Campus Bike

[campy man]

Son heading off to college this summer and thinking of getting him something to get around campus and town.

Thinking about a cheap steel frame, powdercoated something ugly and built as a single speed. Any Paceliners done something similar or have suggestions?

[gdw]

I built a number of school bikes for friends kids. All were old steel MTBs with 7 or 8 speed mid-level components that functioned well but had no resale value for thieves. Fat tires are better for riding around town and can withstand the abuse of year round riding. Flat black Rust-Oleum was the preferred color.

[honestmachinery]

I've built many beaters for campus use, and also prefer old mtbs, or inexpensive old road bikes converted with flat bars. Prefer gears unless it is really flat. Wouldn't spend the money on paint or powdercoat. The dean of my kid's school made a good point at the parent's orientation - if they aren't using a bike now, they may not start. I've been waiting for my kid to ask for one all year.

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[weisan]

It's not enough or not really always a reason to get an "cheap ugly" bike for campus use. More important than that is a combination of getting a solid lock and using that lock in the way it was prescribed and locking the bike in a high viz/traffic area. Do not leave the bike unattended for an extended period of time, meaning, not leaving in the same spot overnight or coming out of the library or during lunch to check on it every few hours in between.

From my observation, bikes were stolen more often than not due to owner's neglect and carelessness. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, whereby a resourceful and determined thief can defeat any lock or precautions being undertaken but if you first observe a few simple rules, it will make it so much harder for them to succeed.

My observations are based on watching my own kids and their peers at school.

It's one thing to talk about it here, it's another thing to tell young people to do as we say. Sometimes they have to learn it the hard way. When my daughter's bike got stolen because one day she was too "tired" and left it overnight at school ....I let her walked to school for a couple of weeks before I built another one for her. Since then, her bike comes home safely everyday.

None of the bikes I built for their school use are cheap or ugly. They are fully functional and a joy to ride on.

[Vientomas]

I had my expensive MTB that was securely locked up stolen on campus. Insurance paid for a new one, but I bought a beater women's Schwinn 3 speed from a garage sale for campus use after that. Never locked it up and sold it after I graduated.

[dddd]

Any bike that is an opportunist-cheap buy, that can be fitted reasonably well and that has been moderately gone through is the bike to buy.
Thieves don't usually bother with bikes that consistently score very low on resale value, but may be attracted to good parts especially wheels and saddle.

I wouldn't repaint and I would use thorn-resist tubes.

I use a 1970 Schwinn Supersport with step-thru frame and original paint for my errand duties within a mile of home.
Flat pedals, a rack and a lock. The bike looks beat but continues to be very reliable and very unattractive to thieves.

[ftf]

Originally Posted by campy man

Son heading off to college this summer and thinking of getting him something to get around campus and town.

Thinking about a cheap steel frame, powdercoated something ugly and built as a single speed. Any Paceliners done something similar or have suggestions?

Depending on where your son is going, many colleges have bike shares, I'd see if he will actually use a bike at college first before buying one.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by ftf

Depending on where your son is going, many colleges have bike shares, I'd see if he will actually use a bike at college first before buying one.

Agree. A membership to the local bike or scooter share may be more effective and less chance of getting stolen etc. but that obviously depends on location.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by campy man

Son heading off to college this summer and thinking of getting him something to get around campus and town.

Thinking about a cheap steel frame, powdercoated something ugly and built as a single speed. Any Paceliners done something similar or have suggestions?

I sent my daughter to college with my wife's old 1998 FSR comp. she never rode it. it sat locked up outside in the covered cage for a year.

walk. or find a friend with a car. for the first year, less is more.

FFWD...I gave that bike to a friend for his daughter. now my daughter is moving into her second apartment for her third year. and wants a bike. I told her I will find her one on CL and she can buy it with her summer job earnings...

yes my a $$ is hard.

[Ken Robb]

The last time I was on campus at Northwestern U. the bike racks were full of rusted hulks that obviously hadn't been ridden in months. Since there are shuttle buses to get around campus and city buses and the EL to go farther afield I guess there aren't many students who use bikes regularly.

One would do well to determine if there are bike-friendly routes to places that students want to visit and reasonable facilities to park and lock bikes when they get there.

[zmudshark]

Speaking as someone who flipped bikes for a living in a two college town, just go to a the cheapest big box store and get what almost fits. It will be left outside, it will be stolen.

[mtechnica]

If it's gonna be left outside it doesn't matter what it is, it will be stolen or messed with most likely especially if it remains in the same spot.

If it will be stored inside at home and will only be locked up periodically on campus during the day, it would be worth using a more decent bike IMO if it's gonna be ridden around town / in traffic.

[ultraman6970]

70s schwinn style that nobody will even dare to steal and that you could get at CL for almost nothing.

[zmalwo]

The best bike for college campus? A bike that's so old and beat up even if you leave it at a dark area overnight unlocked thieves won't touch.

[dddd]

Originally Posted by zmalwo

The best bike for college campus? A bike that's so old and beat up even if you leave it at a dark area overnight unlocked thieves won't touch.

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

70s schwinn style that nobody will even dare to steal and that you could get at CL for almost nothing.

Yep, just ask any long-time bike mechanic, the Schwinns hold up much longer to outdoors exposure.

Their bottom bracket bearings for instance, water in the oversized 5/16" bearing isn't trapped like inside a traditional cup/cone bottom bracket, but is free to run out of the bearing. The choice of materials too, always chromium balls and galvanized cup and cone, prevents rusting incredibly well.
One can get by with nothing more than occasional oil-can tune-ups and get decades of use out of a Chicago Schwinn.

Here's the one I use for errand runs to the bank, store or local social event, and for running the dog. It's about 50 years old, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, it tends not to get messed with.
I paid $55 for it at Goodwill, after a series of mark-downs that started at $100. They need floor space and manage to move bikes out the door quickly.