My son is almost certain to choose UA (unless OU wins him over at Scholars2Sooners next weekend). What type of bike is recommended for campus? He’s not a bike-junkie. We’re looking for something that’s not likely to break with normal riding. His birthday is coming up and a bike would be just the thing.
One more thing - thank you to all of you who share your knowledge on this board (especially “mom2collegekids”). I am so appreciative!
Nevermind - I found other posts at CC about this.
I certainly wouldn’t spend $500 on a fancy bike. Something sturdy and not too expensive to replace in case it gets stolen. Alabama law requires helmets - I don’t know how heavily that’s enforced on campus. And a mighty sturdy lock! I believe Target will assemble for $20 or so. Not sure about WalMart. However, one of those has been known to put on the pedals wrong and strip the screw part. I would def take the time to thoroughly inspect it at the store after assembly.
I can’t speak to Target or Walmart stores in Alabama, but I would not recommend paying them to assemble based on my experience up here in Minnesota. Bike assembly isn’t rocket science, but ambivalent teens who aren’t going to ride the machine generally aren’t going to care enough to do it well.
I’ve seen pedals stripped, brakes barely functioning (or not!), handles or seats mounted loose or askew. Go to any bike shop and ask how much they would charge to assemble (if you don’t feel competent enough to do it yourself).
There is an excellent bike shop in Tuscaloosa, with great customer service, which also does repairs when needed. Velocity Pro Cycle is the shop I am referring to. They seem to carry higher end bikes at the store but, if you have a model in mind, maybe they can order it and have it ready for the start of the semester. I believe there are other bike stores in town but we always found the service to be top notch there.
I think a cruiser type bike with pedal brakes would be the easiest and lowest maintenance option.
Buy a cheap, used, bike and an expensive lock.
Yes, get a good lock but lock the wheels as well…