Bike Collective Unveils Minneapolis College Branded Bicycle
The Bike Collective student club used inspiration, innovation, and skill to create a Minneapolis College-branded bicycle using a late ’60s model Schwinn that had been sitting in the Bike Collective storage, unclaimed, for more than five years.
Inspired to create a Minneapolis College themed bike, members of the Collective repainted the frame white with purple and lime green accents, added College decals, wrapped the handlebars with purple handlebar tape, added tassels to the grips, and polished the chrome. The bike was unveiled during halftime at the Student vs Staff basketball game on November 30, and will make frequent appearances at tabling events and at the college bookstore.
Bike Collective member Mark Gang, a student in the Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician program, said the branded bike is available to Minneapolis College departments and clubs for campus tours, events and other promotional uses, and for team building.
Bike Collective Keeps Students Mobile
The Bike Collective pre-dates the Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician program at Minneapolis College. Beyond tuning and repairing bicycles on campus for students and staff for free, the club promotes using bikes as a means of transportation, offers bike safety and repair clinics, and works to supply bicycles to students who need them.
Each year a number of bikes are left on College property. They are tagged and kept in the Bike Collective Storage closet. When a student contacts the Bike Collective for a loaner, they can select an unclaimed unit from “the closet” and help to refurbish it to road-ready state.
The Collective also offers a Loaner-to-Owner program which requires recipients to sign a rider safety agreement, wear a bike helmet, and attend three bike-related clinics to become the owner of the bike.
Mark Gang said he is proud of the services that the Collective provides. He reported that a student whose bike was stolen was able to secure a replacement from the Collective within a week.
Gang himself returned to biking recently after an injury prevented him from riding for several months. The journey back to riding helped him realize the importance of having a riding community. He explained, “seeing other riders that look like you, finding people that you feel comfortable riding with, can increase your desire to ride.” Determined to get more students, faculty and staff interested in biking, Gang is helping the Collective to partner on events with local bicycle clubs. Watch for more information about these collaborations in the coming months.
Bike Repair Tools at the Library?
Starting in spring semester, the Bike Collective will partner with the Library to offer a loaner toolbox, containing the specific tools needed for bicycle repair. The loaner toolbox will be available for two-day checkouts from the Library.
To find out more about the Bike Collective or the Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician Program, contact Faculty Advisor / Instructor Casey Coughlin.