Spinning Spokes

Stetson Cycles offers students free bikes, donated by the surrounding community, further affirming the university’s values commitment to environmental sustainability.

Want a free bike? Need a bike repair? Want to ride your bike on a group trip? Stop by Stetson‘s new bike club, Stetson Cycles, located in the garage behind Student Health Services and the Pi Beta Phi sorority house at 4:30 p.m. each Friday.

Stetson Cycles has had over 30 bikes donated to them from the community, and has given out nine bikes to students this semester to keep, and for free! Some had broken spokes; others had no wheels at all. But by salvaging what they could from what was donated, the members who know how to repair the bikes have turned the broken parts into fully functional bikes. “I’m here as a bike repairman, because I like tuning bikes and helping fix other bikes, too,” said Logan Dodd, member of Stetson Cycles.

Whether you need your bike fixed, want to learn about bike repair, or just want to go on bike trips with others, feel free to come by the “garage.”

“The bike trips are anything from around the block to long rides to DeLeon Springs or even New Smyrna Beach,” President Spencer Tobi ’13, said. On one of their most recent trips, the club biked to the DeLand Municipal Airport. The members got up close and personal with a B-25 Mitchell Bomber and also saw an F-14 Tomcat.

“There are all sorts of fascinating things to see and exciting things to do here in DeLand and in the surrounding cities, all of which are accessible, via some pretty beautiful bike trails,” Tobi said.

Last semester, one professor was teaching at Stetson for just one semester during her visit to theUnited States, but she had no form of transportation. Stetson Cycles built a bike specifically for her needs, complete with a basket for her groceries.

James Albright, author of this story, proudly shows off the bike he received through Stetson’s bike program.

Tobi brought the project to fruition last year, as he sought to start a “self-sustaining organization to foster cycling at no cost to students.”  Spencer Tobi worked with Tyce Herman, who graduated in May 2012, to turn the idea into a reality. Today, the club has a variety of bikes stored, from beach cruisers to mountain bikes, as well as a plethora of tools for repairs, spare tires and tire tubes, reflectors, brakes and more.

The organization was developed as an affirmation to Stetson’s value commitments, as they seek to promote environmental responsibility, as well as remain financially sustainable through the donations received from the community. What they cannot repair, the organization sells, using the funds to buy new tools for repairs. By giving away bikes to students, Stetson Cycles seeks to remind students of biking as an alternative to driving, whether it’s to the store or just across campus.

By James Albright, SUM intern