I recently bought a bike and although I previously had one, that was six years ago when the money came out of my dad’s pocket instead of mine. This time round, it is all different so its safe to say that I have learnt a few things.
Deciding which bike to buy can be a difficult process. There will always be bikes that appear to be better than yours in some way or another. The key to getting around this problem is working out what you need, finding a bike that matches your requirements and then going ahead and buying it. Waiting an dwelling on it will only reduce the number of days of summer that you can enjoy your bike for. If you have the money, then go ahead and buy it instead of waiting for its price to go down.
Once you buy the bike, don’t think about whether it has gone cheaper now. Being a student, money is of course very tight and it did hurt a bit to realise that I could have used a voucher code to get 10% off my bike. Then I realised that the little extra I could have saved was not important. What was important now was enjoying my bike that I had spent my hard earned money on.
Another thing is that there are quite a few added costs to buying a bike. Whether it is a bicycle care plan (£19.99 at Halfords), mudguards or a lock, these all add up so remember to factor these things into your budget. The lock tends to be the most expensive depending on how well you want to protect your bike. Also remember that a good strong lock will add around 1.3kg to the weight of your bike. Which means when you go on a leisurely bike ride, then don’t take it along with you if you won’t need it!
I primarily bought my bike to ride to university next year but have yet to tackle the issue of arriving at university all hot and bothered. Tomorrow though is a test ride as I’ll be riding to work in the early hours of Sunday morning. Don’t worry, anti-perspirant is in the bag. Eek.
The final thing about having a bike is that it is great! You can go on lovely bike rides and have amazing fun but sometimes riding on the road can be slightly frightening. Especially when turning right while traffic is speeding in both directions. As a cyclist, you’re not as wide as a car so your rear does end up feeling vulnerable if you have to stop to turn.
Until Next Time
A Worried Student
A WORRIED STUDENT 
The same could be said for a car lol 🙂
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Alas I have yet to experience that world 😦
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You’re making me miss riding a bike. I haven’t ridden one since I was a teen, at least. Certainly not since I started working and not since I got a car.
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Then it is time to hop back in the saddle! 🙂
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Pictures of you on your bike?
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Hmmmm now that is an interesting preposition since I have yet to even put a picture of me normally on this blog but I shall consider it!
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I too rode my bike to university, ‘Dawn to Time’ kind of thing now but living, working, and school in a mountainous area had challenges. I lived on the river plain and the university was up on the valley bench half way up the valley. This meant I arrived at school covered in sweat, even in the middle of winter never mind in the heat of summer. I went to university year round given my advanced years 🙂 and what not.
So I like you had to figure out how I was to ride and not stink up the class or appear like I was some cave dweller. It occurred to me that the university had a large gymnasium for the jocks and we men of scholarly bent were also allowed to use it. Never did use the gym nor the pool but I used the shower every morning. Since I used to shower in the morning at home I just put this off till I arrived at school so I did not loose much time.
Hope things works out for you in this. I did find I was more alert and even had more energy by doing this.
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I was thinking of this idea! I have to check out the university I will be going to and then perhaps make some plans based on that.
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