Buckeye Bike Hub to help keep campus bicycles on the move

A new shop to keep Buckeye bicyclists safe and on the road is open for business at The Ohio State University.

The Buckeye Bike Hub plans a grand opening ceremony Tuesday evening. The hub is located at the northwest corner of the RPAC, near the sand volleyball courts, and offers bicycle repair and cycling supplies as well as educational clinics about bike maintenance, cycling skills and bike safety.

“The main thing I’m excited about is the opportunities that it presents to encourage bicycling on campus, to provide educational opportunities in safety and skills, and the opportunity for students to get their bikes repaired or to learn how to repair their own bikes,” said John Shrader, field logistics coordinator for Transportation and Traffic Management.

The hub is a partnership between Transportation and Traffic Management and the Office of Student Life.

“It fits right into that plan of an educational opportunity to learn something that’s mechanical with your hands – it’s outside of the classroom,” said Tyler Young, outdoor leadership program coordinator for Student Life Recreational Sports. “[It’s] trying to make this campus more and more healthy and embracing … the things that make your body move. As we say in Recreational Sports, it’s life in motion.”

Hub mechanics can perform general bike maintenance on-site. Bicyclists needing highly specialized or technical repairs will be referred to local bike shops.

“We have everything that you could ever imagine or need. We have several sets of tools that allow you to work on it if you can, or … if you don’t know how, we can take care of it for you and not take away from your experience,” said Paul Swigart, fourth-year neuroscience major and Buckeye Bike Hub mechanic.

Bike repairs are by appointment only. Users can bring their bike to the Buckeye Bike Hub for a preliminary quote at any time and hub staff will schedule a dedicated service time.

Users can expect repairs to be completed within two to three days after dropping their bike off at the scheduled service time. Self-service stations and tools will be available for students with the skills to fix their own bike at no cost during hub hours.

Shrader said the hub should make people feel comfortable about bicycling and bike repair.

“The whole opportunity that the Buckeye Bike Hub presents is just going to be great for bicycling here.”