<p>My bike is like my lifeline - i bike everywhere, so i can't not bring it to college. Unfortunately, my dorm is not only the farthest away from campus (or as far from campus as you can get at Wesleyan, woo butts), it also has no bike storage, only bike racks around the building. I live close enough so that my parents can come get it once the snowy season starts, but what should I do on rainy days/nights? Should I get a tarp? Are there any other protections against rust? What have you done in lieu of indoor bike storage? </p>
<p>There’s a good chance that you could simply bring your bike with you into the dorm room. Obviously space is at a premium, but many students manage to fit their bikes into their dorm rooms. I’d check with the school and make sure that it’s okay. </p>
<p>I go to a school that has a huge bike culture. A lot of people in the dorms would just leave their bike out on the rack in rainy season with some kind of plastic bag on their seats (obviously people who don’t care about their bike getting rusted and such). A few of my suitemates my freshman year took their bikes and shoved them against a wall in the common room where we just agreed to keep away and leave space for them, but obviously that wouldn’t work if you’re in a traditional dorm setup. From what I saw of other dorm areas with a traditional dorm setup, people who wanted to keep their bikes completely out of the rain would find a way to squeeze their bike into their rooms. Most people just put a plastic bag over the seat and left the bike outside though.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, me and my roommates my freshman year managed to fit all our bikes in our room (a triple) over breaks. True, we weren’t actually using the room for that time period so that took away a lot of the complications involved. But you certainly can fit bikes into a dorm room. Just discuss it with your roommate(s) beforehand, check any dorm policies on having something like a bike in the room, and tinker around with where it is until you find the best location for it in your room, preferably somewhere that’s as out of the way as you can get it in a dorm room. If that fails, perhaps you should consider a tarp as you said.</p>
<p>If you have a decent bike with an aluminum frame, rusting won’t even be an issue. </p>
<p>My son had his bike stolen at a university where he was visiting. Fortunately it was recovered and the thief was caught. He was then told that even the better quality flexible cable locks are commonly cut by thieves. It is much better to get one of the u-shaped rigid metal locks that connects to the frame. He bought one for $50.</p>
<p>My son has some corrosion on his chain from the bike sitting outside for 2 years. I bought him a tarp to cover it, with a clapse for underneath. </p>
<p>Also make sure you register your bike with the college police or the local police. It will make it much easier to get it back if it is stolen.</p>
<p>^ With regards to locks, a U-lock is definitely your best bet if you just plan to have one lock. Personally what I do is have a u-lock to secure one wheel to wherever I’m locking it, then use a cable lock to secure the other wheel. I’ve never had any problems.</p>
<p>One thing you can consider, if you don’t mind your bike having a more beaten-up appearance, is purposely painting it and making it look like it’s old and worn. People won’t want to steal a bike that looks like it’ll fall apart as soon as they cut the lock. I have one friend that did that with his own close to brand new bike his freshman year, and nobody’s tried to take it yet.</p>
<p>I agree with what others have said: get a u-lock and cover your seat with a plastic bag.</p>
<p>The thing I’d add is bike lube. If you keep your chain/cassette well-oiled, you shouldn’t have problems with rust. Also, you can put a few drops down the housing for your brake/derailleur cables and keep them from rusting as well.</p>
<p>There’s a slim chance a nearby building has some covered bike storage. None of the dorms at my school have covered storage, but a few buildings have somewhat covered spots. If you have a nice bike and don’t want to ruin it, it might be worth it to leave that one at home and buy an old road bike from some graduating senior. There probably are a few for sale on Craigslist for Wesleyan or where you are now. Some have been outside for countless years and still work.</p>
<p>Of the three apartments I’ve lived in, two had indoor parking and the third had covered outdoor parking, but I had space to put it in my room for that one. It’s something to ask the landlord about before signing a lease.</p>
<p>And definitely maintain your bike, it’s not fun to hear all the creaky and rusty bikes each spring after they’ve spent the winter buried in snow. Sometimes the frame is perfect but the chain and gears are completely rusted, and other bikes don’t rust at all, it depends on the bike.</p>