I was in Amsterdam this past fall when I happened on my bike’s Dutch doppelgänger on one of the 9 Streets. It’s an earlier model than mine; I’m guessing 1950’s because of the chaincase. It’s been well maintained and has gotten a lot of use, if the additions are any indication. Over time someone has taken this quintessentially English bike and made it Dutch.

The fork is a replacement, which probably means it was once in a head-on crash. This is a testament to the durability of steel, that the frame survived unscathed. The stem has been swapped for a longer one in order to get the bars into a more upright riding position, Dutch style. The rack is an add-on, as is the rear wheel lock, which is standard on every bike in the Netherlands. The bottle generator up front is clamped to the fork with a part similar to what I have on my seat stay. Usually if a generator goes on the front fork, it’s attached to a braze-on mount with a vertical opening made especially to hold a generator against the force of the turning wheel.

Finally, the lights: one mounted to the headset and one on the rear fender. The saddle is new, too, but it’s the same Brooks model the bike would have shipped with 60 years ago…