What is a good commuter bike for travel around a college campus?

Asked by Keegan Smith at 1:08 PM on August 13, 2009

Best Answer So Far

Posted by Matt Flick at 12:29 AM on August 28, 2009

I used a Specialized Hard Rock to get around campus a couple years back. It was great. A nice mountain bike that I could use to actually go mountain biking but wouldn't get destroyed when I would cut across fields and hop curbs.

Read 13 answers, Answer this question or See more Gear questions.

13 Answers

Jesse Fain | August 13, 2009 9:04 PM

I just bought a Nirve classic cruiser. Single speed and coaster breaks. I added a basket on the front to carry stuff. I am always getting comments on my bike.
http://www.nirve.com/mens.asp?cat=cruiser&cid=539

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

Jared White | August 14, 2009 1:56 AM

I just bought the Vienna 1 commuter bike made by Specialized for college. Its wonderful. 8 speed and light weight. check out the specifications yourself. Its $420.

Product Name

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

Derek Lasher | August 14, 2009 9:56 AM

I like having a fixed gear to ride around campus with-- a lot of your travels will be through crowded areas of people on foot an instead of riding the brakes to maintain a slow speed, you can just pedal slower. Specialized just came out with a line of lifestyle bikes called Globe bicycles. Check them out at http://www.globebikes.com/us/en/globe/index.jsp

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

Martin Barnard | August 14, 2009 10:40 AM

I would take a look at Republic Bikes. These are hand built in Florida and allow for some awesome customization. Take a look at Republic Bikes

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

Blainedh | August 14, 2009 12:23 PM

Personally, I would go the www.craigslist.com route for a cheap, used bicycle. There are generally plenty of listings in a college town or if you live near a large city.
Whatever you end up getting make sure your budget includes a solid bike lock. Nothing worse then leaving class to find your ride missing.

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

Jp Richardson | August 14, 2009 1:01 PM

You will have to spend more but Im a huge fan of my folding bike I got from "Dahon"http://www.dahon.com/choosing/choosing-us.htm
Smaller so it fits inside your car if you want to take it on trips or even carry it around. Some models come with a "luggage rack".

Do be careful, if you are a bigger guy you run the risk of looking like a circus bear on this tiny bike.

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

dts | August 18, 2009 4:18 PM

check out republicbike.com you can get a customized single speed bike for $400.

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer

deane | August 18, 2009 11:55 PM

If you're worried about your bike getting stolen, then yes, a cheapie from craigslist is the way to go. But if you're unwilling to concede that your bike will inevitably get stolen, you might as well get the most convenient & comfortable thing possible. I recommend the Dahon Matrix - this bike folds in half, so you can bring it inside with you relatively unobtrusively. You can also store it easily, and toss it in the trunk of your friend's car when you're too tired / lazy to ride, and it won't take up the whole backseat. Best part is, it's a full-size bike, so you don't have to worry about the circus bear effect. Disc brakes, so you won't bump into the cute girl coming out of the coffee shop. Front suspension, so if you do, you'll hardly feel it. Just a caveat: everything on it is removable, so if you are going to lock this to the bike rack, get an extra cable lock to go through all the wheels, and bring the seat with you.

Voting... Voted Vote as Best Answer