Bike Advice for an Expat from NYC

My apologies if you find this thread annoying, but I'm at a loss and I'm hoping the fine people of this forum will be able to help me out.

I will be moving to Canterbury from New York City in September for graduate school (at Kent) and I need a bike. I currently do not own a bike, since the last two I've had were too large for me (I've sold them) - I am 5 foot - and I vowed that my next bike must fit me. I'd very much prefer to buy a single speed for many reasons.

So, I'm ready to make an investment - I plan on buying a bike here in NYC to ride this summer and break it down and ship it with me when I move. My QUESTION IS: Is it totally out of the question to ride a single speed/fixed gear bike in Canterbury? It is pretty hilly, right? Do people ride on the street? Do I need gears or a more substantial tire? I'm used to city riding, though I do live in Brooklyn where there are some small hills...

ANY advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks!

canterbury is flat on the whole. apart from the hill up to the university i cant think of anything that would give you much bother within the city. the surrounding countryside has some nice lanes through the fields and woods etc which you would benefit from gears but if you were only planning on riding in town then cant see any problem with singlespeed

So helpful! Thank you!

+1 to waffle, went to Kent uni myself several years ago. That hill is a bitch though, but not that long if I remember rightly - lots of nice lanes to ride around Canterbury and only 5 miles away from the coast at Whistable which is lovely. I did have both my bikes nicked in Canterbury though - but one was kinda my fault (drunkenly forgetting to lock it up in my back garden)

Thanks Clefty, that is all good to know. I'll be sure to lock up my bike - I guess my NYC (bike) theft paranoia will come in handy - Oh, and riding to the coast is on the top of my list!

Hello all. I'm in a similar position as dbnyc, just over to London (city) for work for a few months. I am not shipping my bikes from home, so I'd like to buy one locally, and I think going single speed is a good way to keep the cost down, as I will only be here a year. I would only be around London, possibly out to Canary Wharf (work) from near St Pauls... can anyone tell me if that's an easy ride on a single? Thanks!

Central London is tiny. There are proberbly only 2 hills. No need for gears.

Excellent, thanks! Any advice on places to buy used, or is this site the best way to find something?

Excellent, thanks! Any advice on places to buy used, or is this site the best way to find something?

It's pretty good. If you need a size between 52-58cm for your bike, those come off pretty often. It's also likely that the seller will be knowledgeable and if there's something wrong with the sale (e.g., price too high), people will probably pick up on it in the sale thread.

Not many shops sell second-hand bikes, and there is usually a suspicion attached to most bikes sold at markets that they are stolen. Whatever you do, don't buy at Brick Lane Market, as a lot of stolen bikes are sold there. There are some legitimate traders, but you wouldn't be able to tell which ones they are.

You can buy pretty good OTPs new from £500. Even if you're only here for a year, that would be a good investment, as you'll save hundreds of pounds on public transport fares:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread9085.html

And make sure to check us out at drinks. At St Paul's you're very central and you'll have no excuse not to go to all of them. :)

Enjoy your stay in London in any case.