Bike for College Town

Security lock skewers are just enough of a hassle that a thief will see it and move to the next bike without it. Also, quick release axles need to be replaced if you're going to use axle nuts.

Buy a funky saddle cover and wrap it with duct tape, put that on a decent comfy saddle.

A great place to find cheap bikes is whatever is "skid row" in your town. Find someone with a working bike and offer then $40. They will gladly walk to the liquor store with $40, lol! Look online to see if there is a bicycle kitchen type co-op in your area. Hell, if you were closer I have about half a bikes worth of parts I'd give ya, and I know where you could get the rest cheap. Put an ad up at the LBS, "college student needs bike, must work and be cheap."


After you get a beater or two, then go buy your Sunday ride.


-X
 
You can sometimes find a good beater at garage sales too - depending on your area. I have found really nice 70s and 80s Japanese steel frame road bikes in great condition under all the dust for $40-$60. Frames that sell on their own for a couple hundred dollars, and here I've got a full bike ready to ride once you get new tires on it.
 
denko said:
Should i let weight be a big factor?
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No

Once you start caring about weight, you are back to a "desirable" steal-able bike


If you're carting five or ten pounds of locks and chain, thirty or forty pounds of books and so on.


then saving a pound or two or five on the weight of the bike is silly.


Get fit and pedal
 
Denko, look for a "bike church" or " bike kitchen" in or around your town. They are a non-profit bike shop run by bike nuts. You should be able to hook up with a good used bike through one of these places. Best of luck!
 
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/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.
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The short commute and urban environment precludes most performance bikes as you won;t see a real difference over a 3.5 mile round trip and they won't handle the abuse an your bike is going to take. What I had in college, and what I recommend, is a mountain bike with medium or high pressure slicks, decent rear rack, decent headlight on a quick detach mount, grip mounted shifters (thumb, twist, etc), no quick release on the seat post, gel saddle. and a cable or chain lock. While not as secure as a U-lock, a cable or chain can be threaded through the wheels and around thicker objects allowing you to use quick releases on the wheels for easier roadside flat repair. Unless you live in a wet environ fenders aren't worth the weight and noise. My commute at the time included a couple of streets bumpy enough to bottom out my car.
 
I would also suggest used, and buy a killer lock(s). :D

Cycle cross bikes might be a good fit for you, they lie in between a road bike and a mountain bike.
 
We used to have some clunkers when I was at school at UC Davis (very flat terrain there) Ugly, but in good mechanical shape. "White Lightening" as my roommates and I called it was a 24" balloon tired Schwinn, with a single speed coaster brake. The front chain wheel was a skip tooth, so every other tooth was missing. It had a high gear ratio so once you got it going you could just fly past people. The lock we had for it was a Master combination lock which only required one number to open it (I removed two of the tumblers). Nobody messed with it.

My main stay was a Schwinn that had a two speed Bendix kick shift coaster brake. Back pedal but not enough to start breaking, would shift from hi to low.

Homely looking bikes, but they got me to class and back.

Ric
 
You could try something like this ,cheep to make and great fun. I have about 3000 miles on this one.
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Like others have said, decent low tech mountain bike from the 90's from craigslist or such.
Fenders and a cheap rack and yer in business. Bolt on wheels and get of quick releas seat post too.
I still have a Univega from 92 that probably will never die. When I take it in for the yearly pre- commute season tune up, my local bike shop tries to buy it from me every year. Old chromoly frame, really great shimano components. It'll never die.
 
Years ago I had a Norman Cyclemaster, heavy bicycle frame with 32cc (yes 32cc) 2 stroke engine for assistance. Still remember the fun I had - 200mpg and every trip an adventure.
 
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