ASU Tempe Bike Guide: Routes, Locks, Storage, and Theft Prevention

Biking at ASU Is One of the Best Transportation Decisions You Can Make

If you live within two miles of campus and you don't have a bike, you're making your life harder than it needs to be. A decent bike converts a 20-minute walk into a seven-minute ride. It's free to park. It never gets stuck in campus traffic. And in the cooler months, riding around Tempe is genuinely enjoyable.

Here's the full picture: where to ride, how to lock it, where to store it, and how not to lose it.

Best Routes Near Campus

Mill Avenue to Tempe Town Lake: Dead flat, mostly separated from traffic, and the most pleasant ride near campus. Head south on Mill from University Drive and you're at the lake in about five minutes. From the lake, the Rio Salado Pathway goes west all the way to downtown Phoenix (about 9 miles, fully paved, beautiful in the morning).

University Drive: Wide bike lanes run along University Drive, making the east-west corridor relatively safe for campus-area riding. This is your main route to get to the light rail stops and to the commercial areas east of campus.

Rural Road: Bike lanes on Rural Road connect the north and south sides of campus and the adjacent neighborhoods. The stretch between Apache Boulevard and University Drive is heavily trafficked by students.

Apache Boulevard: Has bike lanes but requires more comfort with traffic. The parallel residential streets (Lemon, Orange) one block south are calmer and usually the better choice for less confident riders.

The C-Line bike path: Runs along the canal system south of campus and gives you a car-free route through residential neighborhoods. If you live south of Apache and want to get to campus without dealing with traffic, this is your friend.

How to Lock Your Bike Correctly

This is where most students go wrong. Bike theft at ASU is real and consistent. Here's what you need to know:

Use a U-lock, not a cable lock. Cable locks can be cut in seconds with basic tools. A U-lock requires a grinder or dedicated bolt cutters and takes significantly more time and effort — which means most thieves move on to easier targets.

Lock the frame and the rear wheel to the rack. Not just the wheel. A bike locked only through the wheel can have the frame removed and the wheel left behind. Lock the frame AND run the U-lock through the rear wheel and the fixed rack structure.

Use both a U-lock and a cable. The cable goes through the front wheel and attaches to your U-lock. The U-lock secures the frame and rear wheel. This combination makes stealing the complete bike very difficult.

Lock to official ASU bike racks. There are hundreds of racks across campus, outside most buildings. Don't lock to handrails, trees, or fences — your bike can be removed by campus facilities even if it's not stolen.

Bike Storage Options

Outside your apartment: Most off-campus apartments have bike racks or allow bikes on patios. Don't store a bike you care about with only a cable lock in an unsecured outdoor area overnight.

Inside your apartment: The best option. Yes, it takes up space. No, your bike won't get stolen. If you have a smaller apartment, a vertical wall mount costs about $20 and keeps it out of the way.

Campus bike storage: ASU has some covered bike storage areas on campus. Check with the Transportation and Parking office for current locations — they exist but aren't well-publicized.

Parking garages: Some ASU parking garages have designated bike areas. Better than an exposed rack for overnight or multi-day storage.

Theft Prevention Beyond Locking

Register your bike with ASU's Transportation and Parking office — it's free and creates a record if it's stolen.
Write down your serial number (it's stamped under the bottom bracket). You'll need this for a police report.
Take a photo of your bike from a distance that shows identifying features.
Don't leave a quality bike locked outside overnight on Mill Avenue on a Friday night. Just don't.
Ugly bikes get stolen less. If you ride a beat-up-looking bike that still works well mechanically, thieves are less interested.

What Kind of Bike to Get

For ASU campus use, you don't need anything fancy. A solid used bike — a basic hybrid or comfort bike — handles the flat terrain perfectly. Check ASU List before buying new. Students sell bikes constantly, especially at semester end, and you can often get a perfectly good bike for $60–$150 that would cost $300+ new.

If you're going to do longer rides like the Rio Salado to Phoenix, a slightly better bike is worth it for comfort, but it's not required.

The Heat Factor

From May through September, biking in Tempe midday is miserable. The solution isn't to stop biking — it's to shift your rides to early morning and after 6pm, keep water on you, and accept that you will arrive places slightly sweaty. Bring a change of shirt if it matters.