The market research is part of the project Marktgericht Fietsbeleid (market-centred bicycle policies). In cooperation with the towns of Apeldoorn, Hilversum, Nijmegen and Zwolle Fietsberaad wants to acquire experience in the application of marketing instruments in bicycle policies. This article discusses three different approaches: 1. what is the image of cycling and does this affect bicycle use? 2. what reasons are given by people to cycle or not to cycle? 3. what should be done, in their opinion, to get them to change their ways? These three approaches provide in part different answers. The image issues are strongly related to cycling, which agrees with an important conclusion from the discussion groups. People often have an individual default preference. Some find it relaxing and fun to travel into town by car, despite traffic jams and the search for scarce parking places. Others are stressed out by the mere thought and experience a feeling of freedom on their bicycles. That individual default is not easy to change. Incidentally, a majority of inhabitants of medium-sized towns has a default preference for cycling into the town centre. The actual decision of the consumer is a combination of the default and an individual estimate of the practical advantages and disadvantages of cycling versus driving at that particular moment in time. Healthy, fast, inexpensive, a breath of fresh air and freedom to drink alcohol are weighed against luggage problems, bad weather and fatigue. That individual estimate of advantages and disadvantages is easier to influence than the default preference. Crucial anyway is the individual estimate of the speed of cycling versus driving, which will sound familiar to traffic engineers. Bicycle use by motorists may increase considerably if they would have a more realistic idea of travel times by bicycle. Many hesitators and cyclists already feel that cycling is competitive in travel time, which may be emphasised more in communications. In particular for people living relatively close to the town centre travel time is an iron-clad selling point for cycling. For neighbourhoods at a greater distance the issues of health and fresh air should be emphasised more. And finally infrastructure. Many people expect local authorities to provide mainly infrastructural measures. But even in infrastructure the perception of bicycle travel times should and could be a major design criterion, for instance in direct routes, minimal waiting times and parking bicycles at the front door. But also waiting time predictors, priority and green waves.