Commuting - Around campus biking

Hello,

I am new to this site and I need some direction on a bike purchase. I am moving to my college campus next month and my primary transportation will be my bike. It needs to be load bearing, for books and other stuff. I am pretty new to biking. If someone would please help me out, that would be great.

EmiliB

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that an older MTB makes the best campus commuter. Go visit the local bikeshop and see what used ones they have for sale. Find one that will accept a rear rack so you can mount panniers to carry stuff. I would also suggest one without any suspension whatsoever.

Here are my reasons for picking a rigid older MTB.


Campus environments are not exactly like regular commuting environments. I remember many times hopping curbs and riding stairs in order to get to class on time. I developed a lot of my urban assault riding skills back in my college days. An MTB can usually take that kind of punishment.
No suspension and older bike makes it less attractive to thieves. Still, you probably want to invest in some decent locks. You don't really need the suspension and it's just one more thing to maintain. A cro-moly rigid fork will work just fine in an urban environment.
You'll be hard pressed to find a roadbike with on-the-bar shifters for the same price but you can probably find many older MTBs with working RapidFire shifters. Having shifters at your fingertips is handy when you've got a backpack full of books trying to weave through pedestrian and campus traffic. Going for that downtube shifter while biking across the quad with a huge load on your back might be cumbersome.


Also, don't forget to budget for things like a helmet, lights, pump, minitool and possibly shoes. You might also want to consider replacing the more knobby tyres with semislicks or city tyres.

Gday EmiliB

It depends how far you plan to ride and how much you want to spend. Up until this week I've been commuting 25km to uni on a mountain bike (no suspension) and that will be the cheaper option and will do you fine. It may also be more suited to panniers if you wanted to get them. If you do get a mountin bike, getting slick tyres which can be kept at a high pressure will be best for urban riding.

I've just moved up to a road bike though and it's brilliant - much faster - and I happily cart stuff around in my backpack. I'm stoked with the move up to a bike which is actually made for riding on roads.

The other thing to consider though is security - you don't probably want to be leaving a shiny snazzy looking bike outside at uni. Regardless of what bike though I'd recommend a U-lock we've never had a bike stolen at uni that was locked up with a Kryptonite U-lock (no bikes that the bike user group knows of anyway). I happily locked my old bike up outside but now keep my new bike in my lab - just in case.

Anyways, be sure to spend enough to get a relatively decent bike - good components etc - don't go overboard but don't get a real cheapie either. (Especially if you'll be riding it everyday)

If it's just going to be a bike for a short ride around uni I'd say go for a base model mtb (some people like the hybrids though) from a respected company. My old bike was a Giant Boulder (no suspension - I never thought shock absorbers were worth the money or maintenance and it's unnecessary for road riding - you waste your energy bouncing up and down on your shockies) and so far its 5 years old with about 2 years heavy riding (uni commuting) and its still going strong.

Best of luck, Pete.

Most of the bikes I see around campus are old bikes from the 1970's or 1980's or so. Most of the bikes I see at campus take a lot of abuse - they get left outside most of the time. Often chained to bike racks for days or weeks at a time.

I think that an important factor in campus bicycles is that they have to be reliable. Personally, I would go for an old internal hub 3-speed like a Schwinn Collegiate or maybe an old British Raleigh three-speed with an internal hub. Those are the most trouble free and durable bikes of all time, perhaps with the exception of a single speed coaster brake model, but single speed is a bit limiting.

Road bikes would give you the easiest ride, but they do require more maintanance than a mountain bike.

When I was at my daughter's orientation they advised a $50 bike and a $200 lock.

When I was at my daughter's orientation they advised a $50 bike and a $200 lock.

Take the saddle off and leave the seat post in. That is a good deterent as well.

An old but reasonably good non-suspension MTB is a good choice. If buying used, make sure that the transmission is not too worn. Watch out for teeth worn to shark's tooth profile.
Fit slick tyres, fenders, a luggage rack and some lights. You may find that toelcips on the pedals give you extra efficiency and security For heavy loads, pannier bags on the rack are best. If you use a backpack, you can always strap the heaviest itemes (eg books) on top of your rack.
Also budget for helmet, pump and puncture repair kit.
Good models to look out for include Trek (850/950), Specialized (Rockhopper/Hardrock), Giant Boulder, but there are plenty of others.

Being the owner of an older Specialized RockHopper, I can say that you should look for something like this bike. I love it, it rides great and it is very durable. Its also ultra-simple. No suspension to worry about etc. Very soon it will have a rack, so I can put my panniers on, and carry larger loads when I commute with it.

If your campus is like CSU (or most college campuses) I'd recommend the cheapest yet usable bike you can possibly find. I use a free bike that I found on the side of the road and spent a day fixing up to commute from my house (about 6 blocks off campus) to school. If someone steals it, I'm out a days work repacking all the bearings. I, and a BUNCH of other people, had a really nice bike stolen Easter Sunday while sitting here in a computer lab. There were 6-10 bikes being stolen every week, and the ineffectual police department was completely incapable of stoping it.

Hello,

I am new to this site and I need some direction on a bike purchase. I am moving to my college campus next month and my primary transportation will be my bike. It needs to be load bearing, for books and other stuff. I am pretty new to biking. If someone would please help me out, that would be great.

EmiliB


I'm going to agree with the voices here who say to get a cheap junker. Check the campus paper, mine always had several bikes for sale. If the campus is flat like mine was, go for an old beach cruiser... no gears to maintain, they carry heavy loads, no one's going to want to steal it. Just keep the tires inflated and its good to go. Best of all, you can find them for virtually nothing. Low maintenance is key to a good campus cruiser, as is making it look like it's old and worthless. Good luck!

onguard locks are the best for the money i percieve. and try to go for a single speed. pay more attention to cheap looks than cheap price. and wrap it in plenty of duct tape. the hard part is the rigid fork for a cheap price. it's odd that all the cheapest bikes have a suspension.

Being in college right now I'd go with the suggestion of a cheap (50-150) used mtb. Get slicks and a decent lock and it shoudl carry you fine through your four years

Thanks for all the help! That really does help. I have had bikes stolen before, so didn't want to spend much for on campus riding. Thanks again!

An old but reasonably good non-suspension MTB is a good choice. If buying used, make sure that the transmission is not too worn. Watch out for teeth worn to shark's tooth profile.
Fit slick tyres, fenders, a luggage rack and some lights. You may find that toelcips on the pedals give you extra efficiency and security For heavy loads, pannier bags on the rack are best. If you use a backpack, you can always strap the heaviest itemes (eg books) on top of your rack.
Also budget for helmet, pump and puncture repair kit.
Good models to look out for include Trek (850/950), Specialized (Rockhopper/Hardrock), Giant Boulder, but there are plenty of others.


I found a Specialized Hardrock, 17", for 250. That is the right size for me. The problem is it is online and I am not sure if it will fit me, or how much I will need to put into it to make it "my bike."

Has anyone here purchased bikes online? My LBS does not have anything for me, they refered me to the site. mtbr.com

If anyone has purchased online, please let me know of your experiences. What you liked, what you didn't. Thank you.

EmiliB

remember the shipping cost.

I see a lot of suggestions for mountain bikes on this thread. Ya, OK I guess, but in my opinion, mountain bikes are the bicycle version of the SUV; more of a fashion statement in the city and take a lot of energy to schlorg around.

I like my mountain bike when I am off road, or when it is snowing. However, there simply is no question that road bikes are more efficient on paved roads and streets.

I am finding excellent road bikes at thrift shops now for as little as $2.00 each. Ya, its true $2.00!. It is simply incredible. I bought a Peugeot road bike, made in France in near new condition for $2.97 last week. I bought what looked like a brand new, never been used Takara mixte road bike for $11.00 at a garage sale last week. I didn't need the bike, but it was such a good deal that I bought it for a friend and gave it to him gratis.

For that price, you can buy two or three used road bikes and always have one ready to ride in case you have a maintanance problem.

I see a lot of suggestions for mountain bikes on this thread. Ya, OK I guess, but in my opinion, mountain bikes are the bicycle version of the SUV; more of a fashion statement in the city and take a lot of energy to schlorg around.

I like my mountain bike when I am off road, or when it is snowing. However, there simply is no question that road bikes are more efficient on paved roads and streets.

I am finding excellent road bikes at thrift shops now for as little as $2.00 each. Ya, its true $2.00!. It is simply incredible. I bought a Peugeot road bike, made in France in near new condition for $2.97 last week. I bought what looked like a brand new, never been used Takara mixte road bike for $11.00 at a garage sale last week. I didn't need the bike, but it was such a good deal that I bought it for a friend and gave it to him gratis.

For that price, you can buy two or three used road bikes and always have one ready to ride in case you have a maintanance problem.
Mike, you live near in Indianapolis? When I lived there, I would find plenty of bikes for that price, and fix them up and give them away to the neighborhood people without cars.

Mike, you live near in Indianapolis? When I lived there, I would find plenty of bikes for that price, and fix them up and give them away to the neighborhood people without cars.

You are a cool cat, Meradi!

personaly i would just go to a garage sale, or ebay and just buy the cheapest thing you can find and then buy a nice lock. my college collects all the bikes people leave and sells them off the next year...you can usualy get one for 20 bucks.

Just about any cheap bike will do, used if you can find something (I wouldn't suggest spending more than $200-300 for something new), Thieves tend to go for the newest-looking/shiniest bikes, so if aesthetics don't matter to you, all the better. Internal hub gears are best if you're leaving it outside all the time...derailleurs tend to have problems eventually if you're riding in winter from ice/snow/salt on roads.

A rear rack that you can attach a basket or milk crate to is VERY helpful for hauling books/art supplies/groceries across campus, and allows your shoulders a rest from carrying a heavy backpack all the time. And a bell is nice for weaving through pedestrians.

And I can't stress enough the importance of security: spend a lot on a lock, and maybe even get 2 different types of locks. DO NOT get a cheap cable lock (last year at the U of M, a couple 13 yr old kids were cutting them and stealing bikes for the heck of it). If you have quick-release ANYTHING on your bike, it will get stolen if not locked down--lock quick-release wheels with your U-lock or run a cable through the wheels and U-lock. Replace the quick-release seat post bolt with a bolt-on one.

I started commuting years ago on an old three-speed Huffy escape. I still say it was one of the most comfortable rides I ever had on a bicycle.

It has a Sturmey-Archer three-speed internal hub that never needed maintanance - just a very reliable and comfortable machine. I guess I used to get up to around 16 or 18 miles an hour on a good day which was good enough.

Eventually I switched to touring and road bikes for the commute because they are a bit faster, but I still look back at the three-speed days with fondness.

It might seem dorky, but an old three-speed with side-saddle baskets is extremely usefull; Low-maintanance, comfortable, and can carry three bags of groceries easily.