Bikes, Bikes, (e.g. where to find, prices)

Groningen, the city of bikes! There are more bikes in the Netherlands than people. This is true especially here, as in some parts of the city center cars are forbidden and most places are reachable best by bike anyway. You will see, not only on the Grote Markt, but other places as well, that there is an accumulation of bikes.

In my opinion the bus system here is not very well developed so a bike is a must-have. Whether you need it to go to the bars & clubs, center, Zernike, or wherever else you have to be, a bike is almost indispensable.

It is a given that there are many sources where to get bikes, but watch out; the price/performance ratio is not always the best. Plus, not all sources are legal… It is very popular amongst students to buy a (stolen) bike from a junkie early in the morning; especially after going out. Brand new bike for 10€ (the price is negotiable). Not a bad deal, but if you get caught you have to pay a fine of 200 or more euros. Needless to say that especially law students should think about this twice.

Every week there’s a market on the Grote Markt and Vismarkt and there is usually a stand where you can buy bikes for a reasonable price. In the Steenstilstraat there are also a few bike stores where you can get rather cheap bikes.

You can find other stores on the Gedempte Zuiderdiep, Oude Ebbingestraat for instance.

The prices range from approximately 45€ to several hundred euros I would say. And be aware that some bikes don’t have lights (or the lights just don’t work) so you need to get some kind of “clip-on lights”, otherwise you might have to pay a fine if you get caught by the police. Another thing is to get a very good lock, because bikes get stolen very easily. So it’s a good idea to buy a second hand bike, and most students leave their bikes behind when they go back home so it’s quite likely that you can take one over.

The cheapest place where you can get a bike legally is from a bike sale of the police which is conducted twice a month in an huge basement on Oude Boteringestraat (very close to the University Library). These are bikes that were abandoned on the streets of Groningen and the police picked up. The sale takes place every first and third Friday of the month. If you want to be one of the lucky people to get a decent bike for as low as 25€, you need to go there around 6 am in order to get a ticket to enter the sale. If you go too late, all bikes will be sold out.

Not everyone adheres to the rules to the fullest extend, and people talk on their phone, write text messages, hold an umbrella, carry (small pieces of) furniture, etc. while riding their bikes, but you’ll get used to that quickly.

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