How much for a good deal on a bicycle in Holland?

This refers to either new or secondhand bikes. Preferably second hand. Also I have read that bike locks tend to be rather expensive, is this true?

New bikes can be pricey especially from specialist bike shops, but you do see special deals around e.g. Halfords, Makro etc.

Also if you are working for a Dutch company and live within x kms from the company, some offer a bike scheme whereby you can get a bike up to (I forget the amount but I think in the region of 700-800 Euros) for free) and this is part of an incentive scheme, so ask your HR dept.

2nd hand you can pick them up (depending on condition) for about 50 Euro’s (but they will be basic and probably not in the best condition). .g. look on http://www.marktplaats.nl/ under “Fietsen”

Also be careful though with second hand bikes to ensure they are not stolen – e.g. don’t go buying bikes from guys just hanging about the streets in Amsterdam – for are for certain stolen just for quick money

Another option is to buy one from the auctions that are held from bikes recovered by the police and resold and sold for about 25% of the sales value

It’s true about the locks though. In the cities especially if you want to leave your bike on the street then your locks are as or more expensive than the bike and it is really is a case of paying for what you get. You can get cheap locks from the markets…. but these are also the ones that get broken the easiest as well. This is where you want to invest your money rather than the bike itself!

Bicycle Rush Hour in the Netherlands

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