Hey,

I've decided that I'd really like to commute to my University campus by bike. However, I don't want to leave the bicycle outside. It cost me a lot of money and I'm just not taking any chances.

I'm curious to know if anyone's school has an indoor parking bicycle garage? I'm sure mine doesn't, but just wondering if this type of this exists.

Any ideas of what I should do? I don't have an office. I can't bring it with me to every class.

I don't want this to be the issue that ruins my bike commuting, but it very well may be.

Thanks!

ds,

I seem to recall a recent post where one member did just what you say you can't: He brought his bike into every class. Try it, and see what happens. If a prof complains, explain that your bike is too valuable to leave outside, and the university has not provided secure parking for your bike.

It looks like you're going to have to purchase another bike. Why not buy a pink girls bike with a basket on the front and a picture of Barbie pasted on the front? I highly doubt you'll be able to bring a bicycle to class and consider the poster who's doing this to be an extreme example. When I went to college, there was NO WAY I could have ever brough a bicycle inside the classroom.

I still think you might be able to get away with an inexpensive folder. You'll still have to leave the folder outside but you can bring it inside the dorm at night. A folding bike that's folded and locked with a U-lock (NY 3000) does not look attractive at all! Make it look real ugly and scratch up the frame. Buy the Kryptonie locking scewers and the New York 3000 U-Lock.

Look at the Dahon site for the Boardwalk 6. www.dahon.com

I think some campuses (mine for sure) have so many bicycles that it just isn't realistic for students to bring their bikes indoors. Maybe you can find a parking garage with something you can lock up to inside? Maybe if you are involved with a student group that has a large office space, they would allow you to bring your bike in. It almost sounds like more trouble than it's worth if you can't park it in the building your class is in.

Get a job working for a professor, he/she will usually provide you with a desk you can park your bike near.

I'm a student and this is what I've experienced with bike storage on campus. The best storage I've ever had was in the basement of a building. I'm a music major and all of my classes are in one building. I just take my bike in and go downstair and lock it up with a Krytponite U lock and a cable lock against the stair well of the basement. Never leave your bike outside unless it's a beater. Folding bike sounds like a goo idea. Should be able to get that in your dorm room with no problem.

Buy a beater for 20 bucks. Find a bike co-op, get an adjustable wrench and a multitool, and you will have a reliable, crappy-looking bike nobody will be able to sell if it gets stolen.

And leave it in the highest gear when you park it, or put a leg-band thru the chainring, or just take the chain off the chainring so they know they won't be able to ride it away right away. A friend of mine has a kinda-nice commuter, so she wrapped the frame tubes with old innertubes, to make it look ugly and to protect it from bashes.

The uglified bike is a good tactic. For, my first Pawn Shop Specialized Rock Hopper I put lots of reflective tape around the tubes. It made it look ugly but highly visible.

I've seen in Ney York guys wrap loads of duck tape around the tubes to uglify.

Thanks for the replies.

The best route is probably to just get a beater bike. But every road bike on ebay somehow gets up to $200, and I don't want to spend that much.

Where would one get a beater for 20 bucks?

Either a police auction or a thrift store. I've read numerous stories on here about folks making incredible finds in thrift shops. The auctions are more dicey, since they tend to be trolled by those who wish to resell the bikes, and drive the prices up.

Police auctions on campus you can get a good bike for cheap.

Here in Atlanta, the city of Decatur has a "Yellow Bikes" program. The idea was to let people borrow the yellow bikes for free to ride around town, then leave it for someone else to use.

Too many people simply kept the bikes ("stole" might be a better word,) so now they let you keep the bike as long as you want for a $25 deposit.

I got a 20 - 25 year-old Motobecane Grand Touring bike that's absolutely marvelous.

If you don't have this option, look at thrift stores and yard sales. Sometimes you can find a great bike cheap.

The thrift stores are the way to go if you don't mind doing a little maintenance. Normally, the tires are shot on the thrift store bikes and the cables often need replacing. Both items can be found cheaply at places like Nashbar or Walmart. Also, it may take a little while to find a nice bike at the thrift store, but check them often since they get new stuff everyday. Normally, they get the old 3 speeds and racing bikes(10 to 12speeds) in my town. Its rare to see mountain bikes around here at the thrift stores.

Extreme? Yes, I am quite extreme, especially when it comes to my Roadmaster. I love the bike like a baby, it may only have cost $75 but I'd not trade it for any of the Cannondales and Specializeds out there.

What argument is the professor going to have to brinignt he bike into the classroom?

"It's dirty"
"My bike's tries have been nowhere my shoes wouldn't have gone"

"It takes up too much room."
This one is avoided by careful scouting. A classroom, no matter how small, ALWAYS has a nook/cranny/corner SOMEWHERE where a bike can be tucked and be out of the way.

"What if everyone brought their bikes?"
"Then I guess parking would be on a first come first serve basis just like with cars."

I've never had a professor argue with me very long about having the bike with me in the class. Firm but polite is the word of the day...and making yourself professor's pet student helps a long way towards the cause.

I"ve also taken the bike into the cafeteria with me, however, since I was in the past an employee and make a habit of cultivating friendship from those whom I must trust with my food, I could do almost anything in the cafeteria... *mischevious look*

My campus is NOT especially bike-friendly, so I don't let my bikes out of my sight unless they're locked up inside my dorm room. Most people that would object to an indoor bike simply don't know how to frame an objection if you act like the bike's rightful place is there at yoru side like a faithful dog...which in my opinion is how it is. I've taken them into administrative buildings, to professor confrences, onto the atheletic feilds, into private offices, on elevators and up and down stairs.

Long and short...

Give it a try and if you dont' back down, they will.

Good argument. My campus is failr bike frendly. Stolen bikes have only been a problem at night. I can leave my bike locked to itself with a U-lock and it's okay.

Honestly, because of the building setup and my program, it's just too much of an inconvenience to bring the bike to classes with me.

However, I've contacted the relevant offices about putting in real bicycle parking, or bicycle lockers.

Look at this link: www.ameribike.com

Let's see what happens. It'd be great if they would do it. He said I was the first request they ever had. So, we'll just have to see.

I hear ya. Bicycle parking is so cheap compared to deathmobile parking. One car space can hold like 10 bikes or something?

Thrift stores are the best place to get a beater bike, because they usually have no clue what they have. All the pawn shops around here have taken to hitting e-bay to see what things are 'worth', so it's usually not the best place to buy one. A LBS that sells used bikes will have deals from time to time, but it's hit or miss. In a university town like Fort Collins, when the rental agencies clean out the student housing in the spring and the fall, there are usually many treasures for the intrepid dumpster diver. I found a free dept. store bike in July, and a free 1975 Schwinn last month. You're probably looking a bit late, but keep your eyes open...

As for the commute itself...I'm fortunate that, although I spend many (most?) nights at my girlfriends house, 12 miles away from campus, my actual residence is about 4 blocks from campus, so I ride my 520 from her house to my house in the morning, and then hop on one of the beater bikes for the ride to school.

If you have a long commute, though, you might be able to find a bike locker at community parking decks, depending on your city. Both of the downtown Fort Collins parking decks have bike lockers. It might be possible to keep the junker bike in a bike locker, ride the good bike from home to the locker, and then just hop on the beater bike for the shorter part of the commute. It also might be cost prohibitive, though. Not sure on how much and how long you can use the lockers.

Also, if it's a long commute, and you have a friend that lives much closer to campus than you, you could ask to keep the junk bike at his/her place, and then ride over to their house in the morning, drop your good bike off, and use the junk bike for riding around campus.

recently i noticed a small locker for bikes installed outside the ann arbor police station. it was an independant company that has been putting these up, and you can rent them as a monthly deal.

i've never seen these anywhere else, and i think it's kind of stupid to put them where they were cause nobody is stealing bikes in front of the police station... :/



i cast another vote for you to get a beater.