A permanent bicycle repair stand is awaiting approval by facilities management after the Associated Students senate approved a proposal for funding by senior psychology major Brett Kobold. While the fate of the bicycle repair stand is in the hands of facilities management, three students are offering bicycle repairs to students throughout the week. 

STUDENTS OFFER FREE BIKE REPAIRS

Students have no quick, convenient way of fixing their bikes since the closest repair shop is The Cyclery Bike Shop, Kobold said.

Hugo Palomares, a junior intercultural studies major, Doug Keller, a freshman intercultural studies major, and Justin Humble, a senior intercultural studies major, have been fixing bikes for the past month.

Palomares, Keller and Humble said they had no prior knowledge about Kobold’s proposal for a permanent bicycle repair stand but are interested in getting involved with the project.

The three of them repair bicycles for free while teaching students how to fix their own in front of the Student Union Building every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., as well as under the ash tree on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Facilities TO DETERMINE LOCATION 

Repairing bicycles is a practical way to reach out to their fellow classmates, Humble and Palomares mentioned.

Facilities management is determining a location on campus suitable to install the permanent repair stand and is evaluating whether or not a repair stand is something we should have on our campus, said Brian Phillips, senior director of facilities management.

The rising number of bicycles brought Kobold’s attention to the need for a repair stand.

“I’ve noticed on campus that there’s a large abundance of bikes that just don’t work or honestly could just use a little bit of work and they would actually run a lot better,” Kobold said.

STANDS PROVIDED BY "FIXIT"

This sparked the notion to propose a permanent self-service bicycle repair stand called “Fixit,” manufactured by a company called Dero, he said.

“Fixit” includes all of the necessary tools to repair many basic problems, from changing a flat to adjusting the brakes.

“I’ve seen these on several other campuses around the country, and students have had a really strong response to them because they allow commuters and people in general to be able to work on their bikes,” Kobold said.

AS felt providing money for a bike repair stand would be beneficial for commuters and people who don’t have cars on campus, said Becky Gallacher, senior vice president of AS and a junior communications major.

“A lot of people have repairs, but they don’t want to go somewhere to get them done, plus it is very expensive, so providing that option for the students on campus would be helpful and a great thing to provide for them,” Gallacher said.

Brittany Woods, senator for the Block apartments and a junior social science major, shared on behalf of the senate how beneficial a bike repair stand would be on campus for all students. The senate’s vote on Kobold’s proposal was unanimous, Woods said.

Students with bikes are also looking forward to the possibility of a permanent repair stand.

“I think it would be awesome to have a bike repair stand on campus. It would be very useful,” said freshman theatre major Jenna White.