robust frame, and motor, these 
bikes are often much heavier, which can cause problems when you need to lift 
them up into trains or take them downstairs, as I had found out. And if you drain that battery 
along your journey, you now have an extra heavy acoustic bike to push along. I only had this 
happen once, but those few kilometers were an absolute slog. I’m already pretty gassed. And then 
there’s the battery itself. It’s now another part of your kit that you have to charge at the end of 
the day. It’s pretty straightforward. just unlock it and take it with you, but it is an extra step 
nonetheless. Ebikes can also be quite expensive, which makes them a target for theft. That means 
extra barriers to riding, like having extra locks, bringing it inside to a secure location, and 
the extra stress that can accompany leaving it in a public space. Thankfully, most Dutch 
city centers have free and secure parking, but that is not always available or convenient. 
Finally, the extra speed can be more dangerous. Their rise in popularity has been linked to more 
injuries, especially in the elderly, and is one reason the Dutch government has launched the ‘Put 
It On’ campaign, where they aim to increase helmet use for all cyclists from the current 3.5% 
to 25 in the next 10 years. It is, of course, controversial. One only needs to look at the 
comments that followed my video with Bicycle Dutch to get an idea of the discourse. All that being 
said, with the right ebike in the right context, these are miracle machines that are propelling 
the world forward into an age of micromobility. Once again, thanks to A-bike Rental and Tours for 
the chance to experience the Netherlands by ebike. With that, let’s get to the final leg of this 
journey. [Music] So, I’m just cruising around. I’m looking for more of those forts that I talked 
about on day one. If you haven’t seen day one, it’s the Stelling Van Amsterdam’s defense network 
that was built in the uh I think late 1800s, early 20th century. Go check out that video. I have to 
say once again, thank you to the volunteers at Fort Aan den Ham. I’m just following the Google 
today and it’s taking me to a spot. I’m like, okay, there’s just a canal here. There’s no path. 
There is a little ferry there. Got on the ferry. And uh the guy was really nice. It just cost €1 to 
go across canal. And uh the funny thing was um my Dutch I don’t know any Dutch. I can say a couple 
words like thank you. But this guy didn’t speak any English. And I think that’s might have been 
the first experience I’ve had in the Netherlands where somebody I met didn’t speak English, which 
is just saying something to how well the Dutch know English. It’s crazy. And it’s kind of a shame 
that I’m not forced to, you know, learn Dutch in almost any capacity. I know I should put in the 
extra effort, even if it’s just not to butcher the names of the places I visit, which I honestly 
did do to varying degrees of success, but between doing my best to keep my French usable, studying 
Japanese, and putting these videos together, it just feels like a bit too much. So, I 
hope you can forgive me. Sorry, het spijt me. At the other side of the canal was this school 
zone. and it wasn’t the first I came across during my trip, but seeing a sign that says 15 km/h is 
just so refreshing. In North America, you will be lucky if your city installs 30 kmh signs and speed 
bumps. More often than not, you’ll have signs that have schedules. This is just poor design. The 
speed of vehicles in front of a school shouldn’t be dependent on drivers good grace and knowing 
whether or not it’s a school day. Use narrow lanes, speed bumps, chicanes, or even some brick 
pavers to inform speeds through design. [Music] This This is why I came this way. This is what I 
wanted to hit. If this isn’t Dutch, I don’t know what is. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long 
to actually stop and talk about windmills. Okay, let me try here. This is Zaanse Schans, a heritage 
village meant to capture the essence of Dutch life from the 18th and 19th century. Here along the 
water, you can spot several relocated windmills. Just a few of the 1,000 historic mills that are 
spread across the country. And in their heyday, it’s estimated that there were over 10,000 
of them in use to mill grain, pump water, and even generate electricity. There 
are also many historic buildings here, not just for show. They are still 
lived in today. Very big hot spot for tourists. Who would have thought 
it? 15 km from Amsterdam. [Music] So, I’ve got about 10 kilometers left 
of the trip to get into Amsterdam. And it’s starting to hit me. This trip’s felt 
really long, but also went by really fast at the same time. And it’s been it’s been 
really interesting because something I’ve noticed myself going to each city is that 
so much is the same. Even here, like again, I I’m probably sounding like a broken record, 
but like here outside Amsterdam in the north, car dealerships, construction sites, signs that 
look like they’re from North America. Let me get a shot of that. But still safe and separated 
cycling infrastructure for you to get around. They just do it right here. It’s not magic. We can 
do this. We can do this in North America. This is possible everywhere. In every city, it’s possible, 
except you have to put in the work. And it’s not all bad. We are seeing the fruits of the seeds 
advocates have planted over the past few decades in many cities across North America, sometimes 
in even the most unlikely of places. Here, I made it to the North Sea Canal where I would 
hop on a ferry that is free as long as you’re on a bike or on foot, and officially enter Amsterdam 
for the last of my ride in the Netherlands. [Music] I always feel nostalgic coming back to 
Amsterdam. I think it’s because it was one of the first places I ever visited coming 
to Europe for the first time like a decade ago. After having spent the better part of 2 weeks in 
the Netherlands, coming back to Amsterdam was a bit of a shock. After dropping my bike at the 
A-bike rental and tours shop near Vondel Park, I walked to the central train station and along 
the way I was astounded by the hustle and bustle along the streets, even accidentally bumping 
into a few people with my bulging panniers hung on my shoulders. Nothing against the city, but I 
can’t stress enough how great it is to visit other parts of the country. It truly is a different 
experience. And like last year, I considered any regrets, and I do have some. First, I wish 
I stayed longer, which is what I said last time, but what I mean is at least spend two nights 
in each place I visit. I often found myself arriving in cities just as things were getting 
packed up. It would be great to have more time exploring each city to a fuller extent because I 
feel like I missed a lot of great things. Second, I do wish I had someone to share it with. I’ve 
done a lot of solo traveling, and while it does afford maximum flexibility, there is really 
nothing better than having a friend to share the experience with along the way. That being said, I 
wasn’t completely alone. and I had the chance to share it with many of you watching right now. So, 
thank you for watching, for sharing your knowledge and experience and joining me on this journey. It 
was a trip of a lifetime. And even as I write the script that you’re hearing right now, I am taken 
by a bittersweet feeling. This is it. After the better part of 2 weeks on a bike, over 700 km, 
knocking all the remaining provinces off my list, this is the end. Here we are again, 12 months 
later in the same spot. And you know what? Feels a little different this time. I think I have 
a better understanding of how the Netherlands keep their streets safe, the techniques that they 
use to make that happen. But more interestingly, you ever see the movie Hook with Robin Williams 
where he plays Peter Pan and he goes to Neverland as an adult and he forgets he starts to forget 
his previous life. I started to feel like that. I started to take the infrastructure for granted 
and when it wasn’t perfect, I was like, “What is this [ __ ] And even though in those situations, 
it’s still way better than what I would have found in Canada. This has been an incredible 
journey. Once again, much longer, much bigger, honestly. More fun in certain ways. That’s for 
certain. And I just have to say one more thing. Come here. Come here. Just just experience it 
for yourself. Even if it’s just for one day, rent a bike, ride around Amsterdam. You want 
to do more? You don’t have to do something crazy like I did. Just ride to Harlem. Ride to 
Harlem. Takes an hour and a half. That’s it. Stay the night. Ride back to Amsterdam. Just 
Just try it because I guarantee I guarantee you’re going to love it. Anyway, this has been 
Netherlands by Bike. Thanks for watching. [Music]