Anyone prefer cycling in University of Manchester?

Hi, I plan to live in Dalton Ellis Hall in UoM. I am planning to study Chemical Engineering and the building that I will access the most is THE MILL. I wonder, will it be very troublesome cycling for like 2.3km from Dalton Ellis hall to The Mill. My concerns are;

1.The weather. Is it raining most of the time in the morning till not conducive for cycling?
2.The traffic in the upper brook street. Is it dangerous there? like lots of car? Besides, are there any specific path for bicycle only?
3.When snowing, will the place be very slippery for cycling?
4.Security? Will it be dangerous for me to park my bike at the hall? (Assuming I have a second hand bicycle, the cheap one)
5.The wind speed? Will I get a cold simply cycling around?

Hi, I plan to live in Dalton Ellis Hall in UoM. I am planning to study Chemical Engineering and the building that I will access the most is THE MILL. I wonder, will it be very troublesome cycling for like 2.3km from Dalton Ellis hall to The Mill. My concerns are;

1.The weather. Is it raining most of the time in the morning till not conducive for cycling?
2.The traffic in the upper brook street. Is it dangerous there? like lots of car? Besides, are there any specific path for bicycle only?
3.When snowing, will the place be very slippery for cycling?
4.Security? Will it be dangerous for me to park my bike at the hall? (Assuming I have a second hand bicycle, the cheap one)
5.The wind speed? Will I get a cold simply cycling around?

Fellow cyclist here

Manchester is pretty flat pancake flat, so you really shouldn't have any difficulty physically speaking.

1. Nope, Manchester has (contrary to popular belief) lower rainfall than the UK average. There's the potential for the odd bit of drizzle, but tbh if you have a decent coat you'll be absolutely fine. I have a pair of waterproof trousers somewhere (I didn't buy them specifically for cycling) but I can't remember the last time I wore them whilst on a bike.

2. It's a bit fast, and not really an ideal introduction to cycling, though I've cycled it myself. This is not the Netherlands! They're currently about to shut Oxford Road to private vehicles, so I think my preference would be to go up Anson Road for a short distance, then left onto Oxford Place, then turn right and go onto the segregated cycle path, then continue onto Oxford Road, and then go down Charles Street onto North Campus (have a look at a map, it'll make more sense). It's not that much further, and it avoids most of the traffic.

3. It may not snow - we're in the middle of a big city, and Manchester's snow tends not to pitch even when it does in all the surrounding areas. Personally, I've never given up cycling in the snow. However, if it does snow then you can always consider getting the bus for a few days if you don't feel safe. If you're from a country where it snows every year, be ready to laugh (or cry) at how little snow it takes for most of Britain to grind to a halt (schools shut, trains delayed, the works). It's about two inches. There is, however, some good advice on cycling in the snow here http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/jan/06/tips-cycling-in-snow

4. There's a bike shed at Dalton Ellis, so put it in that and you should be absolutely fine. However, I will strongly recommend that you use a D-Lock regardless of where you've parked it.

5. You'll want to wear a coat and gloves in the winter, but you're not going to die!

You don't say if you're coming to uni with a bike, but if not then Bike Doctor (a lovely little workers co-op that won't rip you off on Dickenson Road), Edinburgh Bike Co-Op (definitely the posher end of the market, located on the corner of Wilmslow Road and Oxford Place) and Bike Boutique (rather like Bike Doctor, located next to the Sugden Centre) are all good places to buy one / get repairs done. Don't, whatever you do, buy a bike from Halfords. They've got a dreadful reputation amongst cyclists.

Fellow cyclist here

Manchester is pretty flat pancake flat, so you really shouldn't have any difficulty physically speaking.

1. Nope, Manchester has (contrary to popular belief) lower rainfall than the UK average. There's the potential for the odd bit of drizzle, but tbh if you have a decent coat you'll be absolutely fine. I have a pair of waterproof trousers somewhere (I didn't buy them specifically for cycling) but I can't remember the last time I wore them whilst on a bike.

2. It's a bit fast, and not really an ideal introduction to cycling, though I've cycled it myself. This is not the Netherlands! They're currently about to shut Oxford Road to private vehicles, so I think my preference would be to go up Anson Road for a short distance, then left onto Oxford Place, then turn right and go onto the segregated cycle path, then continue onto Oxford Road, and then go down Charles Street onto North Campus (have a look at a map, it'll make more sense). It's not that much further, and it avoids most of the traffic.

3. It may not snow - we're in the middle of a big city, and Manchester's snow tends not to pitch even when it does in all the surrounding areas. Personally, I've never given up cycling in the snow. However, if it does snow then you can always consider getting the bus for a few days if you don't feel safe. If you're from a country where it snows every year, be ready to laugh (or cry) at how little snow it takes for most of Britain to grind to a halt (schools shut, trains delayed, the works). It's about two inches. There is, however, some good advice on cycling in the snow here http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2010/jan/06/tips-cycling-in-snow

4. There's a bike shed at Dalton Ellis, so put it in that and you should be absolutely fine. However, I will strongly recommend that you use a D-Lock regardless of where you've parked it.

5. You'll want to wear a coat and gloves in the winter, but you're not going to die!

You don't say if you're coming to uni with a bike, but if not then Bike Doctor (a lovely little workers co-op that won't rip you off on Dickenson Road), Edinburgh Bike Co-Op (definitely the posher end of the market, located on the corner of Wilmslow Road and Oxford Place) and Bike Boutique (rather like Bike Doctor, located next to the Sugden Centre) are all good places to buy one / get repairs done. Don't, whatever you do, buy a bike from Halfords. They've got a dreadful reputation amongst cyclists.

Btw, how much do you think a second hand bike cost? My budget is 50-100

To be honest, I don't know - I've never bought a bike as I 'inherited' one, but you're not going to get that much for your money. However, be wary of buying one off eBay / Gumtree - they're often stolen.

How about maintenance? How much to u spend on that?

I do the basic things (e.g. changing brake pads and inner tubes) myself, but anything more complicated than that (e.g. new chain) is a bike shop job. I probably spend about £100-150 a year on maintenance, all in.

Basically, overall, after so long cycling, is it convenient to travel 2.3km every single day? Just wanna know how u feel.

I cycle a similar distance each way, and tbh I don't really notice it exercise wise. I can be in uni in 10 minutes flat without breaking a sweat, which is quicker and more convenient than the bus.

I'm not the sporty type either (not the right body shape + I just don't enjoy competitive sport because I always come last!), and this is basically the only exercise I do, but it's fine.

Cycling, especially over flat ground, is easier than you think (so long as your bike fits you, you maintain it well and you have gears!). At one point, I was riding about 50 miles (80km) a week, and because it was in rides of no more than 5 miles at a time, I didn't really notice it that much.

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What are you studying btw? Where do you go most?

staying at dalton now takes a bus daily to and fro and says its safer and good enough. Just saying.