The wheels are turning on a new revolution as bike riders take over campus, and the help to integrate sustainable student transportation is on its way.

A project to install a bike-maintenance station outside of the Memorial Union is currently under way. 

The project is a collaborative effort between several student groups, including the Government of the Student Body, Inter-Residence Hall Association, Facilities Planning and Management and the ISU Cycling Club.

The station, which will be compatible with the vast majority of bikes, will consist of a durable stainless steel bike pump and stand that will allow for tires to be filled and minor repairs. It will have several tools tethered to it and will feature a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone for instructions and tips on how to conduct certain repairs.

The station is designed to withstand severe weather and vandalism. However, minor maintenance will be required, which will entail replacing valves annually.

The plan originally called for several stations scattered around campus but has been narrowed to one central location. 

As a result a higher-quality product has been selected and will be purchased from BikeFixation, a Minnesota-based company.

The cost will come to less than $3,000 and will be funded by GSB and IRHA, with the possibility of having the ISU Cycling Club handle tool maintenance in the future.

Although the project has been collaborative, these organizations are steering the handlebars in the project. A lot of the pedaling power has come from student input, something this project relies on.

GSB Sen. Michael Hoefer, part of the University Affairs Committee and one of the leading advocates for this project, said the concept design had changed quite a bit thanks in large part to student input, and the future of this project, including additions to it, would rely on continued feedback from the student body.

“What we need to make sure happens is, if people … have comments at all about it, then they really need to let [us] know,” said Sen. Joey Norris, senior in aerospace engineering. Norris, along with Hoefer, has been a crucial part of the project, which has been in the University Affairs Committee since its conception at the beginning of the semester.

“We’ve never gotten much feedback on bike facilities on campus,” said Christopher Strawhacker, landscape architect for Facilities Planning and Management. “We’ve always tried to identify problems and respond to them, so it’s good to have some input from the students on what they need.” 

Installation will not actually be a long process, Strawhacker said. It is just a matter of drilling a couple of holes and bolting the system into the concrete.   The hope is the bike station will be up and running before the ground freezes. 

The system will work regardless of temperature. Getting the station running is not expected to be too difficult, provided GSB and IRHA approve funding when they vote on the bill next week.

Norris said, as it stands, IRHA will provide approximately one-third of the funding. The GSB bill, which asks for $2,164.49, was passed on to the Finance Committee on Wednesday night.

Hoefer said a few details, such as the precise placement of the system, have yet to be finalized and will not be until funding is approved.

Hoefer, who was described by a peer as driven and committed to the project, said: “This project will be a big step forward for Iowa State as far as sustainable efforts and healthy living [go].”

A bike station such as this, Hoefer believes, will promote green living and sustainability on campus and provide a currently unavailable service to bike-owning students at Iowa State as well as the rest of the Ames community.