Getting a bicycle in Tokyo

[Homerduff]

I currently have an apartment very close to nishi-shinjuku. Yet, on foot it's still quite a distance from Shinjuku station so everytime I have to take the metro.

I was wondering if I can get a bicycle very cheap somewhere in the neighbourhood ? It just needs 2 wheels and a stear, and it can be up to 1000 years old.

 

[nice gaijin]

Are you considering riding a bike to Shinjuku station? Do you know where you will park it?

 

[JerseyBoy]

What I heard from some people is one of the main disputes at the apartment / condo buildings are the parking space for the bicycles in Japan (especially in the Tokyo area). Buying a bike is an easy part. The difficult one is where you want to park at both the origin and destination points.

 

[ArmandV]

Maybe his best option is to get one of those folding bikes that he can put in a bag and carry.

 

[nice gaijin]

Even a folding bike would not be allowed on the train at rush hour, so he must adjust his schedule accordingly.

 

[Homerduff]

I guess I didn't think really over this enough. Thanks for pointing out anyway.

 

[nice gaijin]

better you find out now than after you get your bike

A bike can be very convenient if you have a place to keep it; I lived close enough to my school that I rode my bike directly to campus instead of taking the train (in fact, it was faster, because of all the walking involved in getting to the station). I've had friends that actually needed two bikes, one to get from their house to the closest station, then another to get from their destination station to the school. Some stations have parking garages for bicycles, but I believe you have to pay a monthly fee. If you have a lot of walking in your commute it can be a godsend, but if you are only looking to cut out a few short rides on the train, it could be more trouble than it's worth.