Riding in London

It would most likely get you a crap fixed bike, too, though.

I bought my Fuji Track in 2006 for £300 plus £80 additional bits, but prices have risen.

No, but it should get me a good starting point? Obviously it won't be perfect for me from the start i'm sure, but in time, some new parts would make it "mine" and a good ride. I'm not after something incredible, anything will be better than a 15kg mountain bike with 5cm wide tires I have kicking about back home!

Yes, don't even touch those with a bargepole.

Yeah, don't plan to, seen the light!

No, if you're good with mechanics, you should build your own, then. Serious recommendation. Lots of people have a lot of fun doing that. You don't need much space to build up a bike, and you can always have the frame powdercoated or painted later--see these threads:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread1238.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread16007.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread1039.html

Yeah I'd definitely love to. Not ruling it out... I am desperate to get cycling though, and I want to buy something more fit for purpose than my mountain bike back home, you know, to be excited about riding again? Wanting to get on it and ride whenever. I see riding that mountain bike as a chore sometimes, even did just 1 mile to work over Christmas!

I will finish uni in May, and then will be getting a house with some friends next year, so hopefully will be able to store it off the street at night, and feel comfortable locking it up for an hour or two here and there with a pair of good locks.

Do these bikes hold their value well? Over my very long summer, if i've got the fixed gear bug (which I think I will) I will build one at home. I could sell the one I buy now, or just rebuild it.

It's a good hint to people on here to make sure never to cross you if you take a 33" frame. :)

Haha, that would be a giants bike! I meant 23" haha :)

Most student bikes are absolute rubbish, partly for the simple reason of fear of bike theft, but also because for many they're just studenty accessories.

I was thinking this... I was concerned so many crap bikes came up for sale, because crap bikes were mostly what people bought round here because of the theft? You raise an interesting point actually, and I hope it's correct. I guess I am fortunate enough to be a student who has earned his own money, and has his own savings :)

Maybe theft is high simply because people are useless at locking up. It hadn't really occurred to me that that many people would be stupid, but looking in the "How not to lock your bike thread" it seems even people with carbon framed racing bikes are... wow, just wow! Theft is not cool. but they are not helping themselves.

It's unlikely that there'll be many sales in Oxfordshire, but you may get lucky.

I didn't see many in the classifieds, but there were a huge amount of topics there! I did some searches I think though over the whole forum, and thought Oxfordshire came up quite a bit.

Then get a simple, crappy, studenty bike that you can keep outside, e.g. outside lectures when it's most likely to get stolen, and a nice bike to keep in your room for Sunday rides. You'll love it so much that you won't want to be separated from it. :) Seriously, you can never have enough bikes.

I know what you're saying with the Sunday rides thing... I would however really only be using it for fun, so to speak already though, not huge commutes, just a few miles a day, if that wasn't the impression you got.

Fortunately, if you know Oxford, i'm at Oxford Brookes, and I study in the sleepy town of Wheatley. I don't think theft on that campus is very high, fortunately, if I did "commute" instead of just ride for fun.

My main concern is the rack on the student village I live, just off the main road through Headington, to the city centre. I've shuffled by room around, and I think I have a bike shaped space! (BSS!) I definately could live around it to be honest, would make me ride it even more! I thought last night at 3am when I couldn't sleep, if a bike had been in my bike shaped space, I would have hopped on it and gone for a nice ride.

You certainly can't! I think I will probably build my own over the summer, and keep it for the summer, while keeping a bike i'll hopefully buy soon, for the winter.

I remember when it seemed really odd to me to keep a bike in my room/flat--those days are long gone, and I'm very happy to give up a good deal of space for it. :)

Probably not very helpful advice right now, but there might come a time ...

You know, i'd love a little flat, with a few bikes dotted around it! (like I imagine a London bike messengers place to be like!)

I don't think I showed it in my post really, but the room is TINY. I love bikes, and would love to finally be able to bring a bike inside now i'm out of my Mum's house, after all those years of damp sheds! - I think I could just about bear it taking up so much space in here, but only just, as it is a shoebox!

I certainly can bear having bikes in bedrooms, I love that shit, it's just bearing the large percentage of space it would take up!

I think i've got a spot big enough so it would not get in the way though, so I think i'm winning :) - wouldn't be here long, even if I got one now... only got about 10 weeks left here!

Thanks for the great post, and the effort you put in!

Now I need to find a bike to put in the bike shaped space!

Matt