There’s nothing like the feeling of freedom when riding a bicycle, attached to the earth only by a couple of spinning tires, the road spooling out in front of you, the wind in your hair. But for some people, the delight of riding a bike is just a distant memory. Limited mobility, injuries, or the […]
Iowa City Bike Library
Posted inRecreation
An Iowa bicycle collective can help you find, fix and fall in love with your ride
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you give a man a bicycle, teach him how to keep it in tip-top shape, and advocate for there to be safe spaces for him to ride, you’re a bike collective. Iowa’s bike collectives are nonprofit community programs that focus on […]
Posted inRecreation
Behind the handlebars: Eight styles of bicycle and what they do best
So you’re ready to hit the trail and feel the summery breeze on your face. What pair of wheels is right for you? Drew Boss, lead mechanic at the Iowa City Bike Library, broke down eight types of bicycle he’s fixed up over the years for a quick guide to common bikes. Illustrations by Jordan […]
Posted inCommunity/News
So, ‘some jackass’ stole your bike? Welcome to Iowa City.
Robert Henderson bikes to get around Iowa City. It’s his main transportation. He works at Carlos O’Kelly’s cooking, washing dishes and bussing tables. He locks his bicycle behind the building by the dumpster. There’s a locked gate, too, just in case. But one night after finishing his shift, his bike was gone. Someone had cut […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Bike Library focuses summer rides on racial justice, ‘the power of the bicycle’
In early July 2021, the Iowa City Bike Library is releasing the first in a series of four bike rides touring the Iowa City area intended to create awareness of calls to action in the community. The Raise It Up Rides are audio-guided routes visiting points of interest relating to racial inequities, identifying systems of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Bike Library finds a new home, at last
After more than five years of location insecurity, the Iowa City Bike Library (ICBL) is ready to settle down in its own “vast, ethereal space.” “It is true! The Iowa City Bike Library has purchased a building at 1222 South Gilbert Court,” ICBL posted to its Facebook page Tuesday morning. “Situated South of CommUnity, two […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Bike Library hasn’t let a pandemic slow their cycling revolution
The coronavirus has left us all desperate for safe activities. As our collective calendar was systematically wiped clear this spring, people turned to the outdoors as a refuge and an escape from their homes. For many Iowans, that meant greasing up their gears and hitting the bike trails. The Iowa City Bike Library has been […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Get on your bikes and ride with Iowa City Council candidates
While question-and-answer sessions are a standard part of an election cycle, actual cycling isn’t. But the two will be combined for the Cruisin’ with the Candidates Bike Ride on Thursday evening, sponsored by Think Bicycles of Johnson County, Bike Iowa City and the Iowa City Bike Library. The event will feature all three candidates for the two
Posted inCommunity/News
En Español: Becoming fluent in bicycle anatomy at the Bike Library
La anatomía de una bicicleta La anatomía de las bicicletas tiene su propia lengua. El inglés no me es del todo extraño, pero el vocabulario de mecánica ciclística sí. No me veo utilizando palabras como “derailleur,” “crank arm,” “spoke” o “cassette” fuera de the Bike Library. Asumí que mi decisión de tomar un taller para […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Farm Cycle 2018 continues the Rad Tour tradition
If the weekend forecast is accurate, this Sunday, September 16, will be a perfect day for a late-summer bike ride. Conveniently, Iowa City Bike Library Director Audrey Wiedemeier has already coordinated the local bicycling and culinary event of the season, Farm Cycle — formerly known as RadTour.
Posted inCommunity/News
‘One more crazy Iowa City idea’: Inside the Bike Library
Looking up from the bicycle he was working on, Brian Loring recalled the reaction he got the first time he proposed creating a volunteer-run organization that would fix up old bikes people could “check out” for a modest fee. “I think everyone thought it was kind of stupid,” Loring said. “It was sort of, ‘OK, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Iowa City Bike Library has a new executive director, still needs a new home
Audrey Wiedemeier was named the new executive director of the Iowa City Bike Library on June 1, but Wiedemeier isn’t a newcomer to either the local cycling community or the Bike Library. Wiedemeier, an avid cyclist since her childhood in Ames, is the founder and director of RadTour, which conducts group cycling events in Iowa […]
