The Weekly How-To Manual: Volume 2 - Buying a Bike in Leipzig

I couldn't resist.  Its even German!

     You know what?  It occurred to me that I explained the rules of the road for biking in Germany, without even explaining how a student would come to own a bicycle on this side of the Atlantic.  Here in Leipzig, as in any city, there are numerous places to get a bike to use, be it through a bike shop, one of the many bike rental programs, or online.  However in Leipzig specifically, the easiest way to get a cheap bicycle is to mosey on over to Lucky Bike during one of their monthly sales, where the prices can start as low as 5 Euros.

They are referring to bikes that are still in working order...

     On the first Saturday of every month, Lucky Bike holds a sale of used bicycles at their largest store, at the Alte Messe, which translates to the old fairgrounds (the market and exhibition kind, not the county fair with candy and a petting zoo), where they sell bikes from as low as 19 Euros.  They don't advertise that they occasionally have bikes for sale which are broken, damaged, or otherwise in disrepair as well.  These are worth looking at, as the actual cost to repair these (ie. replacing a tire inner tube or realigning the handlebars and front tire) can really be the cheapest option.

There were no small, rainbow colored candies to be found.

     Before heading over to the sale (make sure to be there early, as many other students just like you have the exact same idea), it is a good idea to pick up a cheap bike lock at a place like Mäc Geiz, where they are available for 3-5 Euros.  The Lucky Bike store does sell lower end locks, but those start at 6 Euros.
     To physically get to the store, you can take the number 6 or 15 tram to the "Altes Messegelände" stop, which will drop you off a very short distance away from the large double "M" fixture, shown on the left.

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     When you pass the double "M," you will see the actual Lucky Bike store directly ahead of you (the picture above and the picture on the right were taken from the same spot for reference).  The used bikes will be in the rectangular section of the building shown on the right; there is a door leading to a warehouse-like room.  The prices are on the individual bicycles, and you are able to simply pay at the door on your way out.  Also, there will most likely be a table set up in the courtyard in front of the building, for bicycle registrations.  The registration is not required, and doesn't cost anything; it is just a program that the city is running in an attempt to cut down on bike theft (which is relatively uncommon here in Leipzig to begin with).

And that's it!  It is really easy to do, and if you think that it will make your travel to classes easier, or you simply want to be able to take a leisurely bike ride through the park every now and then, it is worth it.  Also, even though it is not required to have a helmet in Germany, as it is in most places in the United States, it is always a good idea to have one on.  They are available at many places all over the city, at a variety of price points.  Happy trails!

Proverb of the Day:

You can buy McDonald's ketchup at the grocery stores here, and it doesn't even have just barely too little in the bottle for you to use it on all of your fries.

*Source links for stock images are provided.

**The background music is from a personal music project in progress.