Taking your Mountain Bike to University

Smiler15

Hoping to go to university next year and want to continue mountain biking. Wondered if anyone had any advise or experience of taking your bike to uni, and whether keeping expencive bits of kit around halls is do-able.

Cheers

nicklouse

Halls can be a pain many will not allow you to have bikes in your room.

Many people do though.

Smiler15

Oh right, really?
But it's your room, presumably if you clean the bike before you put it back, and the room stays clean it would be alright?

Just did a quick google search and Leeds university insurance doesn't cover you for bikes, unless you upgrade the package, and even then will only pay out £250...

ride_whenever

You have to be pretty careful with where you're living. They didn't let me keep my 1.5k mtb in my room, but roadies over about 500 are fine :roll:

I'm living out and have a garage now. Most of the colleges here do have fairly secure lockups though.

snotty badger

Maybe build a cheap hack MTB for uni if your bikes worth a bob or two?

benneally

I've just managed to secure a place in my room for my Spark. My college were really unhappy about it, but I got my captain to email saying how i was needed for the uni team. You know, so that we can remain the best cycling university in the country, standard.

anyway back to the room situ, I had to sign a contract saying that my bike is to be kept in a bike bag when in my room and any damage to staircase/room is to be covered at my expense.

ride_whenever

thinking about it, try to find the uni cycling club website, they usually have the info on that.

nicklouse

http://www.leeds-uni-cycling.org.uk/

bike-a-swan

the cycling club may be able to get you permission to keep it in halls, although in the past i've been known to keep mine under my bed....

i'd agree, it's well worth scavenging some awful bits and bolting together something for hacking about campus. i've got an old frame which has as many rusty things bolted to it as possible- still rides alright, but i've left it unlocked on campus and not had it nicked (bad idea though!)

snotty badger

ride_whenever wrote:

thinking about it, try to find the uni cycling club website, they usually have the info on that.

I suppose a uni-cycle would take up less room...



That'll fit right under ya bed 8)

colintrav

Smiler15 wrote:

Hoping to go to university next year and want to continue mountain biking. Wondered if anyone had any advise or experience of taking your bike to uni, and whether keeping expencive bits of kit around halls is do-able.

Cheers

And where fellow students let your tyres down , put superglue on your bike lock or mostly your ride will be stolen


If it ain't tied down Someone will blag it , still that won;t deter the pro tea leafs

Jimbo.

Take it, and keep it in your room. Don't take the mick (i.e. don't leave mud, grease etc) everywhere and don't make it obvious. You're given notice of room inspections, so come those times, just ensure it's out of the room (i.e. you're out on it, or it's around a mates room), or that it's well hidden (take it to bits and stash it under the bed/in the bed/under junk/in the cupboard).

All universities state that bikes aren't allowed in rooms/halls of residence: it's a fire thing, and they don't want bikes left in corridors/hallways/blocking fire escapes etc, etc.

mac_man

Useful post... my son is going to uni next year so we've been wondering about taking 2 bikes down. One for the weekend and a scratter for knocking around campus that can be left outside.

We were at Surrey Uni the other day, having a look round, and there were a number of proper lock-up cage type things for bikes... is this common?

Smiler15

Mac Man, I've found fairly secure bike cages or bike shelters at other universities. Bike cages seem much better than bike shelters, but I'm not sure quite how tough they are (A concrete bunker would be ideal ) but it's still outside isn't it..

Just had a look at big yellow storage, but its between about £3-6 a week, which would work out at about £117 (£3 x 39, the approximate shortest length of a years stay in halls). Alot just to store your bike, and £3 will only get you 3ft by 3ft, so more like 5 or 6 pounds..

I've enquired to a few university cycle clubs about this, so I'll let you know their replies when I get them.

MacAndCheese

I only took a cheapy BMX to uni. We had a campus in Egham, Surrey (very posh area) but still had a few bike thefts from the bike shelters (the bikes were locked to metal bars under and under a roof). Anyone with a decent bike kept it in there rooms (against the rules)...I seem to remember one technique was to slide them under the bed or between the bed and the wall by looseing the headset and turning the bars inline with the wheel.

junglist_matty

My Orange MS-Isle was stolen from a secure bike storage room at halls (was locked with a D-Lock and a 1" thick cable with massive padlock) whilst at uni. The only people with keycard access to the secure storage was people who had a bike. The entire room of bikes was cleaned out and the police refused to look at the CCTV footage so nothing was done other than a crime report was filed.

Luckily it was insured for £1800 so got a replacement but had to pay an excess of £250 which was a real pain, not really worth it unless you really do have somewhere really secure. After it got stolen I kept the replacement in my room and locked my room door whenever I wasn't in the flat - even popping to the shops for 5 minutes... can't trust anyone these days!

Smiler15

Got a reply from Sheffield Uni Cycling club,

"You have several options, firstly as you have pointed out all halls have places to lock bikes immediately outside. However these are normally only used by people commuting. Their are also more secure bike stores, and Tapton halls has a bike store area. The other option is to keep your bike in your room. Technically this is against the rules but it is what most serious riders do"

"Sheffield isn't alone in this problem, so whatever uni you go to you will have the same problem. Most insurance companies won't insure bikes over £200 if they are left outside. Some people can get away with leaving their bike in their room for the whole of first year, but there are a few tricks you can do to get around this, hiding your bike under your bed is a common one! But you can also remove the wheels from the bike, or put your bike in a bike bag."


Looks like its going under the bed then!!

Bike Bag :
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/CTC_P ... 360041697/

nonnac85

I had mine in my room (and a drum kit) - never had any problems with them being there.

Smiler15

haha wow, that's alot of stuff