Friday, November 9, 2012

Help out the Fort Collins Bike Library

Fort Collins is well known for being bike-friendly, but did you know that you can check out bikes to use for free? This service is courtesy of the Fort Collins Bike Library, which allows users to check out bikes for an hour or up to seven days without any charge.

However, the organization's federal grant, which pays for half of the program, is expiring at the end of this year. For 2013, the Bike Library is turning to the Fort Collins community to help compensate for the funds it will lose at the end of this year. 

The Bike Library is utilizing the help of Community Funded, a Fort Collins based entity, that helps fund local organizations, small businesses and projects by asking community members to donate money towards a project, providing giftbacks to donators. 

So far the Bike Library has received $488 of its $195,000 goal through Community Funded; the Bike Library has 41 days left to make the rest of its funds. If you are interested in donating you can visit the Bike Library's Community Funded page.

To learn more about Community Funded and the Fort Collins Bike Library you can read the Coloradoan's news article

How does the Bike Library work?

Since 2008, the Bike Library has had over 15,000 bicycles checked out by over 12,000 users. 

After signing up online, users can either make a reservation or show up on a first-come, first-served basis to check out a bike. Users are required to make a $150 deposit but that money is returned in full when the bike is returned unharmed. 

The Bike Library also facilitates three self-guided tours: the brewery tour, the environmental tour and the historical tour.

Offering multiple bike types for check out, including tandems, children's bikes, cruisers, cargo bikes and more, there is a bike for any user, young and old.

The Bike Library has two locations: Old Town and on LaPorte Avenue. At their Old Town location, the Library is open on Thursdays from 10 am to 3 pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm. The Library will be open through the rest of November and on the first three Saturdays in December, with December 15 as their last check out day for the year.

No comments:

Post a Comment