Aggie Blue Bikes offers one-on-one tutorials
Anyone and everyone in Cache Valley can borrow a bike for a semester, free of charge, from Aggie Blue Bikes.
Adam Christensen, Aggie Blue Bikes program coordinator, said the program is not only to loan bikes but to promote a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
“Not only does Aggie Blue Bikes loan out bikes for free every semester, but we also educate people about bike safety and we teach people how to repair bikes for free as well,” he said.
There are several educational programs at Aggie Blue Bikes. One is the League of American Cyclist’s classes, another is the community weekly classes and with one-on-one tutorials being the most popular, Christensen said. In one-on-one tutorials, students can buy a bike for cheap, bring it up to Aggie Blue Bikes on campus, and they can learn how to fix it up for free with an Aggie Blue Bike employee, he said.
“We don’t do the work for them, we teach them how to do it,” he said. “That way they can gain a skill that they can use throughout their lives.”
Nancy Septon, sophomore studying music education, said she liked this method of teaching.
“I think the one-on-one tutorials are neat. I like being shown how they do it so that I know how it works. I would totally recommend it to anyone,” she said.”If they don’t get sick of me I will be in here all the time because my bike has so many problems. Plus, it’s free. I don’t want to pay 200 bucks somewhere else for the same thing and not learn anything along with it.”
Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes has several goals in its service.
“(We want to) get more people on more bikes, more often,” Christensen said. “If we accomplish that there will be benefits to follow; students can become healthier as they exercise, they will gain stronger safety awareness, they can help improve the air quality here in Cache Valley, and it also has great financial results for them as they can save a lot on fuel costs.”
Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes first started on Sept. 5, 2005. He said there were concerned community members that wanted to improve the air quality in Logan.The community members started the Utah State Community Bike Coalition and changed some policies, so that bikes were allowed on the sidewalks on campus. It started off with one employee and nine bikes, now there are more than 100 bikes and they have gained about 11 employees per year, he said.
Aggie Blue Bikes operates by community donations of bikes and grants, Christensen said. He said they also have a USU Police agreement that if bikes are abandoned on campus for a certain amount of time Aggie Blue Bikes can have those bikes.
“A lot of people have old bikes they just don’t want anymore. They give them to us and we fix them up and loan them out,” he said.
Students can borrow bikes for a full semester. The bikes have to be returned by Thursday of finals week, but they can borrow one again when they return for the spring semester, Christensen said.
“Cycling really just is a great way to get around, it benefits the valley as well. Cache Valley’s air quality is a problem, so when you ride a bike you’re not only helping yourself, but you’re helping the residents of the valley as well,” he said. “It’s satisfying to feel like we are really making a difference.”
Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes one-on-one tutorials are available anytime they are open, which is Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Wednesdays when they close at 4 p.m. They are located on campus between the Military Science building and the Fieldhouse.
“We really just want to get the word out there so students can take advantage of this great opportunity,” Christensen said.
Septon said the service is easy as well as welcoming.
“The staff are very friendly and very willing to help. Don’t be afraid to come in,” she said. “I’ve learned so much and I’m sure anyone that comes in will learn a lot too. It’s just really fun and it’s a great opportunity to learn skills you can keep forever.”
–s.k.b@aggiemail.usu.edu