Stromer ST1 : 1 year review

When I moved to the Netherlands in 2019, I made a deal with myself that I would adapt to a life without a car, just as so many millions of Dutch people do. This post is that story, but I will also review my primary mode of transportation — a 2022 Stromer ST1 speed pedelec.

Commuting: the Dutch way

If you live in the Randstad area (Rotterdam, Den Haag, Amsterdam, Utrecht) and you are close to public transport, chances are you don’t need a car. The Netherlands is renowned from its windmills, cheese, waterways and public transport infrastructure. You can literally get from any one point to virtually any other with public transport. Secondly, the Netherlands has put cycling first — it’s a way of life here, if you live in a city you cycle, period (unless you’re an expat who has never cycled before…then please do us all a favour and walk until you know how to cycle).

That being said, after moving out of the center of Utrecht to the nearby town of Houten, I wondered why all the locals owned a car (or multiple), after-all, the town has two train stations and was built in the 1980’s as an experimental urban infrastructure project putting bicycles and cycling at the heart of its design. Cars are guests here, in fact, it’s so cycling friendly that there is no way to cross town in a vehicle, you have to take a ring road to get to the other…