bicycles at vassar

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>daughter starts in fall 2010 as a frosh, don't know which dorm, or where on campus she'll spend her academic time or after, except that she will be swimming for V on the team.</p>

<p>so what's up, if anything, with bikes at vassar? 1) does anyone ride them? is it needed or useful, ie is the campus that spread out? is it seasonal, ie not winter, or all yr long? for instance, at USC, which seems compact, actually quite a lot of students bike. and at stanford (which is very spread out) not only that but the university has a subcontracted bike shop right on campus, plus volume purchasing on a functional multigear bike, mountain bike style, upright etc. and, if everyone's riding the same functional (read: cheap) bike, then the urge to steal, liberate, misappropriate, find, etc. anyone's particular bike is lessened. and a bike shop right there, for repairs and whatever else you need a bike shop for. 2) i know vassar has 'use/borrow a bike' whereby i believe pink colored bikes are free to be used by anyone. of course, if you used it to get to somewhere, you couldn't count on it being there when you were done to get elsewhere, so does this work? maybe your own bike is better? 3) what facilities are available for bikes, ie locking them up at various school buildings, ie racks, and storage at dorms? 4) does the college make you register them, get a tag? cost $? 5) overall, necessary? useful if not necessary? hassle but useful? more hassle than they're worth? totally a millstone, like an auto in NYC?</p>

<p>any advice would be greatly appreciated. also, most school bikes i have seen, except for sunny USC, were, because of the weather, beaten up, rusted chains, etc. from being left out in all kinds of weather and basically not taken care of. plus, again, lessens chances of theft i suppose. is this what one should aim at? you can buy a lot of bike nowadays at walmart or wherever for under $200. </p>

<p>how about off campus riding opportunities, both sight seeing and serious mountainbiking? trails? bike clubs or trips? weekend stuff? </p>

<p>and, recommendations on bike shop at or near vassar, ie in town? thanks.</p>

2

<p>Vassar is a very bike friendly campus, but it is not the kind of school where you really need a bike to get around and most students walk to and from classes. It is quite a bit seasonal in terms of usage. There is far less bike riding in the winter months, but there are always a few people riding around even in the snow. there is a bike shop associated with the pink bike program, but at least when I was a student, they also repaired other bikes for pretty small fees. the shared bike program has a lot of bikes, and they tend to cluster at the higher trafficked areas of campus, so in all likelihood there will be one waiting for you when you leave. And you will never get stranded on campus - nothing is far enough away to require a bike ride. the shared bike program isn’t free - it’s a $10 fee which supports the bike maintenance, and gives participants access to a key to unlock the bikes. of course, if you want a bike there for you no matter what and want to use it campus, then you should bring your own. there are bike racks outside every single campus building. most students store their bikes in the basement of their dorm over the winter months. bikes do get rusty hanging out outside in all sorts of weather. you theoretically could keep it inside the dorm year round, but then you have to deal with stairs every time you want to use it. the college does require all of them to be registered - mostly because they want to be able to track them down if they get stolen. it’s free, and you get a sticker. </p>

<p>a bike is in no way an essential piece of equipment at vassar. for people who love bikes, they will want a bike at vassar. if you aren’t already a bike person, it’s probably not a campus that will make you one. most people don’t think about them much. it certainly isn’t a hassle to have one. and yes, cheaper bikes are probably better - although i would recommend against one from walmart - why support them when you can buy a used bike on craigslist for less money?</p>

<p>no matter what, always use a bike lock. bikes DO get stolen on campus. It’s not a high crime area by any means, but an unlocked bike is an easy target. According to campus security, it’s usually local teens who come on campus and take them.</p>

<p>also, there is a bike club. they are a pretty mixed group of road bikers, mountain bikers, and people interested in repairs. they go on outings, and are often the folks involved in the bike shop/shared bike program maintenance.</p>

3

<p>Just to clarify, the $10 fee for the pink bikes is a deposit. You get it back upon return of the key.</p>

<p>Personally, I find a bike on campus very useful. It certainly isn’t necessary as walking from one end of campus to the other takes less than about 7 minutes. But if you find yourself often leaving for class with two minutes to spare, if you make frequent trips to the farther ends of campus (I work on the farm, and it’s very nice to have a bike to get out there…it might also be useful for daily trips to the Walker pool), or if you don’t have a car and want to go off-campus somewhere outside of the shuttle route, a personal bike is a great thing to have.</p>

<p>For a bike-in-a-pinch situation, the shared bike program is nice as well.</p>

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<p>Most of the seniors who live in the TownHouses ride bikes because it’s that much further from campus. A good lock is essential.</p>