English backup

The Holiday biker

Set up and run by seasoned long distance cycling enthusiast, Eric Schuijt. Eric cycled over 200.000 kilometres all over the world.
The Holiday Biker (De Vakantiefietser) is the specialist shop for your cycling holidays selling trekking bicycles, biking and camping equipment and providing travel information.

Buying a bicycle

We have sold trekking bikes to cyclists from the USA, Brasil, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zeeland, Turkey, South Africa and even Kazachstan! And closer by from Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Poland, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway.

If you live outside the EU, you can get a tax-refund. This means that on a bike of
€ 3.000,- you get € 520,- back when you take it out the EU!

If you buy your bike here, you receive ten percent discount on all the other things we sell (sleeping bags, mattresses, Ortlieb panniers, tools, clothing, etcetera). But you do not receive this discount on maps, guides, on-sale items and bikes.
Of course you also get your VAT back on these items as well.

Ordering a bicycle is straight forward:

  1. Have a look at some excellent bikes from Santos, koga or idworx
  2. Send us an e-mail with your wishes: eric@vakantiefietser.nl
  3. Based upon our expertise we will give you personal advice and together we will come to a definite choice and frame size.
  4. Upon ordering we ask for a deposit of 30 percent. We do not accept credit card payments, so it has to be a banktransfer.
  5. We can send the bike, which can be expensive, but most cyclists fetch the bike in our shop.
  6. If you come to the shop we will take your measurements on our fitting frame and adjust everything that is possible.
  7. Often we change the stem and seat post, and of course it is still possible to change the handlebars, saddle and pedals if you wish.

Cycling is fun

An increasing number of people choose to go on an active holiday using their own power. You feel as free as a bird on your bicycle with the wind blowing through your hair whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery surrounding you,.
”De Vakantiefietser„ helps you to get prepared by sharing with you enthusiastic stories of biking trips; to select a well-fitting bike as well as, practical equipment. We also provide practical, advice and share our expertise based on the shop’s personnel’s own experiences of long distant biking trips.

Bicycle trekking equipment

From waterproof panniers to cycle maps, from gasoline burners to down sleeping bags, from unbreakable carrier racks to self-inflating mattresses and from breathable rain jackets to puncture proof tires, we have everything in house. Headlights, waterproof socks, compact tools, bicycle trailers, synthetic towels, luggage nets, water bags, first aid kit, universal bath plugs or a camera stand for on your handlebar.

Holiday bicycles

The kind of bicycle which is suitable for you not only depends on the duration of your trip and the destination, but also on your budget. It makes quite a difference whether you are going on a world trip, or on a cycling holiday to France.
That is why we have bicycles in different qualities and price categories: idworx, Koga, Koga Signature, Santos, Snel, Gaastra and VSF. Besides this we are the specialist in The Netherlands for a trekking bike with Rohloff speed hub.
Delivery for a new bike can take from one day up to eight weeks.

Cycle guides, maps and travels

There are hundreds of cycling holiday guides in our book cupboards. Apart from Dutch cycling guides, we also have German and English ones as well as travel stories.
Our maps are especially selected for cyclists – so you will not leave our shop with a walking or car map.
On our coffee table (next to the ‘negerzoenen’ chocolate biscuits) you will also find brochures from a number of cycling travel companies. We do not sell cycling holidays, but we can help you find the most suitable travel organisation for you.

About Eric Schuijt


Eric Schuijt has cycled through more than eighty countries and has written four books about his trips. Eric is not the only one with considerable biking experience in foreign countries.

All the staff at ”De Vakantiefietser„ have also cycled through different parts of the world including Switzerland, China, Iran and South Africa. Therefore Eric and his team cannot only offer you invaluable technical knowledge about bikes, but also practical knowledge and insight about long distance biking in various parts of the world.

Friend-of-Eric-card

Naturally, you don’t want to get backache or neck ache or painful wrists as a result of biking on the wrong size of bike or on a badly adjusted bike. That’s why, we use our measuring frame to find your ideal frame size and to adapt the bike to your body.

If you unable to come during our regular opening hours, you can make an appointment at a time which is more convenient for you. Every customer who buys a bicycle receives a ”Friend-of-Eric„card. This entitles you to a discount on your travel equipment. Moreover, if you have problems with your bicycle while you are on holiday, we will send you the necessary parts.

Activities

Almost every Tuesday-evening we organise an activity in the shop like:

  • Bicycle maintenance course for on the road;
  • Basic bicycle maintenance course;
  • ‘preparing’ for a cycling holiday;
  • ‘preparing for a long distance cycling trip’;
  • Readings about bicycle trekking from enthusiastic bicycle travellers

On this website

you can find information on

  • Advice about equipment, bicycles and bicycle clothing,
  • Tips for buying a trekking bicycle,
  • Packing list,
  • Diary of activities,
  • Travel impressions,
  • Books and maps via internet,
  • Links to websites which are interesting for trekking cyclists.

Everything is written in Dutch, but with the help of google translate you can at least understand what I have written.

Address

De Vakantiefietser is located in the centre and is not far from the Central Station.

De Vakantiefietser
Westerstraat 216
1015 MS Amsterdam
Telephone 00-31-(0)20-616 4091
E-mail

Opening hours

  • Tuesday from 10:00 – 18:00 hrs
  • Wednesday from 10:00 – 18:00 hrs
  • Thursday from 10:00 – 21:00 hrs (if you want to join us for diner; give us a call beforehand)
  • Friday from 10:00 – 18:00 hrs
  • Saturday from 09:00 -17:00 hrs (at 9.15 hours we always have breakfast with fresh croissants, also for you!)
    Due to Eric’s continuing cycle trips, the shop has limited opening hours in the months of November and December.

Free parking for cyclists

If you visit us, you can park your (trekking) bicycle save inside!

Route

On cycling or walking-distance from Amsterdam Central Station.

Public transport from Amsterdam Central Station, tram 17, get off at stop Westerkerk, it’s a 400 m walk to our shop.

Contact us

 

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