<p>Hi I was wondering what are good bikes (not more than $150) for college? I'll be a freshman next year in Colorado so I want one that's durable (during the snow) and that I could use for outdoor stuff in general like mountain biking or something since my college is right next to the mountains. My parents are giving me a $150 limit because they don't want it to be stolen because they heard lots of bikes at colleges get stolen. What's the percent of theft for bikes at colleges? And also, what is the best lock for college bikes?</p>
<p>target had a good choice of mountain bikes- my D got one- she put mud on it and it was never stolen best lock the one with the u shaped rod all metal with a key but none are perfect- i figured once a year we could replace it but never had to $90</p>
<p>How usefule would a bike be in college?</p>
<p>depends on the college - could just wait till you get there and decide- D did not need one until she was in a college apartment her junior year and she had a car (california) but did not want to use the car daily and try to find parking.</p>
<p>If you want a cheap bike for snow get something like a 10 speed, and invest in GOOD tires. Also, most stolen bikes aren’t locked to something secure, so invest in a secure lock.</p>
<p>You are not going to get anything fancy for under $150 so Target or Walmart are gonna be your best bets (Target usually has higher quality stuff - I dunno if that logic applies to bikes). The problem with that is that if you want to take your bike onto real mountain bike trails, it is quite possible a $100 Target bike, even if it is marketed as a “mountain bike,” will not hold up on that kinda terrain and you’ll bust or bend something. $150 Target bikes are not performance machines, they are just for getting from Point A - Point B.</p>
<p>You could try looking for marked down used mountain bikes in bike shops if you’re really serious about taking it out on the trails. That failing, Performance Bike Shop has extremely marked down options. They suck at customer service and they will suck at telling you the right bike to get, but you could do something a step up from Target if you do a little research and go into the shop/order online knowing what you want. And there’s always Craigslist…but who knows what the heck you’re getting on there ;).</p>
<p>Worst comes to worst, go with the Target bike, and if you bust it riding on a trail, well, get a job on campus and just save up for a second one and/or to get it repaired. </p>
<p>In terms of how often bikes get stolen…they do get stolen. A lot. Most of the time, the bike gets stolen if it isn’t locked up properly (for example, someone uses one of those flimsy coil locks instead of a proper U-lock). Or, if the bike is not being taken care of properly - ex. it was left outside for several nights (should be ok outside of your dorm, but probably NOT ok in the city or on a secluded part of campus). Many kids ride real fancy bikes on campus - I do not think the threat of theft is that big, if you take proper precautions (lock your bike up inside if you can, use a Ulock and loop it through the frame and front wheel, etc.). If you want to take extra-super-precautions, they make really heavy chain locks that you could loop through both wheels, the frame, etc. And you can take your seat inside with you when you go to class, if it’s quick-release haha.</p>
<p>So, all in all, if you want a nicer bike, it PROBABLY won’t get stolen (anything cna get stolen, even a car) if you take the right precautions with it (MOST kids don’t, hence the high rate of bike theft on campus). And there’s nothing wrong with seeing how the Target bike fares…I suppose…;)</p>
<p>thanks you guys! now that i think about it, i don’t know if i’d really be up for mountain biking…or if i do, i would probably use a friend’s bike. i just really want to find a nice, durable bike that will just take me to my classes and around campus. </p>
<p>rockymtnhigh - your daughter put mud on it on purpose so that way it wouldn’t get stolen right? do you think i should do that for mine? </p>
<p>coolbrezze - i’d be going to school in boulder, co…which is like one of the most pro active and green cities in the states. they’re all about not driving too much and being environmentally friendly. so you always see a ton of people there walking and biking. plus at the info session i went to, they said freshmen usually dont bring their cars first year. and i thought that biking would be a little faster than walking.</p>
<p>civstudent - how much are good snow tires? and where would i even go to look for snow tires for bikes? jus search bike stores or something?</p>
<p>umcp11 - do you know how much U locks are or the heavy chain lock ones? i used to have this lock which was like actual heavy silver chains linked together and then it had a key lock that you would secure it with. are you talking about those kinds of heavy chain ones?</p>
<p>i went to target and came to their bikes section here [Bikes</a> : Sports : Target](<a href=“http://www.target.com/Bikes-Sports/b/ref=sc_fe_l_3/184-9602542-8654736?ie=UTF8&node=12941841]Bikes”>http://www.target.com/Bikes-Sports/b/ref=sc_fe_l_3/184-9602542-8654736?ie=UTF8&node=12941841)
so now taking the whole mountain biking thing out of the picture, what type of bike (mountain, comfort, cruiser, bmx, road) would be best just to get me around campus and nearby like the city/mall?</p>
<p>Do you have an old bike sitting around that you don’t ride any more?</p>
<p>no unfortunately my parents donated all of our old bikes to the salvation army when i was in middle school</p>
<p>yes- she tried to make it not look really new- several of her classmates had theirs stolen- the only locks that worked were the U ones and even they had some way to break in with a i think bic pen or something- she thought of scratching it or painting stuff on it- bmx is racing, road bike is the real skinny tires for road (not comfortable?) and comfort bike ok but might look a little wimpy in boulder. mountain bike is fat tires. she tried the craig list but could not find one cheap enough. it lasted 2 years and she ended up leaving it for the school at graduation (california) and they give them to students who want ones for free. some schools also have a rental program for bikes.</p>
<p>bmx aren’t racing bikes. bmx are trick bikes without gears. the racing bikes are the same as the road bikes.</p>
<p>For $150 or less? Yeeaaaahh… that’s not going to get you much. Especially if you don’t want something that sucks.</p>
<p>I highly, highly don’t recommend those super heavy chain locks. They are simply ■■■■■■■■, overweight, and complete overkill… not to mention skrill! I also don’t recommend those whimpy cable locks. I lost my bike on my campus using one. Not very good.
U-Locks are just as ‘safe’ as those bulky chain locks, but not nearly as bulky. They run about 50 bucks, but are very, very worth it. </p>
<p>I recommend you look at some urban/commuter bikes. Scott makes a great series of bikes called the Sub. Their cheapest one is 400-ish bucks… again, quality stuff, and 400 bucks is pretty cheap. REI sells a brand called Novara that tends to be cheaper but you get a little more bang for your buck. They have a series of urban bikes called the Buzz that tend to do pretty well. Most of these bikes have flat handlebars, in case you aren’t a fan of the typical road cycling drop down handlebar. </p>
<p>… I’ve worked at REI for two years; biking specialist :)</p>
<p>I’m going to OSU and it looks like it would be a great place to have a bike. I’ve been looking around. Probably going to settle on a commuter/city type bike. I like bikes from Breezer, since they were one of the first bike companies to offer this type of bike. Road bikes aren’t good in cities because of the posture and limited control, but mountain bikes waste a lot of energy and are a bit clumsy on roads. Commuter bikes are probably the best for college campuses.</p>
<p>You could try looking on craigslist if you’re willing to get one used; that’s how I found my bike (a mediocre road bike) for $100</p>
<p>Went to a bike shop today. Looking at a $300 Trek cross-trainer bike that looks really nice. Trying to see if they have it cheaper anywhere else.</p>
<p>I have a $200 budget (I always laugh when people talk about $400+ bikes - god, I live on a different planet). I really don’t know much about bikes because no one rides in my area, and I probably haven’t ridden one in ten years. That said, I have learned that “upright position” bikes are extremely awkward. I’m looking at this Schwinn:</p>
<p>But unfortunately, it’s an older model and now appears to be out of stock. I loved it in the store but now have to find something else. I need something I can ride around campus (Stanford). It has to be fairly sturdy (i.e., none of those ultra-light bikes) without a strict upright position, but otherwise I’m not particular.</p>
<p>Go full circle - go to Salvation Army store and pick up a bike there!</p>
<p>… The bike you linked is an “upright position” bike. They are actually less awkward since they offer easier maneuverability and better vision than being hunched over on a speed/street bike.</p>
<p>Yeah, Manhattan, I know. I should have written that I chose that bike before I actually rode an upright bike, and it was really awkward. Actually, it was miserable. I realize that an upright bike is supposedly less awkward, however, I do not personally feel that is true. I think that’s fair. I found the bike much more difficult to maneuver and to pedal (given the awkward leg position, I couldn’t put any power in it). Vision was definitely better with the upright.</p>
<p>i could argue any of the statements here. if you are talking about maneuverability (whatever that means) a mountain bike weighs much more than a road bike and would therefore be more difficult to maneuver (whatever that means). and on a road, a road bike easily trumps every aspect of a mountain bike; whereas, on a mountain it would be better to ride a mountain bike not a road bike.</p>
<p>if you are riding on a road (which i assume) go with a road bike. save the mountain bike for the mountains. since you are on a tight budget just get a mountain bike. if this is going to be your one and only form of transportation than invest a grand in a gooood commuter road bike.</p>