Dutch speakers, please...

[Haitch]

As Yellow Saddle says, the etymology is unknown. Various theories have been put forward. Bastardisation of the German vize-pferd (replacement horse), the French velocipede (meaning fleet of foot) or vite (fast), the name of a bike shop owner (Mr Fiets or Viets) but these are usually dismissed due to lack of evidence or wrong timing (e.g. fiets was used for bike before Mr Fiets opened his shop). And there is equally strong evidence that the Indonesians borrowed and bastardised fiets to create their word, pit. One likely derivation is a dialect word, vietsen or fietsen, meaning fleet of foot or swift of movement, but again there is little documentary support for this.

The older, more dignified Dutch name for a bike is rijwiel, meaning 'ride wheel', equivalent to the German Fahrrad.

Interestingly, if you're so inclined, the Dutch for 'mountain bike' is usually bike.

 

[snorri]

In most other (European) languages, at least, they are all closely related.

Are you sure?
What about kolo, rower, kerekpar, fahrrad, hjol, polkupyora and velo?
I'm just doing a little gentle stirring as I wait to start my summer cycle tour, responses in a few weeks if you wish.,

 

[stephec]

Why not ask on a Dutch cycling forum?

They all speak good English, so should be able to help.

 

[Dayvo]

Are you sure?
What about kolo, rower, kerekpar, fahrrad, hjol, polkupyora and velo?
I'm just doing a little gentle stirring as I wait to start my summer cycle tour, responses in a few weeks if you wish.,

Apart from a 'few' exceptions, most names, in the local language, are a derivative of 'bicycle' ,my list taken from Wikipedia.Some of the languages I'd never heard of, and plenty more I didn't bother to look at:

Bicicleta - Catalan
Bicikl -Bosanki
Bicicleta - Aragonés
Beic - Welsh
Cykel - Danish
Biciklo - Esperanto
Bicicleta - Spanish
Bizikleta - Euskara
Bicyclette/velo - French
Bicikl - Croatian
Bicicletta - Italian
Bisikleta - Ladino
Bisikileta - Malagasy
Sykkel - Norwegian
Bicicleta - Portugese
Bicycle - 'simple' English!
Bicicletă - Rumanian
Bicykel - Slovakian
Bicycle - Scots (honest) have a look - https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle
Cykel - Swedish
Biciclete - Wallonian

Wish I hadn't bothered now - took ages.

Bon vacances, Snorri.

 

[Dayvo]

Why not ask on a Dutch cycling forum?

They all speak good English, so should be able to help.

I asked some Dutch-speaking Belgians in the winter, and none of them knew.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I asked some Dutch-speaking Belgians in the winter, and none of them knew.

Would they know now it's the summer?

 

[Dayvo]

[QUOTE 3744831, member: 259"]Rower in Polish - the first bikes there were Rovers.[/QUOTE]

Can't they say their 'w's there?

Vankers.

 

[Dayvo]

Would they know now it's the summer?

Some feats are beyond even my capabilities.

 

[Dayvo]

[QUOTE 3744834, member: 259"]Most Belgians would call it een velo anyway, just to be awkward.[/QUOTE]

Yep, that's what they said.

Would they know now it's the summer?

Summer fiets, some others wise.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've just sent a message to a cloggy mate, see if he turns up anything new.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

[QUOTE 3744857, member: 259"]You might as well ask him if he knows what happens if you eat the green bit on spuds as well.[/QUOTE]

Everyone knows you die.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Well he came back with the bastardisation of the French velocipede, completely useless.