Photo and text © 2010 Marjolein Katsma

Tags for this photograph:
snow, bike, reflection, chrome, me, bell, dutch, self portrait, dutch bikes, bike bell, traffic law

What is this?

The Dutch (and Belgian) RedBubblers won’t have too much trouble, I think, but the rest of you might have a problem recognizing what this is…

In the Netherlands and Belgium a bicycle is legally required to have a bell (to warn other traffic participants on approach if needed); in the Netherlands traffic law stipulates it must be a “properly functioning” bell, in Belgium it must be audible at a distance of 20m.

Apart from the unavoidable fact that many bikes don’t have a bell (which can lead to dangerous situations, or worse), a bell is an accessory and an accessory can become a fashion item. The variety of bike bells is enormous, so this is one of the topics for my “Dutch bikes” project.

Today, after a fresh cover of snow followed by a bit of sunshine, I had a ball taking pictures of a whole range of bike bells – all with a little snow hat. I love the reflections in the chrome here : there’s a (very distorted) image of me taking the picture in the handle bar – an unexpected self portrait “Marjolein in action”!

Shot in Amsterdam, Netherlands 2010
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

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