I’ll be heading off to college in Indiana this fall and I would like to get a bike. The campus is small but I plan on riding into town and visiting the sister school down the road quite a bit. I don’t plan on riding it on terrains or anything like that. Being from Phoenix, I have a mountain bike and don’t know how to handle a bike in the snow or frozen sidewalks (if that makes a difference). I don’t really want to bring my mountain bike or get that type either. I’m not familiar with bikes, let alone familiar with northern Indiana land (South Bend). Is anyone an expertise in these areas? I don’t want a cheap crappy bike but I can’t afford to spend a ton (out of state is expensive enough).
Check to see what stores are in South Bend. For example, if they have a Wal-Mart, go to your local store in your town and see what you like. Order it with a pick it up at the South Bend store. No reason to ship it and you can make sure you have seen and like the bike. Most box stores allow you do this.
I think a decent hybrid or road bike would be great.
I go to school in the Midwest too and bike a lot, but only when it’s dry. I would get a hybrid bike or maybe an entry level road bike. Something that’s a few hundred dollars should be fine.
If you’re going to get a road bike, see if you’re okay with the riding position first, since it’s different than a mountain bike and some people find it uncomfortable. Mountain bikes are fine, but if you’re just on roads the suspension and the thicker tires don’t help much.
A cheap bike from Walmart will do okay and get you to your destination, but won’t last as long or be as nice to ride. You can get a much nicer bike for cheap if you look for used ones on Craigslist, but it can be a risk.
Are you going to bike year-round in the rain and snow? (Most people don’t bike in the winter here, it is harder) I would recommend getting fenders or a mud guard then, to stop the rain/slush/mud from flying up onto your backpack (or even worse, on the back of your pants). Most of the year-round commuters here have a basic road bike or a hybrid bike with something to stop the rain and mud, nothing too nice. Studded tires help in winter, but I’ve never used them. I’d look up websites for winter commuting if you are planning on biking several miles in every kind of weather.
If you’re just going to bike when it’s nice, the main thing to have is bike lights for when it’s dark, and some lubricant/tools if you need to tune it up. There will probably be somewhere to get air to pump up your tires, or a friend who has a pump.
Dorms usually aren’t good for having a bike, since there usually isn’t enough space to keep it inside, and people end up leaving their bike outside all year. If you’re going to leave it outside all year, especially if it’s just going to sit in a pile of snow for the winter, the bike is going to get beat up very fast, so don’t get a nice one. Old road bikes (like from the 1980s) hold up better than cheap new ones (like from Walmart), those get rusty much faster. They also don’t cost much more.