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Bike for uni?

There are about half a dozen forums this could go into, so I'll try this one.

Lots of people take a bike to uni for getting around and for exercise, right? :bike:

Road bike or hybrid? :s-smilie:

Also, new or second hand? I'm thinking of spending about £200, maybe a little more if it will make a big difference.

Finally, it seems everyone I talk to has either had a bike stolen, or knows someone who has. Which is more likely to be targetted, a shiny new cheap bike, or a second hand bike of similar value, (i.e. better, but less shiny)?

Bike advice, oh wise uni attenderisers! :thumbsup:

Reply 1

Bubble_10

My flatmate had a really expensive and nice bike which he brought to Uni and it did not get stolen. However people did puncture his bike tyre on a few occasions. I reckon it's best to get a cheap/second hand one because if it does get stolen or damaged then you're not really losing that much money.

Reply 2

user45854

Interesting. Some people are truly odd, aren't they?

Do you think it was just because it was an expensive bike?

Which uni?

Reply 3

Bubble_10

Yeah some people are, it could have also been done on drunken nights though. Umm I'm not too sure if that was the reason but possibly it could have been, and I got to Brunel Uni

Reply 4

benplumley

I have a £700 mountain bike that I'm going to leave at home, I got a 30-year-old hybrid out of a skip and spent about £60 on paint and tyres, and worked on it myself to get it rideable again. I'd definitely get second hand.

Reply 5

SillyEddy

How far would you actually need to go on a regular basis? If it's just to your campus building and back, it might not take very long just to walk there. I am taking one in my second year because the trip is more like half an hour by foot, so cycling is more effective.

Definitely get insurance though. I think Endsleigh (which was promoted by our halls) covers bike theft and losses/thefts across the country.

Regarding cost: Well, that goes back to the first question. If it's a 10-15 minute ride, get something cheap. If you need to cover long distances, get something lighter, faster and possibly more comfortable. You can probably find some decent second hand bikes online. I'd go for a road type bike instead anything like a mountain bike though - Mountain bikes are heavy and thus sluggish.

Reply 6

Zulucow

I'm thinking of going for a single speed with a flip flop hub myself. I've got a £1300+ road bike which I'm reluctant to take even with insurance and I thought the simplicity of a fixie will allow me to just take it apart and stow it if it's not going to be used for a little bit rather than pfaff about with my shifters and derailleurs every time. Id also be able to get one pretty cheaply so that's another bonus.

Reply 7

Origami Bullets

Given your budget, any new bike is likely to be a bit crap, so I would suggest second hand.

If you're just going to be commuting and not racing then I'd suggest a hybrid, but a road bike will be fine. If you're going somewhere with hills, then get one with lots of gears. I wouldn't survive Bristol without my 24 gears :love:

but in Manchester I could live with 3 (though more is always better)

As for getting it stolen? According to the security department at my uni, 99% of bikes nicked on campus were "secured" with a cable lock. Buy a D Lock - they cost a bit more, but they will make your bike less attractive to thrives than the surrounding bikes (which is all you really need to do)

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Reply 8

Serentonin

My bike cost a little over 2 grand and I kept it in halls first year much to the disapproval of the people who did room checks :smile:

I didn't use it for commuting to uni tho, I race and was a member of the cycling club, so it never got locked up to a post or ever had any chance of getting nicked.

If you've only got a small amount of cash, go second hand, you won't get anything good new for that price.

Reply 9

user45854

Original post by SillyEddy

How far would you actually need to go on a regular basis? If it's just to your campus building and back, it might not take very long just to walk there. I am taking one in my second year because the trip is more like half an hour by foot, so cycling is more effective.
Yes, well I'm actually split evenly between two locations which are about 2 miles apart. But it's not just the necessary commute I'm thinking of, but transportation in general: a means of getting about, e.g. into town.

If it was just a commute of a few minutes to consider, I would probably get the cheapest bike I could find, but I also intend to use it for exercise by cycling a few miles most days. Hence why I'm considering spending a little more and trying to decide between road and hybrid.

Definitely get insurance though. I think Endsleigh (which was promoted by our halls) covers bike theft and losses/thefts across the country.

Thanks; I'll look into that.

Reply 10

user45854

So, does anyone have any suggestions for any bikes for around £250 second-hand?

Reply 11

Zulucow

Original post by user45854

So, does anyone have any suggestions for any bikes for around £250 second-hand?

eBay my friend. In spite of me saying I might get a fixie earlier, I got into Brighton (HILLS) through Clearing and I found a fantastic raleigh Milk race specia road bikel (from the 80s) I was considering taking advantage of the half price "top of the range" (bike snobbery means I can't take that seriously) halfords bikes. the one I got was pretty much unused since it was bought just because it was too big for the owner. I'm not saying you'll find the same but eBay really isn't to be passed up if you're looking for cheap. You never know what gems might be lying around. As long as you set a reasonable limit on price and quality you'll do well there.