In 2012, students, staff and faculty saw a need at the university. The need wasn’t for more parking or additional food venues, but instead was the limited services available to cyclists on Grand Valley State University’s campus.

After a collaboration conversation between transportation services, the Pew Campus, the housing department and GVSU students, the pilot version of GVSU’s Bicycle Shop was born.

Though the service has been around for four years now, bicycle maintenance, rental opportunities and the future of the Bike Shop itself look much different than in previous years.

Joe Bitely currently oversees all programs and services offered through the Outdoor Adventure Center and Climbing Center. As part of the Outdoor Adventure Center functions, Bitely spends time working with students on their bikes and thinking of new ways to expand the cycling opportunities at the university.

“Everyone has a relationship with a bike,” Bitely said. “Whether they are an avid biker, want to learn more or simply have questions for us, we are able to provide a much-needed service.”

One significant change will come next semester when the Bike Shop moves headquarters to the Ravines Community Center, previously used for the Ravines apartment complex.

“This move will give us the gift of space, which is really important when it comes to housing and repairing bicycles,” Bitely said.

This year, the Bike Shop was able to hold about 12 bikes for rental purposes in the Laker Village Apartment’s south community center (LSV). With the move, Bitely hopes there will be an opportunity for additional renting capabilities.

In the new location, the Bike Shop will also be able to provide drop-off and for-pay maintenance services, an idea recently approved by the university.

“Previously, we had been doing a lot of work with providing education opportunities for students using our service,” Bitely said. “We will still be continuing these efforts, (but) we will now be able to offer additional services to the student body.”

With the increase of available space, the Bike Shop will be able to take in more bikes to work on and release to the student body for rentals. All bikes that come to the shop are abandoned bicycles collected from campus and then fixed in the shop.

“At the end of the school year, all abandoned bikes on campus will be given a tag. If a student sees a tag on their bike, they should remove it so the bike is not marked as abandoned,” Bitely said. “Abandoned bikes are then housed on campus for six months before they are passed down to us.”

Volunteers and those working at the Bike Shop then fix up as many bikes as they can house. Bikes that are not repairable are used for spare parts, some of which will soon be used as materials for the for-pay maintenance services.

As the shop continues to gain momentum at GVSU, Bitely hopes to continue to expand upon the opportunities for cyclists at GVSU. One of these goals is to prepare the Allendale Campus to apply for status as a bicycle-friendly university, an award given out by the League of American Bicyclists. Currently, only four other Michigan universities (Michigan Technological University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Aquinas College) hold this honor.

“When I look at the future of the Bike Shop, I see opportunities for education and encouragement,” Bitely said. “I want to look at what facilities we can provide and work with to make a more bike friendly campus at Grand Valley.”

For more information about the Bike Shop and bike rental opportunities, visit www.gvsu.edu/oac.