Ready to Ride? There May Be a Bike Library Near You

You just want to ride a bike. Now. Maybe you just resolved to get in shape, to see if you can really still balance on a bike like you remember doing as a kid. You may have resolved to spend less money on gas, to be more environmentally friendly, to just say no the petroleum based economy, or to avoid buying something new that will end up in the landfill. You may be able to have instant gratification on this one, folks. A bike library allows you jump into your new idea and ride it - before your resolution wears off.

Go with your impulse and discover the liberating effect of the wind rushing against you as you take control of your transportation with your own muscles. No windshield shelters you from reality, and you are forced to be in the here and now. Feel the power. You may easily be in a town in which there is a bike library, and you would not know it. In some towns, very successful, large bike recycling libraries are well popularized, such as Arcata, Oakland, and Iowa City. In other towns, such as Knoxville, there may be a house full of activists, bike enthusiasts, mechanically minded kids and ecologically concerned citizens who have a bike library in their back yard. Sometimes these are written up in local papers, or posters about them put up on college campuses, or community bulletin boards. Google may be all it takes to find one in your town within minutes. Sometimes you just need to make some connections.