The local solution is to own two old run-down bikes and lock them at either station. You still run a risk of theft or damage, but the investment is not that big.
Some people don't understand that they don't need to spend 3000$ in the bike they use to commute. Mine costed me 10.000yen (100$). It works quite OK, and if one day it is stolen or broken, I will not be really sad.
Ah, it also has a basket that is quite convenient when I go to the supermarket.
I pay ~$40/week in public transport costs to get to work, I estimate the bike is around $5-10 a week (costs for the occassionally required items: new tires; a pump; some gear; lights etc)
A $100 bike I would have paid off in 2-3 weeks
Therefore I opted for a $900 bike which is an entry level road bike where I am. After 30 weeks I've broken even, everything after that is profit.
I guess. But commuting may be the bulk of all bicycling I do. To do most of my bicycling on a crap bike would be very disappointing.
I could also eat sawdust at work for lunch every day, if sawdust was nutritious. I don't need to eat tasty food. Nor wear comfortable clothes that fit - sackcloth will do.
I'm happy to ride a really good bike. I want to be happy more often.
Well. Happiness is really a personal thing. In my case, it makes me happy to let my bike without any lock in front of my house, knowing that nobody will touch it. On the other hand, it would make me quite unhappy to get an expensive bike stolen.
A carbon fiber bike would probably be 3 kilos lighter than my bike. But then I would have to carry a really heavy chain in order to lock it. So, I cannot see the gain. Also, the heavier my bike, the more exercise I do, witch is the point, isn't it?
This is a common problem here in the netherlands. We've found some solutions. Buy a bike that doesn't look flashy. Spray paint some stripes of pink paint over it. Buy a big lock. Chances of theft go way down.
Indeed, $100 will get you a used/downmarket bike that will move you around just fine. And if you've got a bit more money and want something sturdier, you can get a brand-new model from a respected manufacturer for $500. I paid an extra $80 or so for a strong cargo rack and deep, low-slung, waterproof saddlebags that can carry more than a week of groceries for one person. So there really is a range of options for every income.
So when its raining hard and you have to stop quickly and safely? will that 100$ bike be as good/safe as a sensible entry level MTB say 800/900$ with properly setup brakes?
The cheap ones are usually bought used anyway and might need repairs, you're free to upgrade the brakes. I'm usually limited by road traction, not my brakes, though, and they're as cheap as it gets. Proper maintenance is more important than expensive components.
Twisted frame? Do you mean damaged after accident? And isn't alloy the normal material for wheels?
I live in Germany; there is a lot of rain going on. And snow, occasionally. Icy roads are a serious problem, but I still think a bike is the best way to move about then, just sloooowly.
But seriously, the biggest problem is to react fast enough, and not kill yourself by flying over the handlebars or skidding due to traction problems. Using condition-adequate speed helps a lot, of course.
I never heard of any well-maintained bike causing problems by not braking sufficiently around here.
In India, where I live, you can get a good bicycle for about 5000 INR or ~ $76. And for the few years I owned a bicycle, I never had any issues with it. Mine cost ~ $46.
I don't understand why bikes in US are priced so high.
