Pedal Grinnell is rolling into another year with plans for long-term bike rentals, electronic bike tracking and community events, as they aim to increase their accessibility on campus.
Long term rentals were first trialed over the summer, said Pedal Grinnell coordinator August Ngo `27. He said the long term system is aimed towards students who need to bike often but may not have access to a bike of their own.
“It makes more sense for them to just own a bike instead of having to rush for a rental every day,” said Leo Goldman `27, a bike mechanic for Pedal Grinnell.
The long term rental bikes are sourced from the Des Moines Collective, said Ngo, with ten additional bikes expected to arrive on campus before fall break. While some of the new bikes may require minor repairs before going into service, he said he expects the full fleet of long term rentals to be available before the semester ends. .
Priority will be given based on individual need, such as having an off-campus job beyond walking distance of campus, they said.
Pedal Grinnell also plans to implement a new electronic bike tracking system.
“We spend a lot of time looking for bikes right now, because they frequently get lost,” coordinator Molly Wendell-Pearson `27 said. “The trackers would let us have a little bit more time to work on things like getting the bikes ready for long term rentals.”
The team also hopes to install ten new docking stations in and around campus over the course of the semester, said Ngo. Five will be placed at Renfrow Hall, three outside the Humanities and Social Studies Center and two outside the Robert N. Noyce `49 Science Center, he said. In addition, Ngo said they are planning to replace five bikes from the original Pedal Grinnell fleet that have been damaged beyond repair.
“It’s about accessibility,” Goldman said. “We’re trying to make sure that people have access to biking and have access to campus in general.”
Aside from maintaining and expanding the fleet, Pedal Grinnell staff are also planning expanded community outreach and events, including teaching basic bike riding and repair skills.
“We want students to feel welcome here, and interact with us and learn from these things that may be intimidating,” coordinator Chloe Alger `28 said. “It’s a very male dominated industry, so we want to offer an area of learning but also an area of just collaboration and hanging out.”
“We would just love people to come learn about bikes, or just come hang out and use the space,” said Wendell-Pearson. Pedal Grinnell operates out of the former Grinnell Church of Christ, located at 1125 Elm St.
Last year, Pedal Grinnell hosted a bike repair workshop for Professor Corasi Ortiz’s tutorial class on the history of bicycles, Ngo said. They also hosted collaborative events with the Studio Art Student Educational Policy Committee. Pedal Grinnell hopes to use the space for more art displays in the future, bike mechanic Jackson Scheer `28 said. The team also anticipates using the space for live music events.
Scheer said that, as a shared resource and a fully student-run organization, Pedal Grinnell can help bring the campus community together.
“I think a big thing for me is that it’s just fun,” said bike mechanic Ansel Smith `25.5.
“Everything’s coming out of our own ideas,” said Goldman. “It’s really nice because it lets us be more in tune with the student body and lets us be more creative.”
Ngo and Goldman said students interested in a long term rental should contact Pedal Grinnell via email at pedal@grinnell.edu.
