This exactly: bikes require planning and strategy and are not good for improvisational day-to-day things like you described. Bikes make walking easier but all other forms of travel like bus, train or taxi/uber/cars more difficult or impossible.
(Also, the suburban trains and taxis carry bikes for free.)
Most people use either old or fairly cheap (<€500) city bikes. We only lock the rear wheel; if you want to you can pick up the bike and walk off with it.
Some people do have nicer bikes, and they chain the bikes to something solid. I did this for 6 months when my city bike was new.
Sure, but how many will fit on one train/taxi? Here in Vancouver we have two bike-slots per bus and ~4 per train (which is actually just general accessibility-device space, for e.g. powered-wheelchairs, and is almost always taken already.)
Wikipedia says a suburban train takes 46 bikes. I should check, as the press release from the company doesn't give a figure.
I don't commute by train, so I don't know if that's still not enough. Many people do leave a second bicycle at the station.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_Copenhagen
https://www.dsb.dk/om-dsb/presse/nyheder/mere-plads-til-cykl...
I use mine for every trip longer than a 5 minute walk and less than a 45 mins bike ride. That encompasses the whole of Amsterdam and its outlying suburbs.
In bad weather, people have suitable rain gear and accept getting a bit wet. Or cycle with umbrellas. As the Dutch say, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing".
But yes, the cycle paths are ploughed (often before the roadway). Nevertheless, bus and train use increases.
For cycling a long time in the rain, some people use overtrousers or other waterproof clothing.
What? I don't plan or strategize any more or less than someone getting in a car might think about the optimal rush hour route.
Without bike-parking infrastructure -- ubiquitous racks -- bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked.
I've lived where cycling was well-supported and routes and racks reasonable. And where not. For SF, hills, parking, and traffic all work against cycling.
I don't own a car anymore, but when I did I had countless break ins. Most times nothing was taken. Petty theft & vandalism is a problem here regardless of vehicle type.
Closing the last half mile on a trip on scooter is a breeze. Sometimes the nearest bike docks at start and end total half a mile distance. Dockless bike? They are generally quite sparse where I am.
Your points on other forms of travel, such as regular cars + bicycles, are definitely true.
https://www.dart.org/riding/bikeracksonbuses.asp https://www.dart.org/riding/bikesontrains.asp
All you need is a good lock (make sure to put in wheel locks so you don't need to have that ridicolous cable-lock setup).
Do you sometimes need to walk 50m to find a pole or bike rack? Sure, but that doesn't require planning and strategy.