In March, I wrote that I was not happy about the food in Holland.

But there's another thing that really bothers me and it's the fact that I must lock my bicycle so securely in the Netherlands.

Holland is the only European nation with more bicycles than people — 1.11 bikes per capita — that also has a very high bicycle theft rate. Approximately 800,000 bikes were stolen in Holland in 2008 — 5.3 percent of all bikes and 8 percent of all in urban areas.

There is a famous joke (I think it's not a joke) that claims if someone shouts in a city center, "Hey, that's my bike!" many cyclists will run away leaving the bicycles behind.

This bothers me because the locks I must use are so huge and heavy, and my sleeves get soiled from dirt and machine oil because I have to attach the locks so securely through the wheels.

I first used a lock I brought from Tokyo — it was a standard size in Japan — but friends in Holland said thieves would laugh at it. Locks here can be as thick as 3 cm and come in various shapes of cable, chain, shackle or loop types.

It is often said that one should use at least two types of locks since many thieves are specialized in one lock and carry equipment suited to open that type.

Thieves sometimes also use methods that leave you lost for words.

Marijke had all five of her bicycles in her adult life stolen in Amsterdam. She attached one bicycle to a metal barrier just outside her home. But the next morning, the whole barrier was gone with six or seven other bicycles on it. The barrier was, unfortunately, movable.

Another technique thieves often use is to "add" an even bigger lock on your bike even when it is securely fastened to an unmovable barrier or pole.

Then, when you have given up or are thinking about what to do, they return one night and cut your lock open.

In this case, if a police station is nearby and you can prove that you have the key to the original lock, the officer may help cut the thief's lock open.

But many timid Japanese expats with expensive bikes have fallen for this foul technique.

Many thieves in big cities are drug addicts, but bicycle theft is common everywhere, even in the quiet suburban town where I live.

Arine de Jong, a spokesperson for Fietsersbond, the Dutch cyclists' association, said the Dutch may feel less guilt about stealing a bicycle than other things, because they are such a common and essential part of daily life.

Apart from using more than one lock and attaching the bike to an unmovable barrier, she said it's effective to use colors to make one's bike look unique. This technique is effective because thieves don't want to stand out on a stolen bike.

It's also important for organizations like hers to educate people not to buy stolen bikes, she added, to decrease the thieves' market.

When my friend Lysette was a law student, her classmates were tempted to buy very nice bikes for about 15, when their actual value was as high as 300. Students are usually the most tempted since they tend to be short of money.

"For that price, it's obvious that the bikes were stolen and the addicts are after quick cash. But law students are taught that if caught, they will never be able to become lawyers or judges — so there's a deterrent at least for law students," she said.