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If not, your choice is between a second-hand bike, a new one, or a monthly subscription, and each comes with its own way of losing money.",[129,130,132],"h2",{"id":131},"ask-your-host-family-before-you-buy-anything","Ask your host family before you buy anything",[125,134,135],{},"Start here, not at a bike shop. Many Dutch host families already have a spare bike sitting unused, sized for an adult, and lending it to the au pair costs them nothing. If your family does not have one to lend and expects you to arrange your own, ask directly whether they contribute to the cost, since this differs completely from family to family.",[129,137,139],{"id":138},"buying-second-hand-without-buying-a-stolen-bike","Buying second-hand without buying a stolen bike",[125,141,142],{},"Second-hand bikes are sold through Marktplaats, local bike shops and dedicated second-hand bike shops. Buying a bike you know or suspect is stolen is a criminal offence in the Netherlands, called heling, not just bad luck, so a suspiciously cheap bike from someone on the street is a real risk, not a bargain. Before you pay, find the frame number, usually stamped under the frame, on the seat tube or near the pedals, and check it for free against the brand's own records at fietsdiefstalregister.rdw.nl. A clean result is not proof either way, since many thefts are never reported and a police report can take days to process. Also test the brakes, check the tyres for cracks, make sure the frame is straight and the handlebars do not wobble, and take it for a short ride before you hand over any money.",[129,144,146],{"id":145},"a-monthly-subscription-instead-of-buying","A monthly subscription instead of buying",[125,148,149],{},"Several providers, most widely known Swapfiets, offer a bike on a monthly subscription instead of a purchase, usually including repairs and free delivery, with a short notice period to cancel. E-bikes are available this way too. Subscription prices, models and terms change and differ by provider, so check the current offer on the provider's own site rather than relying on a number written down somewhere else.",[129,151,153],{"id":152},"if-your-bike-goes-missing-later","If your bike goes missing later",[125,155,156,157,162],{},"A missing bike is not always a stolen bike. Dutch municipalities remove bikes that are parked outside a rack, block a pavement or stay in one place too long, so check whether the city towed it before you assume it was taken. See ",[158,159,161],"a",{"href":160},"\u002Fen\u002Fguide\u002Fcycling-rules-that-cost-money","cycling-rules-that-cost-money"," for how that removal works and what getting it back costs.",[125,164,165,166,170],{},"If it really was stolen, use two locks in the first place, the built-in ring lock plus a separate chain or U-lock, and always lock the frame to something fixed. Report a theft to the police free of charge at politie.nl or by calling ",[167,168],"binding",{"value":169},"fact:police-non-emergency",", because only a police report puts your bike into the national theft register. Photograph the frame number the day you get the bike and keep any receipt, since the police cannot return a recovered bike to you without proof it is yours. If your bike is on a Swapfiets subscription and it was locked correctly when it disappeared, it is normally replaced under the subscription. Ask Swapfiets or your host family about the current terms.",{"title":172,"searchDepth":173,"depth":173,"links":174},"",2,[175,176,177,178],{"id":131,"depth":173,"text":132},{"id":138,"depth":173,"text":139},{"id":145,"depth":173,"text":146},{"id":152,"depth":173,"text":153},"2026-08-21T00:00:00.000Z",true,"A bike is usually the cheapest and fastest way to get around a Dutch town, and buying one has more traps than it looks, a stolen bike, a subscription that does not suit you, or paying too much for a wreck. What to ask your host family first, and how to check a second-hand bike before you pay.","md",{},"\u002Fen\u002Fguide\u002Fgetting-a-bike","2026-12-01T00:00:00.000Z",{"title":116,"description":181},[188,189,190,191,192,193],"https:\u002F\u002Fswapfiets.nl\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rdw.nl\u002Fkopen-of-verkopen\u002Fcontroleren-of-een-fiets-gestolen-is","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.anwb.nl\u002Ffiets\u002Ffiets-aankooptips\u002Ftweedehands-fiets-kopen","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rijksoverheid.nl\u002Fonderwerpen\u002Ffiets\u002Fvraag-en-antwoord\u002Ffiets-gestolen","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.politie.nl\u002Finformatie\u002Fwelke-informatie-neem-ik-mee-als-ik-aangifte-van-fietsdiefstal-wil-doen.html","https:\u002F\u002Fhelp.swapfiets.com\u002Fpark-your-bike-in-amsterdam","first-month","en\u002Fguide\u002F9.getting-a-bike","volatile","RzOnufVostd6sNTbHxDBZCvvWwXt6aF-RiamUHRzT6Y",1787854365847]