Not Just Bikes πŸ‡³πŸ‡±

My latest video is now live on Nebula!

Asphalt is great for roads, but for streets and sidewalks the Dutch use standard brick pavers called "klinkers"! When and where klinkers are used is genuinely interesting, and it reveals a lot about Dutch street design!

https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-natural-handcrafted-artisanal-streets

Not Just Bikes β€” Natural Handcrafted Artisanal ... Streets?!

Asphalt is a great material for building roads. But when it comes to streets, there's something better: klinkers!

Nebula
Feb 7 at 12:29pmWeb
Show threadoptimista πŸ΄β€β˜ οΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆFeb 7
@notjustbikes I hate bricks. They are so uncomfortable and bumpy when riding a bike, and often even dangerous!!
I've never seen a flat brick floor.
Show threadNot Just Bikes πŸ‡³πŸ‡±Feb 7
@optimista do you live in the Netherlands? The bricks are very flat on the bike lanes here.
Show threadoptimista πŸ΄β€β˜ οΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆFeb 7
@notjustbikes no, so I'm going to have to trust you on this, though I'm skeptical.
In my experience they are usually fine when they're installed, but soon bricks come loose, get deformed by cars/vans, or it could be due to bad maintenance. But it just so happens that they are always a nightmare to come across.
Show threadKelly (who Cannot, Today)Feb 7
@optimista FWIW there's a bunch of stuff in the video about these points
Show threadKelly (who Cannot, Today)Feb 8

@optimista and I just realised this was a Nebula link and it's not up on YT yet, oops.

The gist is that they're usually deployed in lower-traffic areas (which the Netherlands is careful to create and maintain lots of), so they don't need as frequent maintenance, and what maintenance they do need actually gets done, and is cheaper and less disruptive than tarmac maintenance. They use good quality, flat stones, and swap out the old ones as needed (with a cunning and interesting re-use case).

Show threadEtamFeb 8
@optimista
I have to agree on that. Near where I live there is a brick bike path (completely separate from car traffic), which is bumpy and very unpleasant to ride on.
@notjustbikes
Show threadReindeR RustemaFeb 8
@etam @optimista @notjustbikes What is missing is a little piece of legislation that makes the road manager legally accountable in the Netherlands. After an accident you can file claims, material or injuries with the road manager. Specialist legal people can help with this.
Show threadThibaultmol 🌈 πŸ”œ@WHY2025Feb 7
@optimista @notjustbikes have You been in the Netherlands? (I'm not saying they're perfect everywhere there, but they're surprisingly well done in many places)
Show threadPursuitOfElysiaFeb 7
@optimista @notjustbikes You may have a maintenance problem. Never had an issue growing up on my bike, rode everywhere on clinkers!
Show threadoptimista πŸ΄β€β˜ οΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆFeb 7
@PursuitOfElysia I don't know if it's a maintenance problem or a limitation, but the result is always so bad. I prefer the smooth floor to ride.
Show threadPursuitOfElysiaFeb 7
@optimista My ride was never bumpy, though I've never biked using those super thin tires before if that could be it
Show threadblechlawineFeb 7
@notjustbikes bricks are awful for kick scooters and longboards, but they do look nicer than asphalt in some cases
Show threadDelFeb 9
@blechlawine @notjustbikes I often find sidewalks made of bricks with rounded edges where I live, and I find them very scootable (20 cm PU wheels). I don't think I'd have much trouble with those red bricks, as long as they stay flat and regular (they won't).
Show threadOnyxFeb 7
@notjustbikes Got to love one of my favorite creators, Nachos Bikes!
Show threadNot Just Bikes πŸ‡³πŸ‡±Feb 7

@OnyxPixels lol. I actually used to have merch that said "Nachos Bikes" because, before my channel was popular, that is what Google Home use to interpret it as.

And since there was a little kid with a channel called "nachos bikes", Google would send people to him. πŸ˜‚

I also registered nachosbikes.com.

https://nachosbikes.com/

Nachos Bikes

Show threadtvaughanFeb 7
@notjustbikes @OnyxPixels that’s a taco
Show threadAndrej ShaduraFeb 7

@tvaughan, but Nacho is a name, so it could be the guy on the picture πŸ™‚

@notjustbikes @OnyxPixels

Show threadNot Just Bikes πŸ‡³πŸ‡±Feb 7

@andrew_shadura @tvaughan @OnyxPixels

I had no money when I had that image made, so the drawing is by a guy in India that I found on Fiverr.

I'm lucky I got anything usable, so I wasn't about to try to educate him on Tex-Mex food.

But also, the back of the mug was this.

Show threadYesterday's RoseFeb 7
@notjustbikes @OnyxPixels I don't usually mindlessly endorse lifestyle brands, but if Nachos Bikes was one, I would. It just sounds fun.
Show threadjerFeb 7

@notjustbikes @OnyxPixels

This is what #Tesla semis are used for; being so terrible at hauling, they mostly transport Doritos.

Show threadKate (i ❀ blahaj) Feb 7
@notjustbikes bricks! #bricks #ilovebricks
Show threadadamarmfieldFeb 7
@notjustbikes i like the machine that does the whole street width at once
Show threadThomasFeb 8

@notjustbikes here in London pavements and public realm spaces are often relaid using bricks or blocks (increasingly fewer roads however). Watching the pavements being relaid is so satisfying and I always love to stop and chat to the team doing the work!

I’m so pleased to see others that find it cool!

Show threadPatrick SchmitzFeb 8

@notjustbikes temporary replacing a strip of asphalt with klinkers after construction is done for a good reason. After digging in the ground, the ground needs to settle, which is also why there is a slight bump in the brickwork due to the extra sand added.

If they would immediately put asphalt on it, the asphalt can break and form a pothole.

Show threadMarek FoΕ™tFeb 8
@notjustbikes I don't have data to prove it, but at least my impression from my visit to ZΓΌrich was that Swiss are absolutely obsessed with asphalt and they use it also for sidewalks almost everywhere. Especially annoying in the heat of a summer. Even Germany and Czechia seem to do much better in this regard.
Show threadθ³’ι€²γ‚Έγ‚§γƒ³γƒŠFeb 9
@notjustbikes I am now exceedingly curious about whether or not Portland's rivers have some clay deposits we could use. It would be amazing to simultaneously clean human waste out of our rivers, address the problems we have with the Columbia's river bed near its mouth, and create locally sourced klinkers to help our cities and towns move toward safer street design.
Show threadSpeculation FictiveFeb 9
@notjustbikes How is a video about bricks this fascinating?!
Show threadTrammell HudsonFeb 10
@notjustbikes the street featured at 00:26 in the video was rebricked in March 2022 while we watched from our windows. it's still nice and smooth, although they added real curbs and unfortunately removed the amsterdamertjes.
Show threaditikaneidaFeb 10
@notjustbikes I really liked this one, in my archi school we covered brick streets but as a mainly leisure/park/shop-street material, cool to see them in suburbia.

Asphalt printing (stamping brick texture on asphalt roads and sidewalks) could also be used more. It doesn't solve stormwater runoff or the energy-intensive production but still creates a visual traffic calming cue and makes the city less bland - also it can be used in countries where clay bricks are too expensive.
Show threadLee 🌏Feb 11
@notjustbikes
holey klinkers!
Show threadMobility Matters BhamFeb 25

@notjustbikes
omg β€” This is the nerd video I’ve been hoping for. 😎 (And it isn’t even nerdy lol)

One morning in Den Haag we went out for breakfast, passed some workers doing a street repair. When we returned, the work was completed and the klinkers back in place. Easy passage for everyone.

Great job bringing all these details together: patterns, shapes, aesthetics, economical, noise reduction β€” and the bigger picture of safety. The road/street categories make sooooo much sense.

Show threadMobility Matters BhamMar 17
@notjustbikes πŸ™‹Question from the back row: Do you have a preference about hashtags if I re-post your videos? (use them or don’t) I can see some value in several, eg # BikeTooter or # Trains or sometimes even # Urbanism, etc. They may not be the greatest words, but seem to be a way to share your good work. Since you aren't using hashtags, I wanted to ask before doing anything. 😊
Show threadPuntarellaApr 14
@notjustbikes I'm in the Netherlands for the first time just now. And I'm constantly looking at the klinkers.
I wonder what I would look at while getting around if I hadn't seen your video before?
This really good use of the klinkers is one of the things you just can't unsee once you learned about it.