Why I rebuilt my cheap rusty bike

An ode to bicycles, while I rebuild my bike: As I moved from the Netherlands to England, I knew I would need a different bike. Coming from the flat low lands, where bikes are made to be simple and optimised for carrying stuff, I now needed to optimise for longer distances, hills (and pot holes haha), so a bike with sturdy tyres, gears and a light frame would better help me explore. So, I set out to buy something cheap. This purchase would later leave me guessing about if I got scammed or not, but in the end, it gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn how to strip a bike and build it back up. As - in my humble and slightly uninformed opinion - bikes are one of the greatest inventions of all time, I was looking forward to get back on it after I'd left it to rust in the English autumn rain. Thinking about the things I would be able to do after the bike was finished, reminded me of a spontaneous bike trip I undertook in 2021. The drudgery of my internships in university left me feeling uninspired and restless, and so I decided there and then that I would cycle 110km from where I lived, back home to Amsterdam (where I was born). A €20 bike and straps for my bag (and a packed lunch) was all I needed to come alive again, and feel like I was out on an adventure. I realised that to me, bicycles signify a sense of freedom, a sense of slowing down and connecting: to places, to people and to my surroundings. Even though the rebuild had its ups and downs (and more money spent than I initially anticipated, leergeld, as my dad would say), I cannot be happier with what I now get to ride around. Thanks for watching! Naomi Subscribe if you do not want to miss out on my next project videos: Completing my first triathlon: Coming soon Making my own soap: Coming soon Getting better at cooking: Coming soon About Naomable: I love filming things and I love making things. You'll find whatever outcome of that on this channel. So far, I have grown my own food, sewed my own suit for a wedding, trained for a triathlon and made furniture. Previous videos: I couldnt find this suit so I made my own:    • I couldn't find this suit so I made my own   Growing my own food as a beginner:    • Starting My First Urban Garden   A DIY renovation of my Amsterdam apartment:    • DIY Renovation of my Amsterdam Apartment (...   Making an ottoman out of a wooden bench:    • I turned this bench into an ottoman   All music used in the video is made by me :)