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LEASE A BIKE
Need a bike to get around campus?
Click here for lease information and application ...
VOLUNTEER
Would you
like
to volunteer to
help repair, paint, or maintain bikes? Volunteers learn a wide variety of bike maintenance skills and earn access to work on their own bikes. Click here for details.
DONATE A BIKE
We welcome donations of sturdy bikes that are in
good working condition. If you have a bike that you'd like to donate, please
click here for more information. To drop off donated bikes (contact us first
please) here's location information to the MSU Bikes Service Center.
 The team arriving at the orphanage on Day 18. Wow!  John Shinsky and team-mates Joe DeLamielleure & and Eljay Bowron stopped by 4/24/09 for last minute parts for the ride.  John Shinsky with a helping hand from Jon-Marc Eyer, MSU Bikes' shop supervisor. Click to enlarge... |
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 Tim trying out John M's awesome all-carbon midracer, MoCom, during the MHPVA meeting. Click here for more pics. |
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 Administrators from the U of M Parking & Transportation Svcs. visited the MSU Bikes Service Center, 5/09/08 (click pic to enlarge). (L to R: Brian Watts, Manager, MSU Transportation Services; Gus Gosselin, Director, MSU Physical Plant, Building Services; Tim Potter, Keith Johnson, General Manager, U of M Fleet & Garage Operations; David Miller, Director, U of M Parking & Transportation Services.) Photo by Renee Jordan, U of M Fleet Manager. |
 Photos from the 3rd Annual Lucinda Means Advocacy Day Ride & Parade, 2007 |
 Ride of Silence, May 16th, 2007 |
 photo by Rod Sanford · LSJ Scooting around: State employee Kevin Goodwin wheels a scooter Monday at the Smart Commute '07 Challenge in Lansing. |
 photo by KATIE RAUSCH · The State News Tim Potter, the marketing and sales coordinator for MSU Bikes Service Center, explains how to modify quick-release features on a bike's wheels or seat to prevent theft. |
 Volunteer coordinator Chris Homeister with one of many bikes pulled out of the river on 4/21/07 along with a host of other stuff. |
Sparty & Green Bike on Cover of State-wide Magazine  Click image to view the full PDF. |
 DAVE WEATHERWAX · The State News No-preference freshman Sam Ceckowski removes the rear tire of a bicycle he was adjusting Monday at the Bikes Service Center located in Bessey Hall. The center, which opened in early September, offers bicycle leasing, rentals, sales and repairing. |
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Master Lock & MSU Announces Bike Lock Test Market Program |
Grand Opening for MSU Bikes Service Center |
(By John Frawley, Physical Plant Newsletter, 3/13/09)
When Jon-Marc Eyer picked up the phone early on Monday, March 9, he did not expect to be speaking to a former Spartan football star. And yet, he was. Eyer, the MSU Bikes’ shop supervisor (Laborer II), received a call from John Shinsky, a former MSU football player. Shinsky is the founder of the City of Children of Matamoros, a Mexican orphanage which is scheduled to open in May. He is planning a fundraising bike ride from East Lansing to Matamoros, and was hoping the MSU Bikes Service Center could help his fellow riders and him prepare. Read on...
News:
* MSU’s Univ. Relations published a nice article and in-depth video of this fundraising ride here.
- See this YouTube link or this Vimeo link for an excellent video story on the mission.
* LSJ article, 4/19/09: "The ride of a lifetime - Former Spartan's upbringing spurs him to build a new home for orphan"
More Updates
5/13/09, by T. Potter
Well, they've made it to Matamoros, Mexico! You've got to read their daily stories of this amazing ride of determination. I've had other hard-core cyclists who ride thousands of miles per year regularly say this team of guys must be off their rockers to attempt such a challenging ride. Well, they've shown us all what amazing things can be done if we set our minds to a noble mission such as John, Joe, Eljay and Dick have done for the orphans of Matamoros.
4/29/09, by T. Potter:
This past Saturday they were sent off from Spartan Stadium during half-time of the Green & White game (see LSJ article about the send-off) in between thunderstorms. I ended up riding with the team til Charlotte thru some nasty stuff. We had 4 Ingh. Co. Sheriff officers on motorcycles escorting us who weren’t too concerned about the lightning (& I’ve never heard of a bicyclist hit by lightning while riding either), so we pressed on.
4/25/09, by T. Potter:
I took a few pics w/ my little camera on Saturday here before the team took off from the Stadium and while riding.
by Chris Neary (Phys. Plant newsletter writer) - Recumbent - lying down, reclining, leaning. MSU engineering students are using this approach to build a unique bicycle, thanks to MSU Bikes. For the last few weeks, MSU mechanical engineering seniors have been collaborating to build a side-by-side tandem recumbent bicycle for one local man with disabilities. With the help of MSU Bikes Marketing & Sales Coordinator Tim Potter, who provided the students with the necessary parts, they can complete their project in stride. Read full article here | Download and view Design Day Program (Tandem project details on pg. 35). Pics from partway thru the fabrication and near completion are here.
N. Amer. Handmade Bicycle Show, Indianapolis, IN
Feb. 27 – Mar. 1, 2009 - If you’re into classic steel-lugged frames or just want to see the most beautiful bikes in the world (which happen to be steel) check out the official NAHBS blog for full coverage of this year's event; Tim's pics from the event can be seen here.
Feb. 21, 2009 - We were proud to host the annual meeting for the Michigan Human-Powered Vehicle Association recently. This group helps organize the main annual HPVA race in Michigan. check out their web site for details on this very cool organization of people who ride and often build their own HPVs. Put July17-19, 2009 on your calendar for this year's big Ford Human Powered Speed Challenge (details coming soon to their site).
Thurs. June 5th, 2008 - Bicyclists from around the state joined forces for a tour thru the farmlands south of campus from the MSU Bikes Service Center followed by a parade to a RALLY and lunch at the State Capitol building. Click here for photos from the event or the pic to the right. The goal was to show state policy makers that bicyclists have a collective voice. And that voice is concerned about bicyclists’ safety on roadways. Proceeds from the Lucinda Means Advocacy Fund funded the event. Go here for more details on the LMB site.
Thurs. May, 22nd - A delegation of administrators from the Dubai International Academic City visited the MSU Campus for a week to see and learn about MSU facilities and services, and paid our Center a visit. They're already realizing that transportation around their new campus is going to be an issue and see the need to promote bicycling as much as possible (they have the opposite problem of temperatures; some days are just too hot to ride).
Wed. May, 21st - Approx. 35 riders came out to join our "Ride of Silence" event including 6 area uniformed police officers (4 from Lansing PD and 2 from MSU PD; 1 more officer from the E. Lansing PD joined us in a patrol car who brought up our rear). Click here for photos and more info. about our event. Here's a video story titled "In silent procession" about the ride by a State News reporter published 5/30/08.
Sat. May 17th - Thank you to those who came out and rode this year. Here are some photos taken by Kirt Livernois which you can check out and even purchase if you care to (MSU Bikes has no financial relationship with Kirt; we're passing this along as a service to our participants).
May, 9th - A delegation of administrators from the U of M Parking & Transportation Svcs. visited the MSU Bikes Service Center for a tour and to discuss how MSU's bike program. It's nice to be able to assist others in the area with their planning process and we wish them all the best! See pic to the right.
May, 9th - A delegation of administrators from the U of M Parking & Transportation Svcs. visited the MSU Bikes Service Center for a tour and to discuss how MSU's bike program. It's nice to be able to assist others in the area with their planning process and we wish them all the best!
2007
The League of Michigan Bicyclists held the 3rd annual Lucinda Means Advocacy Day Ride on May 30th with the MSU Bikes Service Center hosting the event. Participants enjoyed a 20-mile ride through the countryside south of the MSU campus and then a police-escourted bicycle parade from the MSU Bikes Service Center to the State Capitol Building. After lunch a bunch of us helped deliver bicycling information to Michigan Legislators around the capitol district. Click here for a full and official LMB report. Click here (or the photo to the right) for photos from the day.
The 4th Annual MSU Farm Daze Tour was a resounding success considering the morning showers and rather low temps. we experienced. Aprox. 100 cyclists including quite a few children rode one of the 4 routes and three enjoyed the routes so much they went back out and did the 50 km loop after finishing the 100 km route! Thanks to all of you who came out to ride or volunteer (or both). Photos from a volunteer ride shortly after the tour shows much of the route if you're interested in seeing it.
About 25 cyclists joined the first-ever MSU/ E. Lansing, Lansing Ride of Silence event on May 16th, 2007. We joined thousands of riders worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph, 8.2 miles) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. Check the Ride of Silence web site for details on this rapidly growing movement. Click here for our route map We meandered around campus then headed thru E. Lansing via Grand River, then down to the Capitol via Michigan Ave. with 6 police on bikes escourting us along the way (3 from the MSU Police Dept. and 3 from the Lansing Police Dept.) It was awesome. Click here for photos.
Lansing State Journal, 5/15/07
By Hugh Leach
A mid-Michigan campaign to encourage commuting has two powerful new allies: High gas prices and oodles of road construction projects.
"They don't hurt us a bit," said Jessica Yorko of the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council.
"They play right in to what we are doing. As gas prices go up and the number of road work projects increases, more and more people are finding out about other transportation options." Full article...
By JENNIFER ORLANDO
The State News, 5/14/07
Safety, visibility, effect on environment stressed in class to commemorate national month
Geeked about safety gear, bike tires and various bike styles, about 15 cycling enthusiasts gathered Saturday at Bessey Hall to discuss and learn more about their favorite mode of transportation. Full article...
The MSU Fisheries & Wildlife Club has been organizing the volunteer manpower behind a twice-a-year river clean-up (fall and spring) based out of the Canoe Rental Shelter for the past 9 years. Last fall the MSU Bikes Service Center helped continue the tradition and again this spring on April 21st. A record 114 volunteers helped out this year. Photos of the spring cleanup are here.... The State News ran an article on 4/23/07 about the clean-up. An article about the fall clean-up appeared in the MSU Physical Plant Winter 2007 issue here (PDF).
The winter 2007 issue of the MSU Physical Plant newsletter features some of the noteworthy news from the Bikes Service Center from last fall/ winter. View/ download the PDF here. Click here for the entire issue of the newsletter.
The fall 2006 issue of the League of Michigan Bicyclists member magazine features a proud Sparty with one of our lovely green bikes in front of Beaumont Tower. The photo compliments an article on page 8 highlighting the new improvements to the MSU campus promoting bicycling titled "MSU Bikes Service Center, Roadway Improvements -
Jump into High Gear at Michigan State". View/ download the PDF here.
The State News featured the first article about the new MSU Bikes Service Center on 11/21/06 which you can view here. It highlighted a rough proposal to the RHA for them to consider funding the necessary tools for some mini-bike shops in several residence halls around campus starting with McDonel Hall. A small minimally equipped bike repair shop in several key locations on the East, South and West sides of campus would make it much easier for students with bike problems to get service.
The public forums for the 2020 Vision Campus Master Plan were a very educational opportunity for those of us who were able to attend one of the three sessions. If you missed them here's the official press release here. Much of the information has been posted to a new web site for the Plan here. The Image Repository has many of the slides that were presented on large boards. Look for a cover article about all the new bicycle resources at MSU in the League of Michigan Bicyclists magazine coming out soon. Click photo or here for more photos of some of the new bike resources installed this past summer.
Master Lock gave 100 locks to test market on the MSU campus in the fall of 2006 in exchange for feedback to Master Lock. These locks are all gone now (spring 2007). There were 2 different types; a traditional combination cable lock and a new style U-lock integrated into a sturdy seat-post mounted rack (as seen in the photos to the right). See the full press release here.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2006, the MSU Bikes Service Center had a Grand Opening Reception. Thank you to all who attended. Here are some photos from the reception for those of you who were unable to make it. Feel free to stop by anytime for a tour of this facility which, after much research nationwide, we believe to be the most comprehensive university-funded bicycle program like it in the country. More photos by Thomas Baumann, member of the MSU Bikes Advisory Committee and avid bicyclist.
"Transportation Services announces MSU Bikes"
MSU News Bulletin/ MSU Today
September 15, 2006 - MSU Bikes, now housed in a centrally-located facility known as the MSU Bikes Service Center, will continue to lease refurbished bicycles, offer repair services and promote bicycling to the campus community.
Formerly known as the MSU Bike Project, the group was a volunteer-run initiative of the MSU Office of Campus Sustainability, but it is now part of MSU Transportation Services. MSU Bikes opened earlier this month and is located in the canoe rental facility under the Bessey Hall auditorium. Bessey Hall sits alongside the river trail near the Farm Lane bridge. Full article ...
Bikes are great for work on
campus too...The July 13, 2006 MSU News Bulletin ran a very nice profile of Jake Janetzke, a Physical Plant employee with a photo of him working alongside his trusty '60s vintage Schwinn cruiser. It's a great testiment to how bicycles can add enjoyment to work and also help get the job done easier than using cars/ trucks on campus. Check it out here... (more MSU Cyclist profiles here)
In case you haven't
heard, May is Bike
Month and May 15-19 was Bike to Work Week. Over 50 area
businesses and organizations (including the Bike Project) competed
in the Smart Commute
Challenge to try get the highest percentage
of employees "smart commuting" (bicycling, walking, car
pooling or busing). The awards were given out at an Awards
Ceremony with Mayor Bernero on May
23 after the 2nd annual Lucinda
Means Tribute Bicycle Parade (League
of Mich. Bicyclist's official
site for the parade). About 50 bicyclists pedalled
from the edge of the MSU campus to Lansing City Hall in
honor of all the great work that Lucinda Means accomplished
for bicycling in Michigan as the Executive Director of
the LMB until her untimely passing in the spring of 2005.
A bunch of volunteers also helped LMB staff in distributing
letters of thanks and other pro-cycling literature to our
state legislators. Following that a large group of cyclists
were invited to attend a very timely press conference by
the Secretary of State on the Capitol steps kicking off
their "Be Safe- Be Seen" campaign to help raise
awareness with residents of road safety issues. Click
here or the
photo to see more photos from these very inspiring and
uplifting events for bicyclists and other "smart commuters". Click here for an excellent "How to Commute" online brochure (PDF) by the League of Mich. Bicyclist.
May 20th was a beautiful
day after 10 days of miserable rain and cold. Approximately 120
riders participated to
make this our most well-attended tour to date. Thanks to all who
came and rode and especially to those volunteers who helped make
it the success that it was!
 JEANA-DEE ALLEN · The State News Turfgrass management senior Mike Rizzo, left, and horticulture senior Nick Greca prepare to bike in the annual Ride of Silence on Wednesday night. The starting point of the ride was at Haslett Middle School, 1535 Franklin St. Cyclists zip tied signs to their bikes and wore armbands in remembrance of bikers killed or injured by automobiles. |
May 8, 2006
Check out the podcast
interview of Gus Gosselin and Tim Potter by Spartan
Podcast. MSU alumni & Spartan Podcast founders Scott
Westerman & Bill Castanier launched this new service in 2005
and have quickly established themselves in this quickly growing
media sector. Click
here for a local copy of the MP3 file if the site above is
not working.
 |
 Japan's Bike Problem |
Check
out an article published in OYB's new web site for bikes called
"Allbikemag.com". It's published by Out Your Backdoor, a locally owned adventuresome
publishing company.
Check
out a nice short
podcast (MP3 format) interview of BP volunteers and Farm Daze tourists
by Darryl Wattenberg, the founder of the Michigan Cycling Podcast published
many months back and finally discovered. Great plug for the BP and
our Farm Daze Tour in May, 2005.
 Sparty
even stopped by to check us out! Click
here for all the bike-related photos or click
here for full parade photo gallery. |
On October 8th, 2005, the MSU Bike Project/ Cycling Club
won the Best Group award as an official entry into the Sesquicentennial
Parade, which celebrated the 15o year history of MSU! The
official award winners are noted on the Official
S150 web site (left column). We had 11 energetic riders total starting:
David Singer (BP volunteer) and friend Kristin
Bott rode our restored tandem, Keith McCall & his
wife Ann (major donors to the BP riding their vintage customized Schwinns),
Tom Harpstead (MSU staff & supporter who very generously provided
his awesome Bikes
at Work bike-trailer to
display our new banners which he also installed), Mat Reeves (MSU professor & supporter
on his majestic Dutch city bike), myself (unfortunately, I had to work
and photograph the parade, so I didn't ride w/ the group much at all) & 4
other alumni (Cindy Herfindahl, John Melcher, Kathy Petroni & Tom
Petroni) on 2 beautifully restored green & white
tandems (aka "Tandems for Touchdowns"); Diana
Twede (MSU professor and supporter) & Joel Lichty joined
the group later on during the parade. Here's a page
of cycling history at MSU that we've assembled if you're
interested.
The Bike Project table @ The MSU Museum Dinosaur Dash
yesterday (10/2) went very well. We used our new vinyl banner
for the first time which really helped make our table more effective/
attractive. We had quite a few people stop (incl. the president of
TCBA, Arnie Johnson) by asking questions and offering donations of
bikes. Many thanks to 2 volunteers from the Cycling Club, Shannon
and Melissa, for getting up early and helping out. Melissa also
rode with me to lead the Dino Dash 5K foot race around campus; her
smashing Cycling Club jersey really helped! Pat
Flinn, volunteer for Back
Alley Bikes of Detroit, stopped for a tour of the Project
workshop w/ Tim Potter; pictured with his tandem after the
Farm Daze Tour. Photo by wife Maggie Flinn who rode the Tour
as stoker. |
(5/21/05) The weather couldn't have been better
for the 100+ riders who came out to enjoy the rolling countryside
south of the MSU campus & to
support the MSU Bike Project. Volunteers from the MSU Cycling Club
were on hand to help with registration and other details and were
also delighted with brisk sales of their jerseys & other items.
Released today (4/22/05) by the All University Traffic & Transportation
Committee this critical
document (PDF format) gives helpful clues as to where MSU is headed
in its long-term planning. The bicycle related section starts on pg.
12. Comments or questions can be emailed to Diana
Twede, Bike Safety focus group leader.
America is a cult of the automobile. We drive everywhere. You can pick up a donut and coffee in the morning, a burger in the afternoon and a six pack of beer at night and never leave your car. But some environmentally-conscious people want us to leave the car in the garage. And they're offering us old, ugly bikes instead. Audio - Text
