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How big of a problem is bike theft in the Netherlands?

I live in the UK and I probably wouldn't consider getting a bike again, simply because I know it would be nicked within a month.

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Pretty common in big cities. That's why everyone in Amsterdam rides cheap old omafietsen ("granny bikes") with huge locks that often cost more than the bike itself.

I personally had 4 bikes stolen in 5 years.

Not so bigi would say. Lived ~3 years in Amsterdam with an average bike always loosely locked in the street and it has never been stolen. But to be honest, poverty in NL is also a problem that's been managed quite well ; which does not mean there is no crime (I've had 3 burglary attempts) but maybe crimes that paya bit more than stealing average bikes in the street.

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