Bike for College Town

D

denko

Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
180
Hello Blade Forum,

I'll be starting school (college) up again in a few weeks and have recently decided that a bike would be the best mode of transportation, but can't decide on what type of bike (mountain, road, single speed/fixie, or any other) would fit my needs the best much less a specific make or model. Hopefully, some of you can point me in the right direction. Any suggestions are appreciated and welcomed. I'm a newbie to the world of high-end biking so go easy on me. :D

What I want the bike for?

-Daily commute to campus from an off-campus apartment approximately 1.8 miles away
-Some light leisure rides around town (small college town in Texas that is mostly flat)


Some features I would like:

-Aesthetically pleasing
-Not a hybrid bike
-Easy to ride and maintain
-Hopefully, under $700 willing to spend a little more if its warranted
-can handle an urban environment ( sidewalks, potholes, bumps, and people:D)


Thanks in advance,
denko

P.S. I have consider the cheaper big department store bikes, but I've decided I want something that will last all through my last year of undergrad and graduate school that is fun to ride and made from superior quality.
 
Critical Cycles it's fixed or single speed . You will need to change up some components Tires suck seats not that great but with the money you save you should be well under your price limit. Been riding mine for almost 2 years now.
 
I personally would find an old High end mountain bike from the 80's or 90's put slicks on it new chain brake pads etc lube and adjust every thing and ride that , less likely to be stolen cheap put the rest of the money you save towards a good bike when you finish school
Roy
 
I would recommend not spending more than $200 on the bike if you are going to lock it up on campus all the time. Bike thieves love collage campuses. Get a good used bike that looks like crap but rides like a dream.
 
+1 for finding an old bike that you don't care about. Take any component that is quick release and replace it with bolt on. Except the wheels, buy the security lock skewers. I don't care how quiet the town is, bike thieves will come from out of town to steel 10-30 a day.

FBC above and myself are both former bike mechanics and/or shop managers. We have seen it all. Hit Craigslist and buy something complete and working, that should be your only criteria.


-Xander
 
They don't handle potholes and bumps as well, but I'd recommend a road bike unless you're going off-road a lot. I'd just get used to using your legs as shock absorbers for the bumps you can't avoid. Mountain bikes with the fatter tires tend to take more effort to keep the speed up.

I ride a Cannondale Bad Boy 5 myself($1110, single blade 9-speed). It's a bit much as I typically don't ride fast enough to use all the gears, but getting to high speed is effortless on flat roads. You could probably get similar performance with a decent road bike for less money, as I said before, I don't ride seriously enough to use that much performance(bad judgement, I was spend happy :D).

As far as security, you could go for something pricey, as I prefer to use an Abus City Chain and Kryptonite New York Lock U-Bar, and I loop an Onslaught cable lock through my seat. The thing about theft is that they're typically more opportunistic in nature. Unless it looks like something a 12-year old girl is going to ride and is all pink, it'll probably get stolen no matter how old and busted it looks(likely for parts as well). On a bike rack, I typically lock the front wheel and frame to the bike rack with one lock(the chain) and rear wheel and frame to the rack with the U-Bar, and the seat is run through with the Onslaught cable lock which is secured to the U-Bar. So they won't be able to remove anything unless they disassemble the gears from the frame.

I admittedly haven't parked on a college campus long-term, but I haven't had trouble around town as of yet for 2-hour trips.
 
For the love of God please just don't buy a fixie. Only lames and hipsters ride fixies. Get yourself a cheap used mountain bike, so you can enjoy the local trails on your days off.
 
Knifein said:
For the love of God please just don't buy a fixie. Only lames and hipsters ride fixies. Get yourself a cheap used mountain bike, so you can enjoy the local trails on your days off.
Click to expand...

Lames and hipsters? And people who appreciate efficient biking with little maintenance... A fixed gear or single speed is great for campus use. Much cheaper to keep up. Just make sure it's geared right for the area
 
Knifein said:
For the love of God please just don't buy a fixie. Only lames and hipsters ride fixies. Get yourself a cheap used mountain bike, so you can enjoy the local trails on your days off.
Click to expand...

Because training for spin and intervals is for lames and hipsters? Minimal things to go wrong? And since when is it bad form to get more people outside and exercising?

Ride what you like. But for college, get something used. Old name brand bikes can be had for cheap.


-X
 
Bikes, and bike parts are frequently stolen off of bikes in college, I know I've seen it a lot and I am currently in college and I don't exactly look at the bike stands. Get a good used bike for cheap and ride it.
 
For commuting on asphalt you do not want any shock absorbers to sap power. It'll only make your commute slower and more difficult so avoid mountain bikes and downhill racers. A road bike is the most efficient, you could check with a local bike club or check garage sales to see if there is a used one available. Personally I would get a touring bike with 26 or 28 inch road wheels, no shock absorbers, luggage rack, and 3+ gears. Single speed bikes get annoying on hills and having a luggage rack is very handy feature IMHO.
 
sideways said:
For commuting on asphalt you do not want any shock absorbers to sap power. It'll only make your commute slower and more difficult so avoid mountain bikes and downhill racers. A road bike is the most efficient, you could check with a local bike club or check garage sales to see if there is a used one available. Personally I would get a touring bike with 26 or 28 inch road wheels, no shock absorbers, luggage rack, and 3+ gears. Single speed bikes get annoying on hills and having a luggage rack is very handy feature IMHO.
Click to expand...
That is why I suggested 80's/early 90's mountain bike, little or no suspension Ross made some nice mountain bikes just before they went under that sell cheap and with a set of road tires make nice commuters and since they aren't a common brand now. they aren't high on a thief's list . I had a Ross Mt Mckinley set up to ride places where I didn't feel comfortable letting my Surly's out of my sight. I ended up letting a co worker kid have it for just what the O.P. whats a bike for
Roy
 
Yea...my best friend owns a bike shop and the majority of the hipsters want a fixed but don't know how to ride it. They can be a little dangerous in traffic (especially without brakes) unless you are really comfortable with the skid stop. A single speed with at least one brake would be reasonable especially if you don't have much topography, but my vote probably echo the majority here and look for an older but reasonably light mountain bike with decent components and put some street tires and a solid fork on it and you will be good to go. The touring bike could be a cool idea as well, good luck with the bike (and at school).
 
Old road bike. Something with down tube shifters that are either friction or have a friction mode. Basically as bullet proof as a fixie but way more practical. Old peugots are pretty sweet, also Fuji and trek. A good newer brand to look for is lemond since most people are not familiar with them the prices are low but quality is high for the money.

Also performance bike has an online bike fit calculator that you should look at. May as well get something in the right size. French fit for older frames is the way to go with the kind of riding you're talking about.
 
I personally ride about 50 blocks on a bmx bike to my college. Its fun, portable if you have to hitch a ride in a car (rain, etc) and less of a chance of it getting stolen. Oh, and super easy to maintain! If bmx is too small for your taste I also recommend mountain bikes for their versatility when you ride, but slightly harder to maintain due to the gears
 
Any good websites to look for the used road bikes besides Craiglist and that big auction site.
 
http://classifieds.roadbikereview.com/index.php

Mostly high end, but just about everything is enthusiast owned so it'll be in good shape. Also a great site for research.

My late 80s Specialized Sirrus as an example of whats out there:


Never touched by a bike shop, I put just under 5k miles on it while I had it (4th owner) and now its serving as my friends first "real" bike in MD. Never needed any special maintenance, and quite frankly its all the bike a person needs if they're stay on roads or paths. I even did a bit of single track with it but that was a terrible idea. New bike is a different animal, all carbon and fancy bits by comparison:



Bikes are just as addicting as knives.
 
n.

denko said:
Hello Blade Forum,

I'll be starting school (college) up again in a few weeks and have recently decided that a bike would be the best mode of transportation, but can't decide on what type of bike (mountain, road, single speed/fixied, or any other) would fit my needs the best much less a specific make or model. Hopefully, some of you can point me in the right direction. Any suggestions are appreciated and welcomed. I'm a newbie to the world of high-end biking so go easy on me. :D

What I want the bike for?

-Daily commute to campus from an off-campus apartment approximately 1.8 miles away
-Some light leisure rides around town (small college town in Texas that is mostly flat)


Some features I would like:

-Aesthetically pleasing
-Not a hybrid bike
-Easy to ride and maintain
-Hopefully, under $700 willing to spend a little more if its warranted
-can handle an urban environment ( sidewalks, potholes, bumps, and people:D)

P.S. I have consider the cheaper big department store bikes, but I've decided I want something that will last all through my last year of undergrad and graduate school that is fun to ride and made from superior quality.
Click to expand...


In a college town, I would be surprised you could keep a bike for four or six years.
I wouldn't spend $700 and I sure wouldn't buy new
A new bike will be gone in six minutes or six hours.

Knifein said:
For the love of God please just don't buy a fixed speed
Click to expand...

I grew up with fixed speed bikes and coaster brakes.
I can tell you that gears are a wonderful innovation

plumberroy said:
I personally would find an old High end mountain bike from the 80's or 90's put slicks on it new chain brake pads etc lube and adjust every thing and ride that , less likely to be stolen cheap put the rest of the money you save towards a good bike when you finish school
Roy
Click to expand...


I agree, out of fashion, but working.
I love 21 speeds, and those quick one push button shifters nice close ratios to keep up a cadence.


flatblackcapo said:
I would recommend not spending more than $200 on the bike if you are going to lock it up on campus all the time. Bike thieves love collage campuses. Get a good used bike that looks like crap but rides like a dream.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking about pawn shops, thrift stores, auctions, police recovery sales.
$70 not $700

If you can do that, buy two
You need a spare in a hurry when the other one stops or goes missing


Plus buy a couple of locks per bike, read the reviews
Ask locksmiths what they would reccomend


fast14riot said:
+1 for finding an old bike that you don't care about. Take any component that is quick release and replace it with bolt on.
Except the wheels, buy the security lock skewers. I don't care how quiet the town is, bike thieves will come from out of town to steel 10-30 a day.

FBC above and myself are both former bike mechanics and/or shop managers. We have seen it all. Hit Craigslist and buy something complete and working, that should be your only criteria.

-Xander
Click to expand...

security lock skewers
It seems to me that a pro thief will just buy those tools, make them, or use a vise grip.
Just like they do on car security wheel nuts.


I don't know about those security lock skewers, but I'd put on another nut - "jam nut" and red 262 loctite it on.
do it with all the important fasteners like the wheels and the seat.
You or your mechanic have time and knowledge to apply a little heat, but the bike thieves will skip to the next bike.

Make yourself a toolkit, an extra pair of tubes, and such.
The wrenches you need to adjust brakes
A hand pump - keep it at home not on the bike

Put fenders on it.
It's a lot more comfortable when you don't have that skunk stripe water up your back and asscrack.

Sometimes a backpack is not enough, grocery day for instance.
Throw a saddlebag carrier on the back too.
Plus that makes it less desirable.

Bring it indoors at all opportunities.

Give it a stupid gawdy spray bomb paint job. Easy to find, less desirable
Use lots of duct tape on it.

Plus buy a couple of locksper bike, read the reviews
 
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