Hey all. I have a few nice bikes. My wife is currently in Zug looking at apartments. I have never been to switzerland, but we are moving to Zug in January (wife) and March (me). She tells me that people ride very simple bikes to the train. Is it safe to lock up nicer bikes at the train, or should I get a simple bike too? If I need a simple bike, am I better to buy one in the US (price?). I considered that I might be able to get bikes in Zug that are not available in the US, something interesting.

Personally, I would use a cheap and cheerfull one. Bike theft does occur, but if it was an expensive bike, I would be more worried about how other people treat you bike when they shove theres next to yours. Had my front wheel bent that way.

For sure a cheap bike, I got two stolen already!, Now my bike is falling apart and nobody wants it, I have even left it unlocked a couple of times

Once here, you may well reconsider cycling (depending on distance), in January - usually the most wintry of months.

If you do brave the conditions and can move in the thick clothing that you'll need to wear, bear in mind there'll be a lot of salty grit on the streets.

bikes are probably cheaper in the states, but not by a huge margin for inexpensive ones. The hassle of packing and shipping it probably cancels the advantage.

There's quite a vibrant used bike market here, people tend to keep bikes going for decades. Check out http://ricardo.ch for starters.

Railway station bike parking is always a bit of a rough and tumble. Not the best place for a 12lb carbon frame, shall we say.

A medium grade 20-year old steel frame bike is quite a popular choice, good enough for happy commuting, not desirable to steal and not the greatest loss if it is lost.

Here in Geneva the popularity of single-speeds for commuting is growing.

The Swiss cycling season is unofficially February through November for the tougher grade of cyclist, and April through September for the softies. There is also a significant core of HTFUed cyclists who carry on as long as there is no snow on the ground. It just depends on how fit, tough, warm, and crazy you are.