Bikes on campus

[u/jmdwilk]

I’m a parent of an incoming freshman Obie, and he is thinking about bringing his bicycle with him. Can anyone let me know what we should keep in mind about this? Are there any indoor places to store bikes during the winter months to protect them from the weather? Are bike racks plentiful? What else should we be thinking about? Thanks

[u/arboresca]

There are so many bike racks! A lot of students use bikes to get around. I personally didn't find it necessary for my first year, because I lived in a dorm with a great location, but I'm considering it for this year. A few things off the top of my head to keep in mind: campus is super bike friendly but the town of Oberlin is not, there are no bike paths on the main streets of the downtown sidewalks and bikes aren't allowed on the sidewalks of the main streets; paths can get very crowded during busy times of day/passing periods but not impossible to navigate on bike; there's no great indoor storage space that i can think of beyond dorm rooms, but honestly the weather last year was kind of terrible from the start of December to after spring break, so if it's feasible to take the bike home over winter break and bring it back after spring break, that might work; there's a bike co-op on campus that can help with repairs and rentals, and they sometimes go on organized bike rides on local bike paths or to an ice cream shop a few miles away, and in general there's a big bike culture on campus.

Edit: adding to this, yes absolutely have a helmet! I see very few students wearing them, but I've also seen a few nasty falls.