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New bike for campus

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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
my hardtail bike was stolen from outside my apartment the other day, so i am currently walking to class every day which, frankly, sucks. so i need a new bike. i live in boulder and go to cu, so my commute is a slight hill one way and downhill the other, but never more than a 15 minute ride max, then anything else around town is completely flat. im really low on cash at the moment (just bought a new dh rig last week which is overkill for campus), so ive been looking on craigslist and have been thinking about getting a single speed/fixed flip-flop hub bike: good or bad idea? i found a lightly used bigshot single speed for less than 150, which is the most i could spend right now, so would that be a good option?

i dont really know a lot about road bikes/track bikes/etc., but i know that if i tried to get anything complicated (like a full road bike), it would either be really old and probably need a lot of work, or would just be shit components which would need to be replaced in the near future
Mar 12 2015 12:27AM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,014
Mar 12 2015 12:34AM
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-WZ-
Posts: 3600 - Karma: 6,582
dude try to find an old rigid frame mtb. I got a Rocky Mountain thats like 25 years old and after a quick tune up it works fine and its a great commuter. $20 at a garage sale and i kinda like the retro look
Mar 12 2015 12:49AM
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NEPTR
Posts: 766 - Karma: 1,936
id try to find a bike with a single crankset in the front but like 3-4 in the back... a fixie up that hill(depending on how big it is might be hard) plus coming down will suck based on the fact that you probably don't know how to slow down and you'll probably die...https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/761102/GoPro-Fixed-Gear-downhill-sliding
Mar 12 2015 1:48AM
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Loco-Deer-Slayer
Posts: 1401 - Karma: 701
If you only have a 15 min trek on flatfish terrain I don't even know why this is a question. I never spend money on my commuter bike because the UofU is full of a bunch of damn thieves.

Shout out to the kids that ride full DH rigs on campus. I love you, bonus points for a full face helmet.
Mar 12 2015 3:41AM
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safety.third
Posts: 217 - Karma: 459
Blake.Pcomplicated (like a full road bike)


road bikes arent complicated.. riding down/uphill without brakes, gears, and a freehub is. just admit you want a trendy fixie
Mar 12 2015 4:32AM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
agnarskiroad bikes arent complicated.. riding down/uphill without brakes, gears, and a freehub is. just admit you want a trendy fixie


Road bikes aren't complicated, but there are a lot of moving parts that have to be dialed in, and at my budget ultimately one would need a lot of work or the components would be shit. I'm looking for simplicity.

Also I would 100% have brakes, and would be a single speed (not fixed) 99% of the time
Mar 12 2015 10:37AM
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grant.
Posts: 218 - Karma: 486
I'm getting a Trek Earl in the next month so I can commute to campus easier where I live. Everyone I've talked to about it, including the guys in the shop at the bike store where I work, all say it's bomb-proof and appropriate for traveling around town as long as you don't mind it not being the lightest. It also has spot for a u-lock in the top tube which is a plus so I don't have to buy a mount. I've been eyeing a Trance SX for a while now but I've decided I need to save a little more money and get a commuter bike in the interim.
Mar 12 2015 11:25AM
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.Hugo.
Posts: 17360 - Karma: 28,484
I would never ride a bike worth more than $30 on a college campus.
Mar 12 2015 11:29AM
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