I was planning on shipping my road bike to Davis where I will be entering as a freshman. The bike cost me around $500, but is probably worth over $1,000. It would cost me about $100 to take it from where I am to Davis. Is it worth shipping? Should I just buy a cheaper bike at Davis? I am just wondering because of factors like the cost, theft, etc. By the way, I do not do a lot of competitive biking, so that is not a factor.
Dd is a senior at Davis and we took her bike (not cheap) up for her during her freshman year, but it wasn’t an issue because of her bike locks. Although the university tries hard to deter it, theft with nicer bikes, occurs often. Get a Kryptonite Ulock, or similar lock for your bike. If you want to keep your bike safe, keep it at home.
If I were you, I would wait and buy a bike at Davis. There is a Target in town and there are several bike shops, along with the bike barn on campus.
Wheels and seats are stolen often. Your bike will be exposed to lots of rain, so plan on doing what everyone else does, bring a plastic bag. Make sure your bike has a back fender to avoid the FRESHMAN stripe. When the rains come, you won’t be biking that often so have a good set of waterproof boots.
Dd takes the campus bus and walks to class now. She uses her bike now and then.
Come without your fancy bike. The ones that aren’t stolen wind up parked outside and get ruined by weather.
There’s a bike auction a few weeks into school every year. It’s pretty fun and you’ll get your bike for less than $50. If that get’s stolen, you can get another…
http://taps.ucdavis.edu/sites/taps.ucdavis.edu/files/attachments/flyer.pdf
Have Fun