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Fully agree, best idea is to purchase used one. I was in Amsterdam for a week and purchased a bicycle (then left it with a friend as a loaner for future guests). It would have cost about the same to rent one for that time, so it seemed a wise investment. A decent used bicycle will run 60-150€, rarely over 100. Shop around a bit, I was offered quite a range of junk to rather good bike for around 100€. There are some highly regarded frames made in Netherlands you may not have seen before, worth learning to recognize and seeking out. Avoiding bicycle theft is an important goal, but in this case I don't know how; most used bicycles in Amsterdam have probably been stolen many times over. (Worth brainstorming a study design!) The dealer I purchased from claimed they were acquired from the police auction and then rehabilitated, which seemed credible given the police bike inventories I've seen in the USA (unfortunately many are damaged in storage there). There are many outdoor makeshift shops at Waterlooplein, not hard to get to in the center. Some are surely more reputable than others. Use your sensibilities. Any bicycle shop probably has some used ones as well, usually fewer but worth asking -- I once crossed Germany on a 15€ bike wheeled out from the back room. In this case I found it valuable to haggle and ask for improvements -- take a test ride, ask for things to be fixed first, etc. Some are hawking bikes with only weak or partial repairs, don't accept something that's dangerous or will break soon. Consider what you want in a bike -- racks, fenders, working lights, kickstand, etc. All have additive value but in a used bike it's all about the same price. Looking around you may well find the combination you seek. I only had to purchase a bell extra (haggled a lock included as well!). Happy cycling, Jason On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 1:13 PM, Adonia Lugo <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi all, > A friend is going to Amsterdam this summer for a research position, and she > has been wondering if she should purchase a bicycle or rent one while living > there for two months. Does anyone have advice on this? > Thanks! > Adonia Lugo > > -- > Adonia E. Lugo > Doctoral Candidate in Anthropology > University of California, Irvine > www.urbanadonia.com >