I am looking at apartments for the next school year, and some (that are 4 miles away from campus) are dirt cheap (around 250/person). Other apartments closer to campus are closer to $400 per person. Has anyone ever biked 4 miles to school every day? Is it worth the cost?
What about rainy days? Do you plan to use the bus system? My older son is 3rd year at UCD. Biked about 1 mile each way every day last year but found on the rainy days, taking the bus was preferable but packed. So far this year, the bus has not shown up twice due to a lack of drivers (2 rainy days) so make sure you have alternate backup other than biking. $400 is still quite a bit cheaper than on-campus housing so, it is your decision ultimately if you feel it is worth the lower cost and/or possible hassle of biking in the rain vs bus if needed.
Also something else to consider is that if you have a huge gap in your schedule, you would need to stay on campus or have to do the bike ride twice in a day if you planned to go back to the apartment.
are you in a warm or cold climate?
@iamjack: You currently go to UC Davis, correct? If you split the cost of an apartment with 3 other people, you can make some of the higher priced/closer location apartments work for you.
I did that for a year, and would do it again. At the time, it was a bit of a pain, but if you like mountain or road biking, you will definitely see a big increase in speed and strength. Make sure you have a waterproof jacket for rainy days, and remember to keep the chain clean and lubed after a rain.
@Gumbymom @bopper Yes, I go to UC Davis. Yeah… I have 2 groups of friends. One group is really cheap and wants to split the really far away apartment between 8 people (it has 4 bedroom and 2 bathrooms). It comes out to about $220/ person, but the other group is more liberal with their money. They are willing to spend 500ish. I’m trying to find close apartments that are cheap, and allegro seems to the best option. West Village is a bit expensive. Do you have any suggestions for what apartments are good if I have a budget of about $400? The closer the better, and I would be willing to split a room.
When I lived in Europe, many of my colleagues and I cycled to work everyday in rain in snow. So, yes, it’s doable.
@GMTplus7 yeah, but I also have to carry a load of books possibly. And I don’t want my grades to slip because of commuting troubles and inconvenience.
I did my grocery shopping on bike. Get a good saddle bags.
Do you like bicycling?
If you do choose the bicycle-distance place:
- Put fenders on your bicycle so that if it rains, you will get wet with clean rain water instead of dirty road water.
- Be sure to make your bicycle as theft-resistant as possible: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lock-strategy.html
Of course, 4 miles or less can also be done by running, if you like running.
Did you check on the availability of public transportation routes? Google Maps is a good resource for this.
@GMTplus7 @ucbalumnus I like biking… I used to bike regularly 12 miles on the weekends (but without any backpack or any extra weight). Biking with weight seems difficult.
There are bus routes, but the schedules for those take hours and its a pain imo.
Is there a good place to lock the bike? That, combined with the weather, is the main reason I don’t ride my bike to school. I would also think about hills (although that probably only applies to me because I’m so out of shape), and whether the traffic is really crazy.
@halcyonheather oh yeah, my school is known as a biking campus so there are lots of biking racks. My main problem is the commuting from home to school, but idk. I’ll try biking this weekend and see how it feels.
Great exercise, just get appropriate attire for all weather. Make friends with people with cars as back-up.
Biking w the weight up high (backpack) is difficult. Biking with the weight low (panniers) is easy. You won’t believe the stuff I could haul on my bike in panniers.
It kills me now to be living in a city w/o a cycling culture. 
When I went to pick up my daughter at Wyoming in Dec, it was very cold and threatening to snow. In fact, they closed the interstate behind us as we drove out of town because of blowing snow and whiteouts. Yes, I saw people on bikes on campus (one in SHORTS, I think coming from the gym). Kids ride bikes there all year long.
Dd is a senior this year. She is at Avalon (townhouses) in S Davis. She rides her bike (with fenders) when she’s in the mood but takes the bus on rainy days. The units are 4-bedroom, and huge, so there are bunk beds or two beds per bedroom. Her rent is less than $350 per month with 7 roommates. Right across the street is Safeway, Rite Aid, Office Max and a bunch of small sandwich and business shops.
Sophomore year she was at Allegre, two blocks over on Drew Circle. The problem with that complex was maintenance, and they made a lot of money towing everyone! Her best friend lives at Sharps and Flats, but their design, for upstairs units, is really cumbersome and a really bad layout.
Don’t forget rain pants. I had a Dutch-made bike with a sealed gear system. A cruiser is easier on the back and on the butt.
In the city I live in our public buses have place where bikes can be placed in the front, so onr can combine biking AND busing. Does your college city have public transportation that allows for bikes?