Bikes at uni

Hi, I’m on my gap year and I saved up a bit of money, I received offers from most of my unis now and I have a rough idea of which one I want to firm. Most of the unis I applied to are quite hilly and I’m looking to purchase a bike to commute around the city.
An electric bike is well above my budget.
For people who commute by bike around uni, what bike would you recommend? My budget is not too low, I want a bike that will last and that will serve me for years.
I was looking at hybrid Raleigh bikes, and at first glance I like them a lot.
Also do you have advice on the best ways to avoid getting your bike stolen (like lock recommendations, gps trackers for the bike etc…).
Thanks!

Id guess the usual advice is cheap bike, expensive lock(s). Usually, the more expensive the bike the more chance of it getting stolen. But a D lock to go through the frame, another chain to go through the wheels. Some decent lights, try not to get quick release wheels/saddles (easier to get stolen). Maybe get 3rd party insurance (by joining one of the clubs), ...

Thanks for the advice! Do you think a 400/500 pound bike would be too much of a target? If I want to strike the right balance of comfort/price what type of bike should I consider? I find city bikes hard to use when the weather lace has lots of hills, mountain bikes can be quite bulky and hard to store in my experience.

Hi, I’m on my gap year and I saved up a bit of money, I received offers from most of my unis now and I have a rough idea of which one I want to firm. Most of the unis I applied to are quite hilly and I’m looking to purchase a bike to commute around the city.

An electric bike is well above my budget.

For people who commute by bike around uni, what bike would you recommend? My budget is not too low, I want a bike that will last and that will serve me for years.

I was looking at hybrid Raleigh bikes, and at first glance I like them a lot.

Also do you have advice on the best ways to avoid getting your bike stolen (like lock recommendations, gps trackers for the bike etc…).

Thanks!

As per the previous post, Id look for a reasonable second hand bike and if you know someone who can give it a decent service. So you could pick up a reasonablle hybrid for up to £200 if youre not that fussy. They take mudguards easily. Not really sure what you mean by city bikes, but Id say mountain bikes are a bit overkill (heavier, no real need for suspension).

I'd recommend bike insurance...odds are good in most uni towns (especially heavily cycled ones like Cambridge) that you might have it stolen at some point. You're unlikely to get it back even after reporting to the police (it'll probably be resold well before they find it, if they even bother looking into it; believe in Oxford the police don't even investigate cycle crime anymore from what I heard along the grapevine; Cambs they barely care about it but sometimes make a big recovery of a bunch of stolen cycles from a shop or something). Note to claim on insurance you will need to report it as stolen to the police though in order to get a crime reference number.
For locks get two different kinds (e.g. cable lock + D lock) to use together and make sure to lock through the wheels AND frame. Usually bike thieves just have the tools for one type of lock rather than multiples (also having to cut through/pop multiple locks takes longer and may attract more attention although equally I've seen people steal bikes on streets right next to plenty of foot traffic so...). Get a quality D lock (the cheaper ones they can just pop open by leveraging some force in the right place) and a chain/cable lock with the plastic cover stuff (ideally a chain with the plastic coating stuff as this seems to fare better from what I've seen/heard) as these are harder to cut. Ideally also only leave it in secured cycle storage areas.

Sorry I tend to call Dutch style bicycles city bikes, because where I came from they are very common in cities.
Thanks so much for the advice and insight!

Thanks so much! I only have one question. By the sound of it bike insurance won’t acrually do anything. Is there a reason to actually get it? Or should I not even bother with it

Thanks so much! I only have one question. By the sound of it bike insurance won’t acrually do anything. Is there a reason to actually get it? Or should I not even bother with it

Hi, I’m on my gap year and I saved up a bit of money, I received offers from most of my unis now and I have a rough idea of which one I want to firm. Most of the unis I applied to are quite hilly and I’m looking to purchase a bike to commute around the city.
An electric bike is well above my budget.
For people who commute by bike around uni, what bike would you recommend? My budget is not too low, I want a bike that will last and that will serve me for years.
I was looking at hybrid Raleigh bikes, and at first glance I like them a lot.
Also do you have advice on the best ways to avoid getting your bike stolen (like lock recommendations, gps trackers for the bike etc…).
Thanks!

Hiya!
Congratulations on hearing back from most of your offers and it’s great that you’re thinking about cycling as your main way to get around.
On a separate note but still on theme, it might be worth checking what cycling support and facilities your university offers. For example, at DMU, students have access to designated bike shelters (keeping bikes safe from the public), shower and changing facilities, puncture repair support, and 10% discount at a bike shop. We even provide free D-locks, which are one of the best ways to secure your bike. You could check with your university’s estates or sustainability team to see what’s available. Or if you don't know how to get in contact with this team I am sure you could ask your university enquiries team, if they have one.
Also, you might want to see if your university has a cycling club as a sports team or society - this is something we don’t have at DMU, but I know other universities do.
Hope that helps, and best of luck choosing the right bike! 🚴*♂️
-Maddie, Third year Health and Well-being in Society student at De Montfort University