<p>Do thieves steal in broad daylight?</p>
<p>Bikes are stolen frequently. One of the things you'll notice as you walk across campus are a number of wheels locked to bike racks...you can guess where the frame went. If you use one of the U-locks and are sure to lock your front wheel and frame to a bike rack, it's unlikely your bike will be stolen (it'd be best if the bike was relatively cheap anyway). If you do have a nice bike, be prepared to take extra precautions (I see some always carry two locks and remove the seatpost).</p>
<p>Bikes stolen frequently? From my experience I'd say not that frequently, but infrequently, and it's not uncommon. Take basic precautions and be smart. If you do those things, you will probably be more than fine.</p>
<p>Just kind of riding on the post topic, is bikes really necessary?</p>
<p>I've heard that in campus, it is not every useful since there are too many people roaming around, it's tough to ride bikes through at certain times.</p>
<p>Perhaps a board would be a better choice?</p>
<p>Well when I say "frequently", I mean relative to where I'm from in SoCal (suburbia). Bikes are not necessary. You should learn the bus system as quickly as possible once you get here and rely on that. It is much more convenient than having a bike. A bike is the fastest way to get around, but the buses are the most convenient. It is rarely so crowded on campus that you can't ride, though, so that's not really an issue.</p>
<p>There are people that board as well, and it's a viable option. However, biking and boarding are generally less effective at Berkeley because it is so hilly.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, eudean. Now I can free my bike space in the car for movin-day for something else...</p>
<p>eudean, is the campus pretty crowded with people walking around in the morning, when people get to classes? Would it be easy to ride bikes in the mornings also?</p>