Monday may have marked the opening of the new Student Rec Center, but the Bike Hub opened with a promising boom as well.
Students have frequented the workspace since it opened on Monday, and on the first day, they had a record number of memberships.
“We’ve had 40 memberships in the first two days,” said Dan Penner, lead mechanic. “Work stands have been full pretty much all day.”
The success of the opening was a bit of a surprise for the Bike Hub.
“We were pretty surprised by the turnout since it’s winter—pleasantly surprised,” said Clint Culpepper, supervisor.
The new location allows for a larger area for students to work on their bicycles, and is also much more visible to students with the bank of windows facing the new TriMet MAX Green Line.
“Who doesn’t want to check out a bike shop? The old one was completely invisible in the parking garage,” said Pat Keenan, student mechanic.
Currently, the Bike Hub is available for students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, but weekend hours have not been established.
The Bike Hub is also going to help out and support the PSU Bicycle Advocacy Collective (PSUBAC). This week, they will be helping host the Breakfast for Bikers.
Benefits for bikers
Students pedaled to pastries every morning this week thanks to the PSUBAC that treated student cyclists to free breakfasts. Today the coffee and pastries will be served near the new bike shelter in front of the Student Recreation Center on the corner of Southwest Sixth and Harrison.
Breakfast for Bikers runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for students who show up with their bike and a mug. $1 raffle tickets will be available today for a chance to win a Chrome messenger bag, a set of studded bike tires and other prizes. Proceeds from the raffle go toward the Portland State VikeBikes Bicycle Loan Program, a project that aims to provide long-term bike rentals to students.