When you’re heading off to college, the shopping lists can seem just about endless. From buying a shower caddy for the communal bathroom to shopping for bed lifts, chances are that most of the items on your list might just be unfamiliar ones. Since you’re moving to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, feeling a little lost is definitely expected, but no less anxiety inducing. In fact, it’s actually very common to feel stress in this situation. Fortunately, there are lots of steps you can take to ensure a successful and confident transition to college. One of these steps might come as a big surprise to you, but after reading through this article, it’s pretty likely you’ll start to understand just how important it can be with regards to the success of your future college endeavors. And by now, you’re probably wondering just what exactly this item is. Well, don’t be too surprised: it’s a bicycle.
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But I Already Know How to Drive a Car!
Good! That way, you’re still able to give directions to the parents of that cute girl across the hall in your dorm. In all seriousness, bringing a car to college as a first year student is never a good idea, and it’s likely your parents wouldn’t been too keen on it either. Having a car available to first year college students can be a major distraction, not to mention dangerous as a huge plurality of alcohol-related car accidents are attributed to college kids. While learning how to drive a car was a milestone in your high school years, it won’t hold the same cache for you in college. Strong academic performance in your first year is correlated with not having a car on campus, and to speak frankly, you really shouldn’t want to leave campus all that much anyway! Campus is where all the action happens, in addition to your classes being there, it’s also going to be where all the social activities are, at least in your first couple of years. You need to be twenty one to get into a bar; you’re definitely not going to be going off campus for anything illegal, are you?
Cost is another reason that prohibits many first year college students from owning a car on campus. By now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that there is literally going to be a price tag on everything at college. But it’s easy to overlook parking costs. Since most college campuses are built around the students who live in dorms, oftentimes, colleges want to discourage as many students from bringing a car as possible. Many colleges now charge for parking passes, and make it impossible to park on campus without having a pass. For a smaller school, you should still expect to pay up to $400 a semester to park your car. Imagine all the textbooks (or ramen) you could buy with that kind of money!
And if you choose to ignore all of these arguments and bring a car to campus anyway, it’s likely you won’t even be driving it that often. Since most college kids don’t have cars available, most college kids don’t make plans involving a place where they’d need to drive.
Back to the Basics of Biking
By now, you’re probably getting pretty psyched about shopping for a bike again, right? Even if you’re not, this article is now going to tell you some of the reasons why you should be. If you haven’t ridden a bike since you were a little kid, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they’re much the same: uncomfortable, clunky, and kind of a pain to find space for. In all three regards, you’re going to be quite surprised. For starters, bikes have gotten a lot more sleek than they used to be. It’s now possible to find bikes made out of ultra-light materials, such as titanium. In addition to being physically lighter, it’s also much, much easier to lug certain bikes around because they’re foldable. While foldable bikes used to be somewhat of a joke item, they’re definitely not now. And foldable bikes are a wonderful solution for college kids because… that’s right, they collapse for easy storage. If you were reading the above section and panicking because of lack of space in your dorm room, foldable bikes are definitely an item you’re going to need to check out immediately. Unlike much like the rest of the changes you’ll be experiencing, the size of your dorm room is likely to be a bad surprise. Most dorm rooms average 12×19, which works out to be 228 square feet. And in most colleges, the dorms come equipped with two beds, two desks, and two dressers. The majority of colleges prohibit removal of their standard furniture, so you and your roommate are going to have to learn to live with it—in very, very close quarters. Foldable bikes are definitely sounding better now, aren’t they? And even better news about folding bikes: they’re much more sturdy now than they used to be. Foldable bikes are extremely practical for everyday use. As long as you’re not planning to take your foldable bike on mountain terrain, it will serve you extremely well during your college years. Another great perk about folding bikes? Since they’re so easily transported, you don’t necessarily need to purchase a lock with this kind of bike. Instead of locking it and leaving it outside, you can just collapse your bike and bring it into class with you! This is also great for someone who has a habit of losing things—this way, you won’t need to worry about losing the key to the lock on your new bike. And even though the best bikes for college are generally folding models, buying a lock isn’t a bad idea if you’re prone to a little paranoia, or going to college in the city.
Your new bike is going to prove incredibly useful on campus. Because most colleges average a ten minute walking time from the dorm buildings to their closer classrooms, you can cut that time by two thirds with a bike! While this doesn’t sound like much, it really adds up. Say you spend 25 minutes walking to and from classes each day. Multiply that by five days in each week, and you’ve spent 125 minutes walking, over two hours! With a bike, you can cut that time down to just under 45 minutes. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Imagine all the extra time you’ll have to study.. and maybe party, just a little bit.
In next section, we’re going to review some of the best bikes for college individually. Pay close attention to these reviews: they’re not written in a way that is designed to sell you anything. These objective reviews will go over the features (and perhaps the bugs) of each individual bike. Before you start reading the reviews section, it may be helpful to sit down and make a list of things that you know you’ll need in your new bike. Use questions like the ones below to help you.
- How many miles per week will I be riding my new bike?
- Do I plan to share my new bike with a roommate?
- Is storage space an extreme issue in my dorm room?
- Will I need to carry my new bike up and down many steps each day?
We’ll also need to talk a little bit about price. Since this article is geared toward college students, it focuses on more economical bike options. All of the bicycles reviewed below are available for less than $600. While that still seems like a lot of money, remember that’s only a third more than a car parking pass… for one semester! And with the parking pass, it’s not really as though you receive anything tangible in return. After paying for a bike once, it’s yours forever. Bikes don’t require nearly as much upkeep as cars, so you won’t be spending any money on things like oil changes or belt rotation. Even though at this stage, it may seem like yet another thing that’s making your bank account low, investing in a great bike before college is going to help you out quite a bit in the long run. And while you may be tempted to get a more expensive bike and split it with a roommate, that’s not always a great idea. Even if you and your roommate become best friends immediately, that doesn’t mean you’ll spend all four years living together, and then, one of you will have to buy the other one out for the bike you purchased to share. People change a lot during their four years in college. Think about how your personality and friends changed through high school, when you were only a teenager. In college, you’ll start to become an adult, which means even more changes. Save yourself from the trouble of having to worry about who gets the bike in the friend breakup, and just focus on what works best for you.
A Few of the Best Bikes For College
Now, we’re going to look a few bikes individually. It’ll be like test prep for college: grab your questions and prepare not to make any decisions until the end of the article. Happy hunting!
Stowabike 20″ City Bike Compact Folding 6 Speed Shimano Bicycle
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The 20” City Bike from Stowabike is an extremely popular bike, and for good reason. The relatively lightweight steel frame of the Stowabike City Bike clocks in at 35bs, making this an ideal choice for commuters or students. The Stowabike also has a couple of unique features that college students will love, including 6 speeds to choose from while riding, built-in mud guards to keep you dry and clean on a rainy day, and a built in rack for carrying your goods. Just pick up a couple of bungee cords, your books for class, and you’re ready to go. And even though this is a pretty slim bike, it can carry adults weighing up to 280lbs! While this bike does require a little assembly, user reviews report that it’s extremely easy to set up, and you only need a few tools. This particular model of Stowabike has been a bestseller for years, and coming in at a list price of $375, it’s easy to see why. Just think, if you buy this bike, you’ll be spending less than $100 per year of college on a tool that helps you save an incredible amount of time. For the price, this is definitely one of the best bikes for college available, and you’re sure to absolutely love it.
Best Choice Products 20″ Folding Bicycle Shimano 6 Speed Bike Fold Storage Silver
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This offering from Best Choice would be a great alternative to those who loved the Stowabike, but can’t justify the slightly higher price tag. Coming in at a list price of $249, the Best Choice is another steel-frame lightweight folding bike. This bike clocks in at 32lbs when folded for storage, with a lower profile than the Stowabike. Complete with a locking mechanism to keep the bike folded up when not in use, most user reviews report really loving this bike! Unlike the Stowabike, this bike doesn’t require any assembly, so it may be better suited for those who aren’t as mechanically inclined. While this bike definitely would not be good for anything other than casual use, it has often been quoted as a great bike for the price. If you’re only planning to use your bike to ride around campus, you’ll definitely want to check out the Best Choice Folding bike!
Dahon Mariner D7 Folding Bike
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The Dahon Mariner D7 Folding bike is a definite step up from the Best Choice and Stowabike, in many, many ways. For starters, the Dahon Mariner features an incredibly lightweight aluminum frame. Unlike steel, aluminum is naturally light—folded up, this bike only weights 26lbs! That’s almost ten pounds less than the Stowabike! It was interesting to learn that the Dahon Mariner was originally designed for boaters, to give them a tiny and lightweight bike they could easily store in the hold of a boat. However, the Dahon Mariner would be perfect for anyone looking for a bike they can easily store, including commuters and students. Users report that it is incredibly easy to see the skilled workmanship behind this bike, and that despite its light weight, it seems extremely sturdy. In addition to coming with a luggage rack for books, the Dahon Mariner is also rust resistant, ensuring that the brushed aluminum frame will look amazing for years to come. But perhaps the best thing about the Dahon Mariner is that it has a patented design for folding in less than 15 seconds! That’s pretty amazing, and also guaranteed to save you a lot of time while using this bike. As with the other folding bikes, the low profile makes the Dahon Mariner very easy to store and carry, and there’s a locking mechanism for keeping the bike folded when you’re not zipping around campus. While this bike was typically reviewed by people using it to commute daily, more than a few of the reviewers have also mentioned that they use their Dahon Mariner for taking longer rides for pleasure as well as work. One review even mentioned that he takes two ten miles rides on his bike per week, and that it has held up amazingly well over the past couple of years. While the Dahon Mariner is the most expensive offering that we’ve looked at so far, a list price of $599 is still not too much to stomach for a college student, and the reliability of the Dahon will serve you for years to come.
Schwinn 20-Inch Loop Folding Bike
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Schwinn is a bicycle brand that has enjoyed enormous popularity in the United States for many years. Their products are incredibly solid, reliable, and backed with an extensive customer service guarantee. This 7-speed bike designed for commuting would make an excellent bike for a college student as well. Much like the Dahon Mariner, user reviews of the Schwinn Loop Folding bike go out of their way to mention the potential for lots of use outside of commuting, with users repeatedly mentioning ten and twenty mile leisure rides. The Schwinn Loop has a weight limit of 230lbs, and can comfortably accommodate users up to six feet tall. While it’s a little heavier at the Dahon, weighing 31.5lbs while folded, it’s still lighter than both the Stowabike and the Best Choice bikes. Something unique about the Schwinn? Its appearance recalls more vintage bikes, making the Schwinn Loop stand out among a sea of foldable bikes. While you shouldn’t think about buying a bike on looks alone, the Schwinn’s gorgeous and retro design would be hard to pass up, especially at the wallet-friendly list price of $289. This bike has an aluminum frame, with rust resistance, and includes a free carrying bag. Without a doubt, this one of the best bikes for college students imaginable.
Hotouch Aluminum Frame Black Folding Mountain Bike
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In case you’re still not sold on the idea of a foldable bike, the Hotouch Aluminum Frame would be a great alternative. While this bike is advertised as being a folding bike, it’s not foldable in the quick way that you’ve come to expect from the four previous reviews. This bike requires mechanical disassembly every time you want to collapse it for storage or travel. Even though the Hotouch Aluminum Frame bike isn’t as convenient as some of the commuter bikes, it’s been included in this article for its stellar reviews, price, and also the acknowledgement that some college students would prefer a more traditional style of bike. The Hotouch bike would also be great for a college student who enjoyed biking beforehand, and wants to upgrade to a studier bike that would make weekend rides in the hills a little easier than a flimsier folding bike. The best thing about the Hotouch Aluminum Frame bike? Probably the price, which is very economical at $186.99. If you’re planning to use your new bike out and about the town as well as campus, the Hotouch is definitely going to be one of the best options for you.
Not Your Childhood Bike
And thank goodness for that, right? After having read separate reviews of the best bikes for college students, making a decision on which one to get might be more than a little difficult! In fact, bike shopping may even be one of the most fun activities you do the summer before college, as well as a nostalgic nod to childhood.
Something else that’s changed since you were little? Safety. It’s important to always, always wear a helmet with your new bike, even if you’re just riding it to class across campus. Bicycle injuries represent 2.3% of all U.S. traffic fatalities, and wearing a helmet will help you avoid becoming part of that statistic. Even though it’s easy to say that you’ll always be careful while riding, the truth is that even if you’re always safe, others may not be. Wearing a helmet is just one more way to ensure that you’ll make it through your college years in one piece, and it’s an absolute necessity when biking.
Even though heading off to college involves a lot of change, starting to bike again will be one of the best changes of all. In addition to saving time and money, biking provides you with a free way to exercise, which is definitely necessary when staring down the Freshman 15! Plus, athletic activity can go a long way when it comes to managing stress and anxiety, which if you’re not facing at the prospect of college, you’ll unfortunately have to deal with when it comes time for midterms and exams.
In conclusion, biking is an activity that can help you manage and balance your new life away at school. From providing a fun outlet for stress to getting you to class on time, a bike is something that every college student should own. Happy trails, and remember: always, always wear a helmet!
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