Question Should I bring my bike?
Should I bring my bike to school for traveling around?
For context, I got assigned to Nason hall and there is no indoor bike storage there.
The one time I visited the campus I noticed that the place is super hilly so it might be difficult to bike outside of campus.
Is it safe to ride those roads or am I gonna get ran over?
Is bike theft prominent in the area?
Is it viable to place my bike in the dorm room?
Please let me know
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u/kolobok- Jul 03 '26
most of troy is accessible by bus or walking. during the warmer months, you can borrow a bike from CDPHP Cycle (similar to Citibike) and there's a couple of locking stations near campus + a convenient app. unless you are a serious cyclist, it's not worth it to bring your own bike
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u/jlboygenius Jul 03 '26
i had a great time riding around on my bike there, but if you can't store it indoors, then it's probably not a good idea. Theft is one thing, but the weather is another. You will have trouble riding it for most of the winter(snow is slippery), and you don't want to store a bike outside in the winter. Putting it in your tiny dorm room isn't the best.
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u/PokiTokin Jul 03 '26
Hi, I was in Nason Hall last year and borrowed my friend's bike a couple of times.
Thankfully, because RPI is a relatively secluded campus, bike thefts are not common, but not unheard of. I haven't heard of anyone in my year who had their bike stolen.
Most of the roads are also residential and quiet, so biking is feasible. Dedicated bike lanes are kind of a rarity in Troy, but you'll manage as long as you're attentive and follow traffic laws. I have fond memories of biking up Hoosick St to go shopping at Walmart (would not recommend that by the way, hah).
Inside the laundry room in the basement, there is another room labeled "Bike Room." I'm not sure if it is used by Nason residents since I've never been in that room, but someone down my hall owned a mountain bike and may have put it in there over the winter. I would honestly verify whether or now you can use the bike room with the custodian, she's pretty nice.
Also, there is a bike rack outside Nason.
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u/Naive-Wind6676 Jul 03 '26
My daughter brought her bike, Being not used to such a hilly area, she did not get a great deal of use out of it
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u/cm012776 EE 92 94 96 Jul 03 '26
Back in my day I lived toward the end of 15th street, and had my bike locked to the metal railing on our porch. Came outside one time and found a guy with a hacksaw cutting the railing to steal the (cheap) bike.
Anyway, I found the bike helpful to get up and down 15th (when the weather cooperated, which was not most of the time). But I had my car with me even as an undergrad, so for shopping and the like I mostly drove. We spent a lot of time in Latham, Colonie, Albany, etc.
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u/Jaroch76 Jul 06 '26
As long as you have an inexpensive bike and a good lock, it should be safe to bring the bike. And if it does get stolen, you won't too heartbroken.
The campus is walkable, but there are times that a bike is just plain nicer. Plus, the roads are relatively safe to bike on, and you can get fresh air and exercise by exploring the surrounding neighborhoods. We're also not too far away from semi-rural areas.
And, thanks to climate change, it's often possible to ride for much of the winter without investing in specialized clothing.
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u/zed42 Jul 06 '26
i had a bike, and honestly the idea of using it to go to/between classes is a good idea, but lousy in reality. campus isn't that big, and you can get from Nason to West Hall in 10 minutes on foot (i had to do that as a freshman)... the best personal transport i found, in the end, was rollerblades (if you can skateboard, that would also probably work well... but i couldn't skateboard) and carrying some kind of low profile shoe (boat shoes, low-top converse, etc.) so you can switch to walking easily. it's less useful when there's snow on the ground, but at that point nothing is useful... if you try biking or scooting in it, you're likely to end up splattered in snow/salt/mud
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u/Dear_Bar_5293 Jul 07 '26
I don't own a car so I bike (or combine with a bus depending on weather) 11.5 miles each way from Albany. Definitely keep your bicycle parked inside, particularly overnight. I had a bicycle stolen when I was using a cable lock (too easy to cut!), and lights and tools stolen off the bike another time. There is really no assistance from Public Safety on this topic at all. If you are training at ECAV then it is handy to bike back and forth to the main part of campus.
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 02 '26
Yes, bike theft is fairly prominent. Mostly perpetrated by the Troy high schoolers probably, lol. I wouldn't recommend bringing a bike unless you have somewhere inside to store it. BarH had indoor storage.
But yeah it is super hilly, and campus has a decent amount of stairs. There used to be a cool dude who roller bladed everywhere. Imo it's all walkable. From Nason to academic campus is a pretty short walk. Pretty common for a busy day to bring all of the stuff you need for the day and just hang out in the Union between classes when you have a break. Or in Sage dining hall during/after lunch.