Buying a Bicycle

I knew that I would want to buy a bicycle once I arrived in Copenhagen. In part, I need one for the research I will be doing here: studying how cyclists are organized through communication between cyclists and between physical infrastructure and cyclists. Part of my research will be my experiences cycling in Copenhagen. More practically though, a bike is the best way to get around here.

I had a few options for buying a bike. I could rent one for the semester, but it seemed too expensive and the student from Purdue who had come here previously had done that and said the bike wasn't very reliable. I decided it made more sense to buy a bike and hopefully sell it to someone else at the end of the semester. In a city full of bikes, it wasn't easy to find a secondhand one. There is a Danish website similar to Craig's List, but most of the bikes for sale there were either too expensive or in pretty bad shape. The Copenhagen police sell bikes every other Saturday, but it seems that there aren't any auctions during the winter. Before I left, I had seen a link to a website for a used bike store in Copenhagen. They also rent bikes and are working to develop cycling culture in Africa. This morning I took public transit out there hoping to find a bicycle.

The shop where I bought my bike.

They had a pretty good selection of used bikes. They're all in good condition, so not dirt cheap, but much less expensive than buying new. They also have a six month warranty and a free check up after two months, which sounded pretty good.

They had one bike with all the features I was looking for that was in my price range. I took it for a test ride around the block, then bought it.

My new bike.

It has a drop/step-through frame, something I really wanted. It was so easy to ride while wearing my long down coat. It also has a basket on the front, a luggage rack on the rear, a bell, and front and back fenders. It is three speeds. Interestingly, it has both a hand brake and brakes by pedaling backwards.

It was great to ride it home. When travelling, you can feel so limited in terms of transportation. You see a lot while walking, but it's slow. Public transit can be faster, but you are limited by the schedules and routes. It felt so freeing to be able to choose my route and speed. I think I'm really going to enjoy riding around the city.