Bikes

You need a bike in Copenhagen. There is just no way around it.

Rental Bikes

Buying one here, even from a second hand store, might be a bit pricey. That’s makes things especially difficult if you haven’t been paid yet. Luckily there are rental options available to get started.

Swapfiets

Swapfiets offers decent, affordable rental bikes that you can use until you’ve been paid and bought your own. You rent them on a monthly basis with the minimun rental period being 2 months. While they are designed for the city, their bikes are also light enough to be used by DTU commuters. The regular price per month is DKK 175.00 with a discount price of DKK 150.00 for anyone who still has a valid student card. Keep in mind that the bike should be booked at least two weeks in advance as they are in high demand! It is therefore recommended to take care of that before arriving here. You can book a date to pick it up or have them deliver it to you. Once you’ve realised it you will see their distinctive blue front wheels all over town.

Swapfiets image

Summary:

  • Monthly fee of DKK 175.00 (DKK 150.00 for students)
  • Two month minimum
  • Book at least two weeks in advance
  • Pick up or delivery

Personal comment: if you do use them to go to the DTU, bring a shirt to change.

Buying a second hand bike

Buddha Bikes

A good place to buy a second hand bike is Buddha Bikes. Although they are probably not the cheapest second hand bike shop in Copenhagen, they provide a big selection, one year guarantee, were able to answer detailed questions and, most importantly, have nice bikes. It is also about a 15 minute walk from Panum!

Summary:

  • Cool flair, nice bikes
  • Walking distance from Panum
  • Not the cheapest place

Buying a (used) bike in dba.dk

DBA works like a Danish Craigslist, one can buy anything in there from private sellers. The website is only in Danish, so it only works if one is willing to translate and/or guess. However, hard work may pay off as there is a rather wide selection of bikes in there in varying conditions and prices.

From personal experience, Danes are open to people contacting them in English. You need to be signed up in DBA before contacting anyone though. Before confirming sales, one should of course practice common sense when buying stuff from people from online. Always agree to see what you’re buying before paying for anything. Also, if you don’t know how to check the condition of a bike, you may want to consider going to an actual bike shop. However, here are some tips from Uniavisen for checking your bike before buying.

For all second hand bikes you buy from private people, it is recommended you check the frame number from a Danish police database, where stolen bikes can be reported. A filed-off frame number is a huge red flag.

Summary:

  • everything is in Danish, but you can still contact sellers in English
  • requires more dedication
  • you can score an awesome find if you’re lucky

Reparing your bike

Jernhersten

Run currently mainly by a British student, Jernhersten provides tools and some advice to fix your bike. Some old spare parts are lying around, but in general you should bring them with you. Normally you can go there on Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. Checkout their Facebook-Site.