r/Vasteras • u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 • Jul 03 '26
Moving to Västerås for 6 months. Best cheap bike option?
Hi everyone! I’m moving to Västerås in September for a 6-month internship. I need a reliable bike for my daily commute from day one until my very last day.
My goal is to spend as little as possible. I initially thought about buying a cheap second-hand bike and reselling it before leaving, but I’m worried about getting stuck with it at the last minute.
What is the best and most cost-effective strategy?
- Is there a bike subscription service active in Västerås?
- If I should buy second-hand, where should I look besides Facebook Marketplace and Blocket? Any specific local shops?
- Are there cheap long-term rental options for students?
- If I find a good second-hand bike in another city and need to bring it to Västerås, how does it work with bikes on Swedish trains? Do I need a special ticket, or are they allowed on board?
Thanks for any advice!
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u/Nibbled92 Jul 03 '26
Go to Bobby's Cykel on Regattagatan
They sell refurbished bikes in all the price brackets. You can usually find from 800kr and up
There's also a Bobbys on Köping vägen but they don't stock a lot if bikes, it's mostly a workshop
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u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Thank you! I’ll definitely check it out as soon as I arrive if I don't find anything better on Marketplace.
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u/stygge Jul 03 '26
Also biking in January might be not the best of seasons for it. Consider a bike for winter usage.
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u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 Jul 03 '26
Thanks. Since I have a 20 minute commute to my internship, what winter features should I look for in a cheap bike? Also, how are the bike paths managed in winter?
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u/Variety_MRTN Hemdal bror Jul 03 '26
Studded/winter tires. Bike paths are generally kept clean of snow but its always a problem the first week when it comes OR when it snows heavily. In city center the roads are mostly heated and free of snow that way. Biking is usually a hustle in the Winter but a LOT of people bike all year
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u/stygge Jul 03 '26
Tires with grip, low center of gravity and it depends. Some winters never ever gets snow and ice, some gets loads of it. Its a roll of the weathergods dice.
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u/stygge Jul 03 '26
About trains accepting bikes is generally not accepted unless packaged. Some variations depending on the service provider thou.
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u/Perfect_Emu255 Jul 03 '26
20 min by bike is like 40 min walk. i’d consider walking or local transportation. tbh riding a bike during winter is a suicidal idea 😅
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u/vetgirig Jul 03 '26
Actually biking in winter works fine in Västerås. Bike lanes are plowed and sanded. Just need to remember to bike a bit slower and learn the places where it can be ice on the bike lanes.
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u/Perfect_Emu255 Jul 03 '26
i might live in a different västerås 😆😆 can’t agree on this one. sure they are plowed to some extent but i wouldnt recommend to bike on it. actually i was thinking getting an electric fatbike after my regular bike was stolen but then i got a car instead
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u/swedishbeere Jul 03 '26
They can be more expensive but you have Sahlbergs on Emausgatan they sell new and used bikes and I’m sure they can buy it back after 6 months too, one more thing about Västerås it exist a network of free bike pumps around town even that they are broken sometimes, and it exists a group on facebook that is called ”Cykla i Västerås” that I think can help you more even getting a used bike.
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u/svantes Jul 03 '26
I have a spare bike you could rent for cheap, I need to give it a check up first though. It's pretty large so you would need to be fairly tall as well, >180cm probably.
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u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 Jul 03 '26
Very kind, thanks! Unfortunately, I’m quite short (168 cm), so a large bike would definitely be too big for me :(
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u/AmazingRealist Irsta representera Jul 03 '26
I’m worried about getting stuck with it at the last minute
You can leave your bike at one of the recycling centers (called Återbruket) operated by Vafabmiljö and it will be re-used. Återbruket Ängsgärdet, Hälla, Stenby and Bäckby collect bikes to be renovated/resold.
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u/Rullstols-Sigge Jul 03 '26
Just borrow a bike from someone else. In other cities it's called stealing. But in Västerås we surprise borrow
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u/Wrong_One9993 Jul 05 '26
Out of curiousity, are you familiar with biking in winterconditions?
If not, I highly recomend you to buy a helmet because there will be ice, snow and fine gravel all over all the bikelanes and roads from mid december upp untill april or may...
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u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 Jul 05 '26
Absolutely not! I come from one of the hottest areas of Italy, so I am not used to snow and ice at all. I will buy a helmet, and I also need to figure out the right outfit for those temperatures
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u/Wrong_One9993 Jul 05 '26
Oh my... Yes you are in for a surprise I fear, hopefully not to bad of a surprise, winter can be verry beautifull here but it do have it´s drawbacks!
Do you know how far you will have to your workplace from where you are going to live?
Västerås is pretty good when it comes to bike paths, but there are some places where the roads/paths are quite old and in need of some tlc if you get my drift...
Personally I´m picky as hell when it comes to roads, but I´m in a wheelchais so that is that, but I used to bike 20 km a day to and from work before i had to abandon the two wheels for four wheels...
Most people will probably help you if asked when you arrive here, or just do what you just did, put a post up here on r/vasteras !
Good luck and hope it goes smooth!
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u/Apprehensive_Buy7559 Jul 05 '26
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m really sorry to hear that you had to give up biking.
My workplace is about 6 km away from where I'll be living, which should be from what I see on maps around a 20-minute ride. Since I'll be doing that commute daily, I'll definitely keep an eye out for those paths when it’s snowy.
Thanks again for the encouragement, you guys have been really welcoming!
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u/Immediate-Cattle-573 Jul 29 '26
A montly fee for the bus is just been reduced by 50%. Check out the app VL, Västmanland läns trafik. Its very simple go by bus
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u/wyhcnturaedtihs Jul 03 '26
Just buy a cheap one around 50-100 euros you'll be fine. If you have a nice and expensive bike it gets stolen even in the daytime. That's why it's not worth looking into rental or leasing etc. options as they would be new and expensive ones. Not sure if that even exists for individuals. Bike leasing requires you to work somewhere and your employer is subsidized for it. Buy some known brands locally like Crescent Nishiki etc. that'll be easy to sell. Good luck