Getting a bike may seem to be a good step but for your first year, when you will be residing on campus, its generally not necessary. While on campus, everything is within walking distance. Meal plans take care of everything, so you would not need to venture further out; and for the few times you do, there is the CityBus. Purdue has a weird tradition, bikes often end up on trees, a prank that has been repeated too often!
Also, bikes can rust easily outside in the rain and snow without use; and bikes get stolen regularly from the campus, so its an additional headache. From the second year onwards, it depends on whether you move off-campus and if so, how far it is.
My recommendation is to not buy a bike from the outset. Wait a few weeks and assess if you need one!
If you do decide to buy a bike then read on!
What kind of bike to buy?
Please don’t buy bikes from Walmart. They are cheap and they fall apart in few months. In rare cases, they may have a breakdown while riding which is dangerous. If you are serious about a bike, look for name brands and buy from a proper bike store. Rather get a good brand second-hand one in good condition than a new cheap Walmart one. This is a quote from the Purdue’s Alternative Transportation Coordinator in charge of just about all things bike related on campus:
“If you’re a bike mechanic, buying from anywhere is fine. If you’re not then don’t buy a bike from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Meijer, or Toy R Us. Yes, you can get a bike for $100-$200 dollars from these stores. However, they are cheaply priced because they are made with cheap parts. Most of our bike parking at Purdue is outside in the weather. Your bike will be sitting through all kinds of weather conditions. After every semester, one of these bikes is going to at a minimum need a tune-up. If you aren’t a bike mechanic you will have to take your bike to a bike shop for repairs. This will cost you a minimum of $40 at either of our local shops. What I see happen every semester is that someone buys one of these bikes thinking they are getting a deal, then after a semester they find out they will need to pay almost 50% of the price of the bike for it to keep working. So they just leave it broken down on a rack. I collect between 800-1000 bikes every year that are abandoned… 90% of these bikes are bikes from the aforementioned stores. They just don’t hold up. Additionally the people who assemble these bikes at these stores are often paid PER bike…so they don’t always take the most care when assembling the bikes. I regularly have people bring me bikes needing repairs that were purchased within days of the issue.”
The Purdue Cycling Club has a free basic service for bikes on Tuesdays and Thursdays – 1-3pm in the Honors North Lobby. If you want to buy a second hand bike you can visit them for their advice and recommendations or also get them to look over any bike you bought already.
TOP HACK: International Students get to borrow a bike for FREE!
The Salt & Light Christian Fellowship (SLCF) Bike Loan Program provides free used bike loans to international students and scholars (or their spouses). International students of all religions can apply. You just pay a $50, $100, $150 deposit, or $200 deposit (depending on what kind of bike you choose) and when you return it in good condition you get your full deposit back!
Sign up on this link and make an appointment. Then sign a Bike Loan agreement and Liability Waiver and pick your bike and pay the deposit. Its simple. You need to buy a lock, helmet and lights separately.
There are a limited number of bikes available so you need to make your viewing appointment early on (preferably before just the semester starts) otherwise you may get put on a waiting list.
Where to buy a bike?
This has several glowing reviews on social media from senior Purdue students for these two bike stores: Virtuous Cycles and Hodson’s Bay. Or look online for deals.
Riding a bike on campus
Bikes are required to follow the same traffic laws as cars. If you ride through a stop sign, for example, you can be ticketed by PU PD- and yes, they do ticket/have ticketed for these infractions in the past.
Read here on the rules for riding a bike at Purdue.
Register your bike with the Purdue University Police Department
Registering your bike with PUPD increases the chances your bike will be returned! Registering also aids in recovery with Purdue Transportation in the event your bike is impounded at the surplus store. Download the 529Garage app on your phone (or fill out the form in the link below). This acts as a sort of social media network for missing and stolen bikes. When you do this, you can also pick up a free tamper-resistant sticker which deters thieves and alerts buyers the bike was stolen. It is surprising how many bikes I see on campus that do not have these stickers on them! You may also stop by the Purdue Sustainability and Cycling Club Bike Repair tent during the fall farmer’s market between 11am and 3pm on memorial mall to pick up a sticker and for help registering your bike.
Where can you park your bike?
Bicycles should be parked only in designated parking areas. Improperly parked bicycles (i.e., parked anywhere other than a bicycle rack) are subject to removal without warning. University Housing regulations prohibit bringing a bike inside the dorms. Bikes can only be parked outside the dorm building on the bike racks provided. You would not be able to wheel it into your room or lobby.
If you parked your bike illegally outside of a residence hall property (Res halls or even dining courts) and you don’t see it on your return- your first stop should be to check with building staff from the building you were parked outside. Your next move is to email as detailed of a description as possible to bicycling@purdue.edu where all impounded bikes end up.
Co-Rec parking is different than any other parking on campus. Bike parking at the Co-Rec is SHORT TERM parking. As in, you park while you work out, then you move your bike. You cannot leave your bike overnight at the Co-Rec. Co-Rec staff impounds bikes DAILY which were illegally parked or parked overnight. Once their storage is full, they get sent to the central Purdue location- email bicycling@purdue.edu
How to prevent bike theft?
The best medicine is prevention. Most bike thefts are a crime of opportunity and occur in passing. The best way to prevent bike theft is keeping your bike indoors. This prevents thieves and the weather from taking your bike! Please contact the Purdue Cycling Club with help on storing your bike in your living space.
However, many students struggle to find space to store their bike indoors. Using available bike parking in open/public places is the next best option, coupled with bike locks. Bike thieves are less likely to take from highly populated areas, as well as take bikes with locks.
As for the locks themselves, U-locks (also known as D-locks) tend to be the best, with chain locks and fold-able locks ranking last. The choice itself really depends on convenience, the price of the lock, and how expensive your bike is. There is no one size fits all for this, so it is best to go with your own best judgment for your situation. There is a link below that shows a lot of options, as well as further detail on bike locks themselves.
As for how many locks you want to get, it also depends on how much you value your own bike, for the convenience of dealing with a lot of locks. I have found the best middle ground to be two locks: one securing the rear triangle and wheel, and another securing the front triangle and wheel. Why lock in these two places? This prevents thieves from stealing either the front wheel or the frame and rear wheel. The second useful link in this section provides an image demonstration. If you want to secure the seat as well, the third useful link in the description has a more detailed image.
Useful Links:
What to do if you see a bike theft?
This is pretty self explanatory: DO NOT GET INVOLVED YOURSELF. However, if you see some poor soul’s bike get stolen, it can really help out to call the PUPD using their non-emergency number (765) 494-8221. Once the bike is stolen, it is very hard to track down. The sooner the police know the better, so if you see something, say something!
Useful information to note when watching a theft is the color of the bike, the brand or other identifiers, how thick the tires are, and where you saw the occurrence take place. Also be ready to provide a description of the individual to the police. If safe to do so, take a picture or video. Most importantly, keep yourself safe and avoid confronting the thief
What to do if your bike gets stolen?
If you haven’t registered with the police, it will be difficult to retrieve your bike. You should contact the police as soon as you find out, registered or not. It is amazing how large the gaps between the Time Reported and the Time Occurred on the crime logs can be! Reporting soon after drastically helps with the search effort, as bikes can be sold quickly (often the day of).
The best thing you can do is to report your bike to 529Garage (if you registered it). If you have not registered it, you can still register after the fact if you have the serial number!
Check various marketplaces, such as, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, Ebay, and Pinkbike. If you find your bike is listed, contact the police, and DO NOT try to get your bike back yourself. PUPD’s non-emergency number is (765) 494-8221.
Useful Links:
Use your bike- otherwise it might get impounded
If you just use your bike on a semi-regular basis (at least once a week) you will have nothing to worry about. However, if Purdue officials think a bicycle has been abandoned at residential or academic buildings, it will be tagged with a notice of removal, which will provide the owner 14 days to remove their bicycle from the tagging date. Owners of abandoned bicycles parked at the Córdova Recreational Sports Center or athletic buildings will only be given 5 days to remove their bicycle from the date it is tagged. Once removed the bicycle will be impounded to wait for reclamation or until a date no longer than 90 days after impound. If the bicycle is unclaimed after 90 days, then it will be assumed to be a gift to the University and will be transferred to the Purdue Surplus Store to be sold.
If you happen to be working in a residence hall or staying longer for whatever reason, go to the front desk and ask for a summer tag for your bike and instructions on what to do to make sure they don’t snag your bike.
Storing your bike over summer
Due to the above impounding, and also the real risk of bike theft, if you are leaving campus for the summer, or even for just a few weeks, you should REALLY take your bike with you or find an off campus storage option. Students should request a storage permit from Parking Facilities to leave their bicycle on campus over breaks during the academic year.
Indoor, secured storage is available in the Materials Management and Distribution Center (MMDC) facility, located at 700 Ahlers Drive in West Lafayette. All devices that are requested to be stored must be first registered by Parking Facilities using the 529 Garage mobile app/platform, and a registration sticker will be placed on the device. Without a registration, they will not accept your bike for storage.
Registration is free, occurs on a walk-in basis during business hours at MMDC and is a one-time process per device. Registration can occur at the time of dropping off the device to be stored for the summer if it has not already been completed.
Device storage is available between May 4-Aug. 18 for $30 per bike. Drop offs and pick ups can occur Monday through Friday between 7 a.m.-4 p.m. at MMDC.
The storage permit is intended to last the duration of the summer for devices that will not need to be accessed during that time. A new storage rate will be assessed for bicycles or EMPVs that are picked up and then brought back to MMDC to be stored again prior to Aug. 18.
Complete this online form once per device to request a summer storage permit. Parking Facilities will follow up with the individual through email once the request has been approved to provide next steps for purchasing through the online parking portal. No payment is required until the time of purchase.
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