Equipment

OUCC recommends the use The club has some equipment which members of the club can borrow. These items are:

• Women's Road Bike - This bike is available for women who are interested in starting cycling but don't have a bike to ride.
• Track Bike - If there is anyone who is interested in ride the track at Reading and would like to borrow this bike they are welcome. [picture, size frame, who to contact]
• Turbo Trainers - For training during the winter and warming up for races.
• Extensive Toolkit - To give members of the club access to tools which are expensive.
• A bike rack
• Track pumps 
• 4 Briko aero hats
• Numbers, marshals vests and road signs

To borrow any of the items please email the list or get in touch with the Captain who will give you further details. To borrow the women's bike please contact the Women's Captain.

Bike Storage in Oxford

Where do you keep a valuable bike if you're staying in College accommodation? Ideally, most people would have it in their room but this may not always be possible and College policies vary. Below is a set of recommendations for steps you can take to keep a bike in your room. We also explain what you can do if this goes wrong. If you approach matters correctly you should be able to keep a bike in your room, even in Colleges where "it is not allowed." As a University Club, OUCC will not endorse breaking College rules; however, being polite with your accommodation manager and scout can work wonders. You can only try and here's how:

College Views on Bikes

Colleges have their own policies on in-room bike storage, but as a general rule these policies fall away if the scout or accommodation manager see something they don't like. Irrespective of what your College allows (see below) you should pay attention to the following points.

• First rule is that the scout is the most important person: If she doesn't like the look of a bike in your room, she'll complain to College. She does that and the bike's on it's way out. So you ought to tell her about the bike before she "discovers" it. Be patient and explain how much it is worth, that you're with OUCC and the bike is a piece of sports equipment, etc. Reassure her that it will not cause mess or damage. A difficult scout will be happier if the bike is out of the way, e.g. behind a desk or chair. Removing the front wheel may help. Using a bike bag is probably even better- you could even keep it in a bag under your bed.
• If the College allows bikes in rooms and the scout is happy about it, make sure you inform College that the bike is there and the scout is OK about it. Do that, stick to the rules (e.g. College may want the bike covered) and you'll be fine. The College may change its mind if the bike is causing damage or mess (if you're careful this will not happen). The only way they'll know about this is through the scout. Keep her happy.
• What do you do if the College does not allow a bike in the room? Now things get complicated. If you want to follow the rules we advise you to begin by telling your tutor that you are a bike racer and have an expensive bike, etc. Get their support, then you can go ahead with their backing and ask the accommodation manager or domestic bursar. You should be prepared to justify your position. If this process fails then you will have been left in no doubt about the situation and it could be hard to do anything about it. Alternatively, if you have an understanding Scout then you can keep the bike in your room and hope no one notices. This will be easier if it's under the bed in a bike bag. Ask the Scout how often the accommodation manager makes room checks. In some Colleges these may be fairly regular and won't be announced. They will enter your room if you aren't there. It's possible that if they see a clean bike or a bagged bike, they may realise the situation isn't so bad and let you keep it anyway. Maybe no one will ever notice...
• Where you live is a consideration. Those on the main College grounds may find rules are stricter as the accommodation is more valuable. Also there may be spiral stairs which would make it impossible to carry a bike up to your room. You can change rooms, especially if you ask early in the year, to a different accommodation block. Don't be English about it, just make a fuss. Be careful about your reason for the room change though. If you know the College will let you keep a bike in an out-of-College room, then be honest. Otherwise you may end up worse off..
• Some Colleges will make provision for you to keep the bike elsewhere, such as in a locked cellar. Others will have very secure sheds with CCTV where thefts would be unlikely. If such facilities are available then you could be better off using those. If you follow this option we recommend getting a really good lock (expect to pay fifty quid) and possibly quality a steel rope to ensure the bike frame and wheels are all locked to a solid object. DON'T JUST LOCK THE FRONT WHEEL OR THE BIKE TO ITSELF- YOU WILL GET A GOOD BIKE STOLEN THIS WAY!
• Finally, OUCC is here to help you and represent cycling in the University. We have already e-mailed most Colleges so they are aware of the problem of storing expensive bikes. If you run into difficulties please be very polite and patient and don't make things worse. If you want help, mail the OUCC Captain right away and we'll try to liase with the College and sort things out to. The Sports Fed know about the issue too and are willing to back us up. Everyone should be able to keep a good bike in Oxford and have peace of mind.

If you wish to send comments about the issues raised above, please email us. One of the goals of the club is to promote cycling and improve security for member's bikes, we do not wish to break College rules. We welcome discussion with Colleges to find a solution to the problem of storing expensive bikes in College accommodation.

College	What our members say	What the college says	Rating?
Balliol	I had my bike in my room for the first term - wheels off and under the bed. This seemed to be OK, especially since I've a ground floor room, but the scout eventually complained ( I think I got oil on the carpet or something), and college asked me to move it. It's now in a secure underground bike shed in college. I was a bit sceptical since I thought I would get bashed around etc., but it's actually been completely fine. College was fairly understanding about why I wanted it in the room - I think if I had been a bit more insistent with the bursar I could probably have kept it there.	We have secure underground and out-of-sight cycle storage at Balliol behind a door fitted with a combination lock. All bicycles must also be registered with the Head Porter who can also register bicycles with the Oxford University-Thames Valley Police Cycle Scheme.
Corpus	Corpus are used to bikes, having had two OUCC captains there in the space of two years. You are allowed to keep a valuable bike in your room if you're with OUCC and the scout doesn't mind. However the accommodation manager will cause problems if she sees things she doesn't like such as partly disassembled bikes, or several bikes in a room. Room checks occur on a regular basis when you're out. Advice is to tell the accommodation manager if you have more than one expensive bike and to keep things neat. Otherwise Corpus is understanding.	No Comment
Green	I never really asked about keeping my bike in my room as it is the size of a matchbox I know my friend keeps his road bike in the squash courts at college but there is only room for his bike and not others. I keep mine in a shed outside our College house. It's locked to an iron bar inside and the shed itself is padlocked. Don't think the other houses or college have any enclosed sheds though.	No Comment
Harris Manchester	Not currently allowed. May get away with it if you have a good scout.	We do not allow bikes to be stored in rooms but an expensive bike could possibly be kept in one of our cellars. We are currently considering a new bike shed but we have very limited space and money.
Keble	OUCC Note:If you are at Keble, please ensure you inform the domestic Bursar that you have a bike in your room. If you do this and the bike does not cause mess & damage then you will ok. If this fails then the your bike will be out along with others. So take care (esp. MTBs!). Member Note: First year was fine, scout unbelievably friendly and the domestic bursar happy if scout happy. In my second year the person responsible for the scouts, etc said it was a 'fire hazard,' and the scout didn't like it. Using a bike bag helped the latter problem. Other than that bike facilities are crap, no cover and over crowded.	We do not normally permit cyclists to keep bikes in their rooms. However, I accept that serious cyclists will be at least as anxious to look after their bikes as they will be not to damage their rooms, so I am prepared to permit members of the OUCC to keep their bikes in their rooms. If this becomes a problem I'm afraid we may have to think again. Roger Boden - Bursar
LMH	I think the official LMH policy is to put bikes in the sheds. But bikes in rooms (inc MTBs) are ok if the scouts don't mind. There are actually 3 or 4 "locked bike sheds" as well with about 10 racks in each. The idea is that you pay a deposit for a key that allows you to get into those sheds (the others are always open), so with the same limited number of people using them a bit of extra security is added.	Any LMH Student wishing to keep a valuable bike in the their room should contact the Bursar to discuss the matter. Permission will almost certainly be given.
Linacre	Linacre as a college for postgrad cyclists is OK. Main site has a room beneath the college to lock you bike in, with a keycode door. Not sure I would leave my pride and joy in there, but a training bike should be OK with a decent lock, also since the room is underneath the college, the bike will always stay out of the elements. Many people at Linacre actually live in houses off site, where the official line is no bikes in rooms. If your scout understands then I think you will probably be ok to keep a clean bike in the room.	No Comment
Lincoln	No student comments.	Lincoln College does not allow the storage of bikes in rooms. This is an across the board policy as it seems unfair to discriminate against those whose bikes are less expensive. It is based on issues of cleanliness and health and safety. At the moment there is no intention of reviewing this policy. If you want us to push for a change send an e-mail to the Captain -OUCC
Merton	MERTON COLLEGE Living in the old college rooms, keeping a bike in the room would be impossible because of the spirally staircases. Otherwise it's dependant on the scout. I've had 3 scouts who haven't objected to having my bike being taken apart on my bedroom floor, whereas one has a heart attack when he sees a bike near a room. In the latter case, a bike bag is needed. (Cos then my stupid scout can't work out what's in it.) There's covered bike shelter in Hollywell street, but it's still open to the elements.	No Comment
Oriel	The official policy is no to keeping bikes in rooms, but they have made exceptions and aren't too bad towards road bikes. I've never actually asked if i could keep it in my room, but the idea of having to keep an MTB clean enough for that is a joke especially in winter. The Dean seems quite understanding, so in the case of Oriel he is definitely the person to approach. Do not approach the steward. Bike racks: there's loads of space in 3rd quad, but then they're very dense so stuff gets broken. There is a tiny bike rack hidden away which is where I kept my bikes (safely) for the Winter term (including my good mtb) it's outside, but it is under a little bit of roofing, it keeps most of the bike dry, but that wasn't really enough to keep me happy. The problem of it being tucked away is that if someone was going to have a go at the bike they couldn't be seen as there aren't any cameras there. Its fine i guess just not brilliant, I keep my town bike there quite happily.	No Comment
Queens	Both graduate residences at Queen's seem to be very tolerant of keeping (multiple) bikes in our rooms. I keep both my road bike and MTB in plain view in my room and have never had a comment about them. The porters and (my) scouts don't mind, and actually said it's a good idea. There is also secure-ish bike storage under a staircase in the main building, which is where I keep my MTB. Only entrance is by the main porter-supervised lodge or a coded gate at night.	No Comment
St. Anne's	Probably against the rules to have a bike in your room, but may work with a good scout.	No Comment
St. Catz	Keeping the bike in my room didn't work for me. Poters & Scouts firmly said no bikes were allowed in rooms even when I asked about my expensive bike, and told them I would be using it for OUCC racing. They also said no unused College storage rooms were available for keeping it. Instead then all bikes are kept in a large circular shed, thankfully undercover, but only protected by a combination lock - the number to which is available to all from the Porter's Lodge. [Perhaps asking the bursar would help? If more people have problems with St. Catz, the OUCC committee could get involved -ed]	Catz have begun making random changes to the code on the bike shed door. Only regular users will be kept informed of the new code. They are still unwilling to allow bikes in rooms because they are worried that other large objects will follow (including motorbikes apparently ?!?). 11/10/02
St. John's	You have to petition to keep your bike in the room, but they don't really make a fuss. All you have to do is keep it in a bag. There are several bike sheds, mostly open and within the College walls. These are crap. There is one fully locked bike shed that is underneath the College (i.e. is completely secure), but the door doesn't shut automatically abd is outside the College walls -- so you're leaving the fate of your bike in the hands of some joker who accidentally leaves the door open.	No Comment
Univ	I live in University College off site accommodation and store my bike in my room (I've even done this after cross races, remember the MTB varsity, yuk. My carpet has stayed surprisingly clean). But as far as whether or not Univ supports this storage arrangement, I feel it's sort of a don't ask, don't tell policy I guess. I don't know what things are like on site for storing bikes in rooms but there is covered bike racks (with the mandatory bikes in various states of corrosion and dilapidation) that is basically open to the public all day since there is a public right of way through our college that passes right next to the racks. There are locked gates at night though.	No Comment
Wadham	I keep my Marin B-17 in the bike shed. I have never had any problems. It doesn't get damaged and I have never heard of any bike being stolen from the Wadham bike shed. I do however always use a very big lock. The shed is not actually a shed, but rather a far more secure and dry basement. We are not allowed to keep bikes in our rooms.	No Comment
Wolfson	There is a concrete building for leaving bikes in that requires a Bod card to get in (only college members' cards work). AFAIK its still at your own risk. I would be *reasonably* happy about leaving my bike in there, but not overly confident. Bikes definitely not allowed in rooms, although if you leave them in boxes or bags then I don't think college would complain.	No Comment
Worcester	Officially no bikes in college rooms, or in most parts of the college. Good bike shed in college, though thefts have occurred from there. Can get away with keeping a bike in college room, but need a bike bag, and porters will hassle you if they catch you.	No Comment