Hey gang, my son is heading off to college, and I just figured out that the reliable beater bike I was planning on sending with him cannot be checked because size restrictions won't permit a box that big. The cost to ship it is more than the bike is worth, so the new plan is for him to get a CL bike when he's there.

Visiting the campus and taking note of all the bikes I saw in bike racks, there were no bikes that I would call 'nice'. Plenty of reliable looking old Treks and such, as well as BSO and other crappy beaters. This signals to me there would be significant theft risk for anything valuable, so I want to keep it on the down low.

This is the first option that jumped out at me:
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...672798224.html

A SS could be a great option since he'll just be tooling around near campus (flat) or downtown (a couple miles gently sloping down to the harbor).

However a quick google shows this is a Walmart cheapie, original MSRP $80. I don't mind that so much since a SS is a simple, minimalist machine, and even cheap V-brakes are generally very effective.

But one of the reviews claims
Are the cranks really literally plastic? I've never heard of such a thing.

Any thoughts on whether this would be a good college bike? $40 is not much to risk if it doesn't work out.

I'm guessing that Aubergine is guessing, since it's far more likely that the cranks are plastic-coated steel. I could see a very heavy rider bending thin steel cranks, though.

I see lots of crap bikes at the campus in my town too. I don't think it's a sign of theft risk so much as it's a sign that college kids and/or their parents don't know much about bikes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That was my thought as well, plastic-coated steel. I can't get a real good look at them from the CL pics or the walmart pics. They do at least appear to be 3-piece, which is better than the super-crappiest 1-piece cranks

A couple of older ads:
Nishiki
Giant

Nothing wrong with putzing around on a x-mart bike on campus either. Countless students run these all year long. I did for a couple of years. Sure, it'd be more enjoyable on something nicer but these things aren't going to spontaneously fall apart.

Some other possibilities but maybe out of your price range:
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...655666585.html
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...657840628.html
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...671617523.html
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...671811796.html

Given College is a place bike thieves go for victims ,
a Craptastic bike is a good choice..

go over it, mechanically, so it goes and stops adequately..

Juse get a used bike from a local bikeshop. People buy and sell them all the time and the money will keep them going.

Don't support a global conglomerate.

Spend your money where it matters.

For example, the place local to the uni where I work also trains apprentices and runs courses for homeless and vulnerable kids.

That's where the money, albeit not a lot, should be going.

Bicycle Recycling - Sales, Repairs and Hire

I know you're not in the UK, but the US must be running something similar. These guys are sponsored by motiv8, which runs educational programmes for non-university-bound people (we all shouldn't be going to university, so these are cool.)

https://motiv8south.org.uk/

Good luck.

wotz a C&V bike?

The cool kids will make fun of him if he rides one of those. (But if he's on the wrestling team he can beat them up, so it's ok.)

commuting is the only sub worth visiting. 2010 when I bought my CUBE Acid ... which I'll pick up over Xmas for the childseat action unless I get one of these...

Babboe Big Cargo Bike - Babboe CargobikesBabboe Cargobikes

just need it to be secured enough as it won't fit through my terraced hallway ... damn brits.

£1500 seems OK as well for a transport solution.

I won't be there to go over it.

Trying to contact this guy, but no response:
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...655666585.html
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/bik...657840628.html

Why waste time with CL ... just to go to the local bikeshop near the uni. All unis will have one with prepared 2nd hand bikes?
Maybe I'm getting older and wiser.

You don't say which college so I'm not sure if this is close or not but you could call this place https://www.replaysportsconsignments.com
I feel that this area has some artificially high used bike prices and it seems good CL deals are hard to come by so good luck.

This co-op is actually not too far from his campus. I will point him there for service, but the bikes they are currently advertising are all quite the wrong size
Velocipede Bike Project

Wally/s Fixie

A "new" bike that doesn't function ... that wouldn't fly in my book and I would make bikesdirect refund some of the purchase price.

but the question really has nothing to do with price, it's about social responsibility. what was that price difference anyway? all things are not equal ...

buying new and from bikesidrect is:

not environmentally friendly
not supporting the local economy
not training any new bike mechs / helping kids / utilising volunteers
not supporting an local training of marketable talent (ours has to have a master and train apprentices.)

keep on buying from a huge Chinese/Taiwanese factory and complaining about local conditions.

Bicycle Recycling - Sales, Repairs and Hire

is the one attached to our university.

here's where one volunteers: https://do-it.org/organisations/bicycle-recycling

here's the testimonials of people running the programmes and some of the kids that have been through it.

https://vimeo.com/36964946

or just by cheaper half-working bikes from a large Asian factory.

As an example, as some people would say that Europe is different that America, yadda, yadda, yadda

If I was in the Baltimore area, I would check out:

https://www.bykecollective.org/

give 'em a call of send them a msg on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/oigia.rea

they even have their own cool videos ...

https://vimeo.com/144219037

https://vimeo.com/106000245

Yeah I saw about bykecollective as well, that's super awesome. If I were going (back) to b'more I'd be jumping in with both feet. It would be so cool to get involved with kids and bikes! But my son is not as deep into bikes as me. I'm just glad he's on board with the plan to not own a car at least through college, and get around on a bike.

My daughter is going on her third year and decided she wanted a bike for school. I didn't want her to take her bike from home and neither did she. I found an '89 women's Hardrock for $25. Surface rust and scratches on the frame but other than that the components are in great condition. I cleaned up and clear coated the frame and fork but left all the scratches untouched. Threw on some road tires. Just need to put it together before move-in next month. It will look crappy on the outside but it will be a good rider. If it gets stolen I won't lose sleep over it and hopefully neither will she.
Just get a cheap used bike.

Yup, that's exactly what I"m working on. Except I won't be there to clean/tweak it up.

I actually had this bike a few years back, though the colors were swapped. Surprisingly durable clunker, putted around fairbanks on it frequently, mostly in winter with studs, and never took the easy path with it.