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What is the first stereotype that pops into your head when you hear about the Netherlands? Axiomatically the well-known bikes. These handy vehicles can spare you a lot of time and energy. Moreover, they can be quite budget-friendly to the students' luck. If you think you are interested in reading more about the acquisition and the principles of having a bike, do not hesitate to "read more".
In the Netherlands bikes are part of the country's interior. Especially in busy and hectic student cities bikes are the most ideal way of transportation. For this particular reason, getting a bike is inevitable when moving to Leeuwarden as a student. Due to the rather compact size of Leeuwarden, the entire city is well approachable by bike. The clear and wide cycling paths make sure you can travel safe and secure through traffic.
A proper bike must have
Working front and back lights
Working brakes
A proper lock
A bell
How to get a bike?
There are a lot of options to get a bike; you could bring it from your home town for example. Probably the most convenient way is to buy a second hand bike in Leeuwarden. This can be done via facebook or marktplaats (the Dutch Ebay).Another common way to get a bike is to buy it from the person you take the room from.
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In addition to buy a second hand bike, there is the possibility to rent a new bike from Swapfiets. Swapfiets is a company located in the main student cities in The Netherlands, also in Leeuwarden. Swapfiets offers you to rent a bike for a monthly price. In return they make sure your bike is always working one hundred percent. Flat tire? Swapfiets will fix it for you for free!
OV Fiets
Next to buying your bike and renting it at Swapfiets, you have the possibility to get a OV fiets. OV fiets, or public transportation bikes, are bicycles from the Dutch public transportation company, people can rent them with their public transportation card. For more information about the public transportation and the card, read the article.​
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OV-fiets is a convenient rental bicycle to use for the last leg of your journey. When your train arrives at the station, you can quickly rent an OV-fiets to cycle to your appointment. There are almost 300 rental locations in the Netherlands: at most stations, at bus or metro stops, and at P+R facilities.
You need a personal OV-chipkaart to be able to rent and use an OV-fiets. Simply download the free OV-fiets season ticket to your personal OV-chipkaart, and you can immediately rent and use an OV-fiets. Renting an OV-fiets costs€ 3,95 up to 24 hours.
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Renting the OV Fiets in 5 steps:
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Go online to take out a free OV-fiets season ticket on your personal OV-chipkaart.*
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Head to a rental locationand use your OV-chipkaart to rent a bike.
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Adjust the seat and get going.
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Return the OV-fiets to the same location you rented it.
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You can view your trip and payment history in Mijn NS and we'll send you a handy summary every month.
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