I’m heading off to college soon and don’t have a car, so I’m getting a bike. I’ll be biking to work and to school, so a lot of time and miles will be spent on it (10+ miles a day at the least). I’m trying to figure out what kind of bike to get. Cruiser, Mountain, hybrid, etc. Any ideas?
You don’t want a cruiser for that kind of riding unless you don’t have any other choice. I have a cruiser myself (bought off a family friend before I knew anything about bikes), and while it gets the job done I wouldn’t buy another one if I were getting another bike.
A mountain bike is unnecessary unless you’re actually, well, planning on riding off-road a lot. That doesn’t sound like the case for you, so I would advise against it.
Personally, I like hybrids. They’re a good mix of comfort and speed.
Edit: I should probably specify due to the amount of hybrid types there are: I like commuter and city bikes.
Whatever type of bike you decide on, get a good quality bike from a bike shop. It’s worth it to pay a bit more upfront for a good quality bike than to get a cheap department store bike that just breaks down on you after a year.
I commute every day by bike and often ride in the trails so I’m really glad I have a mountain bike. If you don’t intend to trail ride on steep inclines, a hybrid or road bike is fine. Craigslist is also a good source for bikes but research the brand before you get it. As a rule avoid Walmart and department store brands and lock up your bike well. If you’ve spent a lot of money on it and want some security that most of your parts will be safe, [watch this two part series as well as others](How (Not) to Get Your Bike Stolen PART 1 - YouTube) on bike theft prevention.
I gotta say that is really inspiring of you. It’s really taking it to the next level. There’s so many kids on this forum that complain about not having a car, so it’s really cool to see that you are taking initiative and biking instead
I just saw that you’ll be biking at least 10 miles a day. In that case the case for a hybrid or road bike. On the off chance you need a mountain bike, rent one if you want to go trail riding. You need a derailleur gear. I mainly ride in flat Oklahoma and even then I find myself occasionally shifting. In a place with more elevation changes (almost anywhere else in the US) a ten mile ride will force you through multiple shifts.
Some other tips/ product recommendations. By and large front bicycle lights can be replaced with a high quality small flashlight. By using some zip ties and now a strategically mounted headband I made [this flashlight](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EP79NYS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00) my go to front light. It works extremely well (just make sure you always have the other battery fully charged), and has a much larger range than most dedicated bike lights which cost 3X what this thing costs. I use this [rear helmet mounted light](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BERA2LU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) although there are plenty of others. Invest in reflective tape for night riding. Your goal is to maximize your own visibility so drivers are aware of you. Remember, your bike looks ugly but your internal organs will look even uglier after a bike car collision.
Ebay has some good smaller lights which cost $1-2. I wouldn’t trust them with my main lights, but I put a couple of [the](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Cycling-MTB-Wheel-Spoke-Tyre-Wire-LED-Light-Blue-Safety-Bat-Type-3-Modes-/171413974576?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item27e911ae30)[url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Colorful-Wheel-Spoke-Tire-Wire-Tyre-Bright-LED-Light-Lamp-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-/271616945680?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3f3da1ae10]se[/url], turn it on when I’m going to be night riding on the road and they’ve worked to this day. The products are cheap enough that if they do break, I’m not sweating about the cost of a replacement. Make sure to get a small bell and put it on. Since you’re riding on campus you’ll use it quite often when groups of people are walking 3-4 abreast. Walmart sells the same quality lube and chain cleaner that the bike shop sells. Unless you need an extremely lightweight/ aerodynamic helmet, they’re all made to essentially the same safety standards (which desperately need updating btw), so if you want to save money, don’t buy from an LBS. However all of your repairs which you can’t do should be done through your local bike shop. These guys are the experts.
Remember to register your bike with the campus and city police. While this may or may not help, my school has stated that it’s far easier for campus police to resolve a stolen bike dispute when the bike is registered versus when it’s not. You may also want to attach a basket to the end of your bike. I got a cheap rear rack from Amazon, put it on, and zip tied a crate with holes (don’t want water to stay in the crate) and often throw my textbooks, clothing, or whatever in there. It will slow you down, but the crate does wonders at reducing back strain. You can also invest in some panniers although these are usually much more expensive and may offer less storage space.
You can get a hybrid bike
Find an older “touring” bike, put some wider tires (say 32cm or around and 1 1/4 inches if it has 27" wheels. Get some fender for it for days when the roads are wet. It will keep you from having road stripes.
Find out what the level of bike theft is a the college you’ll be going to. Bike theft is very common where we are, even for people who lock their bikes. One strategy is to get a good lock and a good, but used bike. DS has a bike seat that looks thrashed, but the rest of the bike is good (though some of the paint is peeling). So far, it has helped to not make it a target. Many people just have beater bikes, but they don’t bike 10 miles/day. Even accessories like lights and odometers can be a target on some campuses.
I would get fenders for sure, especially if you’re somewhere wet or snowy. Road bike or hybrid bike or even a nice used touring bike. If it works well it doesn’t matter if it looks beat up. Bike theft isn’t a big problem here if the bike is locked, but bike lights and other easy to remove things get stolen, so take them off the bike when you’re not using it.