<p>I'll be a freshman in Warren. I guess the engineering classes will be close, but everything else seems quite a walk away. Is there a real problem with bike theft? Are stores in biking distance (Trader Joe's, grocery stores, etc.)</p>
<p>You don’t NEED a bike, but modes of transportation other than walking are definitely useful. My suitemate actually had her bike stolen the first day she was here, but it’s because she didn’t lock it up properly. I’d recommend getting a longboard or skateboard, as that’s what most people have here. Warren –> York Hall (I assume you’ll be taking Gen Chem) is about a good 10-15 minute walk each way, walking moderately fast.</p>
<p>Is there any reason you’d recommend a longboard/skateboard over a bike, other than it getting stolen? I’ve never skateboarded before and it seems a lot more dangerous than biking. As for bikes, people won’t bother stealing just the front wheel if I lock the frame properly, right? Or is it better to lock the front wheel to the frame?</p>
<p>It depends on personal preference IMO… I love walking but my roommate can’t imagine not having her bike. You’ll see when you get here.</p>
<p>Is there a place to store bikes outside Warren dorms, or will I have to keep it in my room/suite? I was thinking of maybe getting one in case I needed it and walking to places I could get to without a bike.</p>
<p>If I had the option, I too would get a bike, but most people here have a longboard/skateboard. A few of my friends ride their bikes, and one of them nearly hits someone everyday in all of the congestion between passing. One of my suitemates broke her arm because a biker hit her, but I guess this isn’t really relevant. </p>
<p>I think there’s a few dining halls/places around campus where they don’t have a bike rack; some of my friends were complaining about how they can’t go to certain places because they couldn’t lock up their bike. I assume your first year you won’t be taking many, if at all any engineering classes, as they’re mainly upper-division. You’ll probably be trekking to York Hall/Mayer Hall (Revelle) a lot for Physics/General Chemistry, which is quite the distance from Warren, so yes, bring a bike (:</p>
<p>bring it just in case. imma do it too :D</p>
<p>how bout razors? :]]</p>
<p>Yeah there are bike racks around warren, but I don’t recommend getting a super fancy/expensive bike, b/c there is the possibility of it getting stolen. </p>
<p>As for skateboard/longboard - well, if you want to learn and can get comfortable on one, I recommend it too. It’s not dangerous if you’re using it for transportation. Most ppl get hurt doing tricks or going down steep hills. Is there any reason longboard/skateboard > bike? More convenient. You don’t have to find a bike rack all the time. </p>
<p>Like Radiance said tho, you don’t NEED either. But it’s definitely nice to have one. There are buses that go to Trader Joe’s and other plazas, so you wouldn’t be walking all the way there anyway though.</p>
<p>warren has a decent sized common area, you can keep your bike in your common if you are really worried.</p>
<p>Just learn how to lock your bike properly. A friend of mine on the bike team let a suitemate borrow his bike and his wheels got stolen days before one of our race. As always, bike theft on a college campus is a crime of opportunity. It’s amazing how lazy some people are to just thread the cable lock through the wheels along with the frame.</p>
<p>I suggest you get a really cruddy mountain bike from craigslist so you can leave it locked outside since you won’t have to care about it. Just don’t get one of those damned fugly beach cruisers.</p>
<p>@Mique</p>
<p>You bring up a good point about threading the cable lock through the wheels. I spent last summer at UCDavis and everyone who had their bike stolen in my program had a cable lock…even some of the really thick cable locks (3/4 inch diameter) were cut through.</p>
<p>So, would it be better to use a ULock, where you can’t lock up both wheels, or to use a cable lock? Will people at UCSD cut through a cable or is that only Davis?</p>
<p>@Mique - do you ride for UCSD? collegiate nationals were this past weekend in colorado, some pretty cool stuff to watch. </p>
<p>@JTC - people at UCSD won’t do the cutting, per se (i think it’s the work of outsiders), but i definitely had a cable lock cut and bike stolen from outside NSB.</p>
<p>Yeah, I ride for the team but being that it’s my first year, I’ve only recently moved up to Men’s C. Collegiate Nationals is reserved for the Men’s A riders, who probably put more time into riding than school/work/etc. That being said, watching a fast criterium is still pretty amazing.</p>
<p>As for Cable Locks v. U-Lock. I personally use a U-Lock (Kryptonite New York) on the rare occasion that I lock my bike up somewhere. When I do so, I remove the front wheel, place it parallel to the bike, and lock the frame, rear wheel, front wheel, and whatever I’m locking it to together. That way, the easy-to-take parts that you don’t need a bike tool for aren’t there. </p>
<p>That being said, all bike locks do is buy you time. If someone really wanted to steal your bike, they’ll find a way to do it. If you ride a nice bike and want to keep it safe, leave it in your room. Otherwise, just make sure it’s locked up around a bunch of bikes that look a lot nicer.</p>
<p>See the link below for U-Lock usage:
<a href=“http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html[/url]”>http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html</a></p>
<p>I will be bringing a bike, just because I don’t ever get the chance to use it where I live since everything is so close I just walk. Biking down the beach and around UTC should be fun :).</p>
<p>The hills are too steep to ride to the beach, but just take the 30 bus to la jolla shores or the 101 bus to torrey pines and take your bike along with you. or get a skateboard! i have both–a bike to get to school quickly, and a skateboard if i know i’ll be in a car or bus that day</p>
<p>oh and to the “do you need a bike”–i didnt need one until i lived off campus and dreaded paying for a parking pass. there are campus shuttles if you are really lazy, and you can ride a scooter or longboard for long-distance on-campus treks</p>
<p>I’ll be bringing both my bike and car. I never know when I want to ride my bike just for fun 
and its good exercise as well!</p>
<p>I’ve been seriously wanting to buy a bike, but after reading this thread and getting other opinions, I’m having second thoughts.
It seems there are more cons (theft, bike rack availability, traffic) than pros (getting around faster) to owning a bike on campus.</p>
<p>Thinking about whether I should just start skateboarding</p>
<p>Freddy, I think biking is great.</p>
<p>I’ve never had a bike stolen. (And I’ve sometimes left it unlocked.)</p>
<p>It lets me get to classes quickly and get off campus easier.</p>
<p>I never have problems running in to people (if you do, you’re doing it wrong).</p>
<p>Over 1,400 people bike here.</p>