Having a bike would be so convenient to go around the town.
I’m a student with limited budget, so could you guys kindly share your experience of owning a bike, especially about the maintenance and replacement fee/frequency?
Note: I’m planning to buy a normal used bike on [finn.no](https://finn.no), not electric one.
Thank you so much!
7 comments
Like a bicycle? You buy it and then you ride it. About it unless you pop a tire which is quick and cheap fix you can do yourself. Make sure your chain is greased and that’s about it
Mostly you pay up front for the bike, helmet, pump, etc. Then it’s just maintenance, which means replacing tyres, inner tubes, and buying more chain lube. Most of these costs are relative to how much you ride your bike.
Should be able to pick one up cheap, 1000kr or so. A E-bike is a bit more pricey but makes the trip much easier. If its far perhaps Get a moped/scooter? Insurence is about 1000kr yearly and a full tank of gas is 200kr and lasts a full work/school week with ease. Thats if you have your licence
Get a good lock, otherwise the replacement frequency is high. Also check out the loppermarked (flea markets) hosted in schools that often have bikes
If you are a bit careful with the bike you will probably have next to zero costs for owning it. I’ve used the same bike for years now and never had to spend money on anything other than a can of oil for the chain. Some simple maintenance/adjustments might be needed, but most of that you can easily do yourself after 30 minutes at YouTube university.
You’ll want to make sure you own a suitable air pump (unless you live close to a gas station, in which case you can use their air pump for free), a patch kit (for flat tires), and some basic tools. If you go to a store like Biltema or Jula you will be able to get all of these things for maybe 2-300NOK. You’ll also want to buy a decent lock.
If you use the bike a lot, you may need to replace brake pads every 1-2 years. The cost of that depends on type of brakes, but shouldn’t be more than 2-400 NOK in most cases. If you don’t use it all that often, the pads will last for years.
A normal bike?
That’s free to own and use like in your country of origin.
Just be aware that snow in the winter is normally a thing, and you can get studded tires for winter cycling.
Good idea to buy used on [www.finn.no](https://www.finn.no) – loads of good cheap bikes there.
I’d guess around 3000kr a year in maintenance, less if you learn to do it yourself.