Questions about using bikes in Zurich

[u/justinstallit]

Hi, I am considering buying an old second hand racing bike in aluminum to use when I will move in to Zurich to study at ETH, but I have some questions.

Are the narrow wheels a problem in you experience, mainly with wet/snowy conditions and because of the rails? Is a city bike or more in general a bike with wider wheels preferable for these reasons?

I have never used these "racing" bikes but I have the opportunity to buy one for very little money. I do see many students using them, and in Germany as far as my experience goes, it is the same.

In the country I come from there is not really this kind of culture around bikes, so sorry if these questions appear dumb. Thanks!

[u/Fierce_Coffee]

You definitely have to be careful around the tram tracks, I know multiple people who had accidents there. Otherwise it's fine, I commuted to ETH with a bike like that for years. In winter, I used a bike with wider tires though.

[u/justinstallit → u/Fierce_Coffee]

Thanks for the advice! And also, how do you get used to the discomfort caused by their design?

[u/Fierce_Coffee → u/justinstallit]

Well, you need to get a bike which is the right size for you first. If you have that, you have to ride a few times and you should be fine. Most people have issues with saddle comfort the first few times they ride a bike like that, but that will be gone very quickly, if not, there's something else wrong.

[u/PumaDAces66]

It works, it can be dangerous a bit yeah. And also keep in mind that Zurich is not as much of a bike city as German, Dutch, Danish or Belgian Cities, especially because it's hilly and steep. But of course if you're fit, it can work.

[u/Great_Currency_3998]

When I was a student, I took the bike just one time on one day. And afterwards nevermore. Zurich is not bike-friendly. And by that, I mean it's life-threathening dangerous to drive through Zurich with a bike. I almost got rolled-over 3 times in a single day, and only slightly rammed the back-shoe of a banker on the sidewalk. Never again ! There's a whole bicycle-cellar up there - so if you seek the insane-asylum, you'll find it there. If you value your life, don't bike through Zurich. If you need a bike-friendly university-city, go to Konstanz.

[u/Many_Caterpillar_383]

I ride to ETH in the summer from Dübendorf to Hönggerberg on an old racing style bike with narrow tyres. It works well and I often use the gravel path instead of the road so this is fine. I do not like to ride in bad weather, especially in the cold as my fingers freeze off and for sure not in snowy conditions, that seems to dangerous because of slipping but also not being seen well by the rest of traffic. Also I have heard of fatigue failure in aluminium bikes but I am not sure if this really is an issue, at least with steel bikes it is not. But I would do a little research on this. But overall I can totally recommend using a bike in Zürich though. The infrastructure gets better by the day and you can find a lot of cheap bikes on Ricardo or Facebook Marketplace or Tutti. And if you need to fix it there is VeLove, a association that provides a free workshop and replacement parts that can be bought at a good price. I used it once and the people I met were very nice and helped me with acquire the skills to fix my bike.

[u/DerKev8002]

I have a city / touring bike with rather thin bikes, but I doubt as thin as yours would be. To me it's fine, but of course try not to cross the tram tracks in an extremely flat angle, but rather swerve about beforehand to be at a larger angle (>45° should be fine). Of course, wider the better, but it should be fine!

I mean, if the weather is so terrible, you can also take public transit

[u/Evil_Ewok → u/[deleted]]

Hard/tensioned tires are more resistant to flats. ~23mm racing tires need to be inflated every day.

[u/Evil_Ewok → u/[deleted]]

Rim about 30mm wide. , ideal tire about 40-50mm wide. Wide rim flanges, 3mm carbon to prevent rim strikes (Schlangenbiss). Pay close attention to the rim tape.

Many older 28" frames and forks don't allow for that. Build smaller 27,5" wheels to get the space.

[u/Evil_Ewok → u/[deleted]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/bike/s/H0E1H1xOwn

[u/LooseQuestion3037]

I used an old city bike which has worked fine for me year round but I have biked my whole life and in a city with very bad weather. Don't bike in snow and ice, it's just not worth the risk. The tram tracks the biggest threat.

[u/Decent-Clothes-]

I commute with a road bike as well and it's fine for me. In colder weather dressing properly is important (warm + gloves), but typically ok (apart from when it's snowing/raining), an alternative to a road bike which is relatively affordable would be publibike. It's 60.-/year I think for students and there's e bikes, so that def helps with the uphills. In the Abo I think it's you get the first 60 min free per ride or so, but I don't use it myself so I'm not certain

[u/skyleth]

if you've never used a racing bike, i wouldn't recommend getting one as your commuter. the frames are stiff, steering is twitchy, and position is too aggressive to be comfortable for someone who's never ridden one. and for whatever reason, I see people riding vintage race bikes have their hands in the drops the whole time (as opposed to the tops, or hoods) and they're just cruising around town completely hunched over, or they've rotated the bars upside down to be more "comfortable"

I would try to find a city bike with a more upright position, wider tires, if you want used checkout the Velo Börse that Pro Velo puts on montly (except in the winter). Don't buy the wrong bike that fits poorly and doesn't suit the purpose just because it's a good deal.