… can I keep it?
I found this elderly ‘Den Haag’ Dutch bike on a pile of rubbish waiting for collection. It’s a beautiful machine, if rather battered and rusty, with mudguards, lights, massive chain guard, frame built from girders, and a luggage rack that can carry all your shopping, three friends and a dog. Unfortunately it would be a pain in the backside to get up hills, and if you go cycling more than a few kilometres here, hills will feature in the journey. I’m guessing this bike was left in the garage for some time after the owner got bored or too old to keep pushing it up hills, or lost the nerve to go down them. The bike certainly hadn’t moved for many years when I saw it waiting to be chomped by a dustbin lorry. There is no way I was going to let that happen so I rescued it.
As an added bonus I’ve found an excuse reason to keep the bike, as I’m commuting to a local hospital at the moment (as part of the learning to be an ambulance driver fightback) and one of the joys of living on the edge of the public transport system is that the metro passes us every ten to fifteen minutes, but the bus seems to leave just before the tram gets in, and even less off peak, which is when I’m usually travelling because of the hospital shifts. It is only a few kilometres to the tram stop, but there was no way I was going to leave the Xtracycle to be trashed there all day, but I can leave this bike chained to a fence and feel pretty safe that it will still be there when I get back: only a very strange person would want a Dutch three-speed around here. With this as my commuter bike I’m saving myself about half an hour and a couple of Euros a day. Considering the bike came free I reckon that’s a pretty good deal.
Most importantly, when riding the Den Haag I feel incredibly chic and cosmopolitan, right up to the point I drove through a pile of horse poo.
11 comments
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July 7, 2012 at 3:34 pm
bipedalist
A rich mans trash, is a poor man treasure.
July 7, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Andy in Germany
Hi Bipedalist. Isn’t it just? I never cease to be amazed at what people will throw away in this area.
July 7, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Zweiradler
That’s a piece of rubbish I’d like to find, too.
Nico
July 7, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Andy in Germany
I always look for ‘scrap’ bikes on ‘Sperrmüll’ (bulky rubbish) day bu usually they are cheapo mountainbikes. I was very, very lucky to find this one near enough to be able to walk it home.
July 7, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Iain Robinson
Looks like a mighty machine, Andy. And surely the weight is nothing to a man who can rack up the sort of average speeds that you do! Amazing that all you had to do was pump up the tyres and it was ready to roll!
July 7, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Andy in Germany
Hello Iain: It’s certainly lighter than the Bakfiets, which is my benchmark these days. I was amazed that it was ridable: that’s testament to the build quality of the machine: I’m sure the parts are original.
I was very glad of it too: I’d be sad to lose those lovely white tyres…
Bike is the wrong way around in that picture. I cropped it too tight as well.
July 9, 2012 at 2:06 am
Randall
At least you have fenders for the poo. Ditch the steel components as much as possible, put a new entry-level aluminum rim with an 8 speed internal hub in the rear, and leave the rest of the bike alone. You’ll have a very nice performance-leaning sleeper.
July 9, 2012 at 7:14 am
Andy in Germany
Hi Randall: I like the idea, maybe when the money tree has grown a bit and she’s not going to be left at a tram/bus stop all day.
What it really needs is a servicable stand. It has one that works, just, but it leans over at a funny angle and threatens to tip any moment. In the picture it is leaning against the wall in the background
July 10, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Randall
Is the kickstand mount integral to the frame, or is it a screw mount? If it’s integral, sometimes you can use a length of pipe or similar lever to bend the stand into a more stable shape. If it’s held in place by a bolt, make sure the bolt isn’t loose, and if that’s not the problem, replace it. I volunteer in a bike co-op that has a bin full of used ones in different lengths and configurations. Maybe you can find a similar institution where you are.
July 11, 2012 at 9:16 am
Andy in Germany
It was a little loose, but fixing that didn’t help. The basic problem is that the stand is too short and that the fixing bracket is a bent piece of flat metal, rather than a nice solid casting like on a mre modern bike. I’ll have a look in the spares box and see what I can find…
July 11, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Randall
I have seen stands with a threaded adjustment on the leg. That might also do the trick.