Commuting - Need a cheap campus bike

I'm a college student transferring to a new school with a big campus, where bicycling is a necessity and theft is a problem. I kept a job at my old school with my own office where I could stash my $1500 cyclocross setup that I use for pretty much everything, but now that I'll be living in a dorm with no bike lockers I need a cheap set of wheels to bang around on for going to class and into town.

I've been hittling craigslist like a fiend, but have yet to find anything in my price range or convenient to my town.

I'd like to keep it around $200. I've been looking at cheapy mountain bikes and the Bianchi Rollo, but cheap mountains are such a pain in the ass whenever they throw their chain (thus the appeal of the singlespeed Rollo). The Rollo, however, is so scary I doubt I'll make any friends in my new town.

Anything I should look at? Suggestions?

I suggest the Trek 3500. I paid 239 for it, and I'm a student too. It's served me well for the past 10 months doing a 3 mile commute each way and around town. I've only needed one bit of work, and that's because the roads around here are like the surface of an asteroid and I ride like a maniac.
Only thing I suggest is to get the ugly paint job and a pair of slicks.

I've scored two very nice bikes off of craigslist.

Get a cheap Huffy, that's all.

Corsaire

Why not get a folding bike. Leaving any bike outside a college campus overnight is looking for trouble. A folder would allow you to bring the bike inside your dorm and possible the classroom! I don't like the idea of the Rollo because it has the "Bianchi" name which means expensive to the crooks.

The Boardwalk model from Dahon is not too expensive. www.dahon.com

I would buy a used bike. Even from ebay, $200 will buy a decent older used mtb as long as you stay away from anything with suspension. Even better would be an old 10 speed road bike or 3 speed from a local thrift store. I picked up an old Raleigh 10 speed racing bike for $20 from the Salvation Army thrift store that only needed cables and tires which cost about extra $19 from Walmart. Its not a flashy bike, but it has very low theft value and is reliable (goold old fashion friction shifters).

50 dollar bike, a u-lock, and a cable.

I'd pick up an old beater from your local salvation army and simply turn it into a fixed gear.

Roadmaster. Pick em' up at Walmart. Tops I've ever seen one is $75.

I've got the exact same on my campus, my original Roadmaster got stolen (which caused me no end of ranting and raving) and the replacement had the front wheel stolen when I forgot to lock THAT to the frame. My own stupidity both times.

I've avoided theft of my third one by keeping it in my dorm room and in the classroom with me, even right into the cafeteria. The lunchladies dont' mind and are actually rather amused by seeing the bike standing by my table, and I've never had a teacher or roomie object. Add to that, I've got a cable lock AND a u-lock. If you're getting a cable lock...avoid Bell. They're so easy to pick it's not funny. Yes I mean the combination ones. I dont' know about the key locks, my Ulock is a Kryptonite and the only way I could get past it is with a diamond drill bit to drill out the locking mechanism.

About the Roadmasters...

I like the Mtn Sport. You said you don't like mountain bikes, but my Sport's have never thrown a chain unless I SERIOUSLY neglected the deraulliers AND shifted improperly. I do believe Roadmaster makes other models, I know I've seen road bikes with their name in the racks, although never a racer. Then again, maybe they dont' distribute them here.

They're manufactured in the good old US of A, another thing I support. Heavy steel frame, sturdy, and they'll take ANY attachments you choose. I've got several bottle cages, cargo rack, full fender set, blah blah bolted onto mine, and I"m not out of screwholes yet.

The other good thing about them is, while I've got a rather extensive toolbox of my own, they come with a little baggie holding every tool you'll ever need to service them, namely owner's manual, two allen wrenches, a double-ended crescent wrench, and a double-ended screwdriver with Phillips and flathead tips. That's IT. The baggie even rolls up and can be stored in the seat supports, although I'd add a piece of tape to be sure it stays. If you put puncture-proof in the tires, you won't even need a patch repair kit. The whole bike is extremely simple, works even when not conscientiously repaired

EDIT

Oh, and one other little tip, to steal-proof your bike...

I picked up a $10 bracelet at Hot Topic, thick leather with heavy metal spikes on it, and put it around the frame like a dog collar. Oddly enough, I've never been vandalized since, even the few times I did leave my bike unattended in public and, to be honest, inefficiently locked. (I used to find my tires icepicked regularly, hence having puncture-proofing in my tubes)

I've a theory that nobody wants to take the risk of tanging with the kind of person who'd have a spiked collar on their bike, simply because of the 'badass factor'. Who knows if it's right or not.

Roadmaster. Pick em' up at Walmart. Tops I've ever seen one is $75.

I've avoided theft of my third one by keeping it in my dorm room and in the classroom with me, even right into the cafeteria. The lunchladies dont' mind and are actually rather amused by seeing the bike standing by my table, and I've never had a teacher or roomie object.
I've a theory that nobody wants to take the risk of tanging with the kind of person who'd have a spiked collar on their bike, simply because of the 'badass factor'. Who knows if it's right or not.

This is a unique situation. I've never heard of a college campus that would allow you to bring the bike inside the class! Many colleges won't allow you to take the bike inside the dorm and forget the cafeteria.

I think a low budget Dahon folding bike would be better and smaller than an MTB and certainly lighter. They may not allow him to bring the bike inside the classroom but his folder will get much less resistance. Some of his classes may require walking up 5 floors with that bike because the elevators will be full!

You can find plenty of inexpensive folders on Ebay and some of them costing about as much as Roadmaster!

Yeah, I'm not having much luck with ebay. One of the things I'm concerned about is that this will be my only form of transportation and I will be riding distances with it.

I'm thinking of doing a singlespeed road setup out of cheap catalog parts and pulls from the local bike shop, say the $120 nashbar road frame and other cheap stuff. Has anyone done this before?

Yeah, I'm not having much luck with ebay. One of the things I'm concerned about is that this will be my only form of transportation and I will be riding distances with it.

I'm thinking of doing a singlespeed road setup out of cheap catalog parts and pulls from the local bike shop, say the $120 nashbar road frame and other cheap stuff. Has anyone done this before?

That can get expensive.

This is a unique situation. I've never heard of a college campus that would allow you to bring the bike inside the class! Many colleges won't allow you to take the bike inside the dorm and forget the cafeteria.

I think a low budget Dahon folding bike would be better and smaller than an MTB and certainly lighter. They may not allow him to bring the bike inside the classroom but his folder will get much less resistance. Some of his classes may require walking up 5 floors with that bike because the elevators will be full!

You can find plenty of inexpensive folders on Ebay and some of them costing about as much as Roadmaster!

I"ve never had a problem with my bike. Most buildings won't let me RIDE the bike inside, but if I"m sedately walking it...nobody objects. And if they did, on what grounds? The bike's no dirtier than the bottom of my feet, honestly. they can't keep my bike out of my dorms because my dorm refused to take my side in the legal dispute that arose when one of my Roadmasters got stolen from the bike rack THEY were in charge of watching.

Obviously, since I can't trust them to keep my **** safe, they HAVE to let ME guard it at all times.

Pawn Shop Special: Trek 800. $59.

That's what I was going to say. Go to a pawn shop. The other alternative is Target or K-Mart.

Pawn Shop Special: Trek 800. $59.

I second this suggestion. Cheap older used MTB. To me campus riding means a little bit of urban assault so I would want something I can reliably use to hop curbs and maybe even ride down some outdoor stairs and such. It's also fairly easy to find cheap MTB parts vs. road components. An even better solution might be finding a 3-speed balloon or fat tyre cruiser type bike but that gives you a bit less flexibility for the distance part of the commute, IMHO.

I"ve never had a problem with my bike. Most buildings won't let me RIDE the bike inside, but if I"m sedately walking it...nobody objects. And if they did, on what grounds? The bike's no dirtier than the bottom of my feet, honestly. they can't keep my bike out of my dorms because my dorm refused to take my side in the legal dispute that arose when one of my Roadmasters got stolen from the bike rack THEY were in charge of watching.

Obviously, since I can't trust them to keep my **** safe, they HAVE to let ME guard it at all times.

I'm happy you found a situation that works for you. Every year without fail, we get these questions on bringing bikes inside a college campus. Some people find the VERY used bike to be the solution but I'm the only one who goes for the folding bike solution. To each his own.

I've scored two very nice bikes off of craigslist.

Yeah, Craigslist is totally the way to go if you ask me. I bought an old Motobecane road frame for $20 and turned it into a fixed gear - just bought a track wheel from ebay and a new chain, some other bargain parts, and a new coat of paint and now it's my favorite bike ever. Didn't cost me much more than $120 total either. It's so refreshing riding it around campus, it being so light I can fill my bag to the brim with anything and still have no problem jetting around. Plus crooks might spot the one gear and zero flashy parts and say no thanks. Check out the fixed gear forum if this sounds cool...

My city bike is a late 80s rigid mountain bike with slick tires and single speed conversion. It looks cheap, but it rides great. Something like that would make a fine campus bike.

I ride a Trek 930 around campus. Purchased at Goodwill for $25.

Anything I should look at? Suggestions?

Try garage sales. There are many deals to be had.

I found my get-back-into-biking-for-less-than-a-grand at a co-op. There's a program in St Paul (MN) where some kids are running a shop to raise money for youth programs. People donate bikes, they fix & resell 'em. Great deals to be had - I found a decent fuji for $160. Can't get anything close in a normal bike shop.

Let me amend that, there was a shop, when I went in & *****ed about what an 'entry level' bike cost, he remembered they had some old nishiki's in the warehouse. He was talking $200' that'd have been for a brand new ~15 year old bike.

man.. the last pawn shop i went to wanted $285 for a full suspension huffy.... :( :eek:

LOL. That's cheap. Way below the belt. My bike didn't cost that much with all the upgrades I've done. XT front derailuer and other Deore level stuff.

Well, I hit the pawn shops, Goodwill, and so forth. Some OK deals but all the pawn shops are really sketchy, the bikes just scream "stolen", and I just feel ethically uncomfortable giving my money to guys who try to sell me a rifle when I walk in the door. Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul had nothing.

I'm going to hit garage sales again tomorrow, but in the meanwhile I noticed that the 2005 Redlines are out. My fav LBS sells Redline, GT, Fuji and Bianchi, so maybe it's time to pay them a visit and see if the 2004 Monocog has come down in price.

If you live in an area with flea markets. Check them out as they are great places to find cheap bikes. I just got a Haro Impulse Comp for $20s. The wheels are in good condition which is rare to find in a used bike. It already had road slicks on them, althought the rear tire's sidewalls were rotting. I quickly replaced it with a Specialized Armadillo Nimbus 26 x 1.5 for $30. Also the bottom bracket just needed some tightening which was only $5 at my LBS. I replaced the stem for $25.

The total is $80.00 even. I had a Titec Hellbent handbar that I got from ebay for $15 if you want to count that. So it comes in at just under $100.00.

A perfectly good steel 4130 rugged street bike that has very ugly 1980s decals to ward off thieves. (I'm talking the flourescent pink to white fade lettering on black) Very 1980s very old school looking. I'm sure it's going come back into fashion someday, but I'm sure I'll ride this bike into the ground by then.

It's already become my #2 commuter bike.

Excellent!

Have no fear for I is here. http://www.madwagon.com/bikes.php?MWSession=3c28663a9a0c4d8e147488b35140c6b3

Your basic ride

Have no fear for I is here. http://www.madwagon.com/bikes.php?MWSession=3c28663a9a0c4d8e147488b35140c6b3

Your basic ride

Sweet! I'm really digging the Voodoo and the Lovejoy!

Sweet! I'm really digging the Voodoo and the Lovejoy!I do what I can.

What's wrong with rifles?