Fixed or road for uni/winter?

chris_17

Hi,

I'm back off to Uni in September and would like to use my bike while I'm there, last year I just tried to keep going to gym to maintain a decent level of fitness for the summer. However my motivation to go, wasn't the best! While, if I had a bike I know I'd be on it every other day, if not every day, as I am when I'm home.

I don't want to take my road bike down because of a few problems; burglaries being one of them, a lot of other cyclists at Uni had there bikes stolen. Another, being it would have to be left outside, albeit covered up.

So I was thinking what would be better, buy a cheap road bike to use while I'm away, then if it does get stolen or damaged due to the condition's, it's not as terrible as if it was an expensive bike or just buy a cheap fixie and use that, I've read some articles about the merits of a fixed over a road for fitness and bike control etc.?

What do you think?

Cheers

ollyridesfirst

I've just ordered a flip/flop fixie(freewheel) for winter from Edinburgh Cycles....

Can't wait to try it out and start getting used to it.....I bought mine as i see the way some people thrown their bikes in the racks at work and i don't fancy keeping my carbon frame in there!

MichaelW

A cheap used sports/roadie/tourer with mudguards and rack is as thief-repellant as you can find, apart from old 3-speeds

outcastjack

I use a £30 ebay purchased 5 speed for uni.

coupled with a lock worth a fair amount more than it I dont imagine it will ever get nicked' and as it turns out its great fun having a roady which you dont mind abusing.

cougie

Get an old fixed wheel. Scruff it up and less likely to get nicked and there's just less to go wrong ?

geoff_ss

I used to have a shopping bike with a 5 speed Sturmey Archer hub gear. It was an old Raleigh Lenton Sports frame sprayed a horrible blue colour and a a rusty steel chainset. Even though I had a Cinelli handlebars/stem (I never use cheap handlebars after I had a pair break) it looked awful but actually rode quite well.

Another friend used to ride a Raleigh RSW13 to work. He raced a lot and reckoned it was good training

However, fixed is good too. The thing to do is make it unattractive to thieves whilst actually being a decent ride. Perhaps a folder you can take inside might be a possible option?

MattC59

Get yourself a cheap bike (read old, but rides ok) from ebay, strip it down and spray the frame yourself. This'll make it look pretty unattractive to thieves, but it will still ride ok.

After a spate of thefts when I was at Uni, I did the same. I had a decent MTB which I kept locked and hidden in the cellar, and an old MTB resprayed to look sh*t, for commuting to Uni. Worked a treat

mowflow

Don't know about where your University is but here in Glasgow a Fixie/single speed is just as likely if not more likely to get half inched due to the fact that all the hipsters ride them and are prepared to pay top whack for one. A junker geared road or mountain bike will be cheaper to buy, easier to ride and less desireable to thieving scum.