Buckeye Bike Hub works to revive biking culture on Ohio State’s campus

John Shrader, a 1994 Ohio State alumnus, bikes to work each morning and passes racks that used to overflow with student bikes. Now, those same racks sit half-empty, overshadowed by the convenience of cars and e-scooters.

With a once-beloved way of getting around fading from common practice, the students and staff at the Buckeye Bike Hub are trying to bring back biking culture.

“There were a lot of bike stores on High Street,” Shrader said. “Then, as the years went by, they all moved to the suburbs or went out of business, so students were stuck here with no place to fix things.”?

Shrader, who works as a transportation and traffic management coordinator, says the closest thing to bike services on campus was a weekly popup run by Buckeye Bike Club volunteers, according to the Instagram page. The club hauled a cargo trike to Neil Avenue and offered free tuneups with tools bought through a Coca-Cola grant — a grant that supports Ohio State’s goal to promote sustainability, according to the application.

Although the trike was helpful, Shrader said it could not meet the increased demand at a time when bike shops were disappearing.?

“We saw there was a demand, and we decided to make it fantastic instead of just adequate,” Shrader said.?

That idea grew to become the Buckeye Bike Hub, Shrader said, located at 337 Annie and John Glenn Ave. The hub was established in 2019, using leftover funds from the university’s discontinued bikeshare program — Zagster.

Seven years in, the bike hub has continued its dedication to meeting student bike needs, with a full-time student staff providing repair services, under 30-minute tuneups and a do-it-yourself pump station outside its garage door at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center.?

Among the bike hub’s services is its reCycle program, where abandoned or donated bikes are refurbished and sold back to students at a discounted price, according to the website.

Ryan Harrigle, a fourth-year in environmental sciences and the bike shop’s student manager, has been involved with the shop since his first year at Ohio State.?

“I came in with zero shop experience,” Harrigle said. “We use our refurbished bike program to practice, and I feel like we do a good job of training the basics.”

Many of the bike hub’s student employees were hired by emailing their resumes to the shop’s management, applying through Workday or simply being noticed as regulars who show an interest in the craft.?

William Harper, a fourth-year in architecture and a student mechanic, says the shop is designed to be a place where Ohio State students can learn as they go.?

As a “tech one,” beginner student employees practice simpler repairs and shadow more experienced mechanics until they’re ready to advance as a “tech two,” a level that allows them to take the lead on repairs after completing months of training and passing a certification exam.

Aside from hands-on repair experience, the hub’s mechanics connect through their shared appreciation for biking itself. For Harper, the appeal stems from its practicality.?

“Especially in America, we always say, ‘Ah, take a car,’” Harper said. “But actually, sometimes biking is way quicker, more fun, easier, healthier, safer and cheaper.”?

The enthusiasm for biking extends across the workroom, Harrigle said, as he rarely drives, choosing instead to ride his commuter bike a mile and a half to class.?

Shrader took this dedication even further, trading in his pickup truck for an e-bike in 2022.?

“I’ve ridden it to work every day since then,” Shrader said.

The shared passion among the staff is something they hope to pass on to Ohio State students, as much of the bike hub’s outreach is built around ensuring riders feel supported on campus.?

“I think it’s really important that you know it’s by students, for students,” Shrader said. “It’s important for us to be self-sustaining in a lot of ways, and I think the bike shop’s a great example.”?

The bike hub held its kickoff event of the semester, Get Into Gear, on Sept. 10, offering free bike safety checks and opportunities for students to meet the staff, learn about alternative transportation and see the shop’s services firsthand.?

“This event’s pretty good for showing people more about cycling and the possibilities of just taking a bike instead of a car,” Harper said.

More outreach efforts planned for this year include a fall hiring cycle and collaborations with the Buckeye Bike Club, aimed at rebuilding biking culture on campus, Harrigle said. The club, which is preparing to return to campus this year, plans to open its group rides to all types of riders, from mountain and road cyclists to students who simply want something more casual.

The Buckeye Bike Hub is open to students from 4-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, according to the website, with basic bike tune-ups starting at $55.