The University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Center and bike program hosted the seventh annual CU Bike Fest on Sept. 5 at Farrand Field. The event introduced students to various sustainable transportation options and featured free bike repairs, food, t-shirts and entertainment provided by DJ Dan Dasana.
The main attraction of the afternoon was the annual used bike sale, which gave students the opportunity to purchase refurbished bikes at affordable prices. This bike sale is part of CU Boulder’s Bicycle Recycling and Processing Program, which helps clear 500 to 700 abandoned bikes from campus every year, refurbishing and reselling them to students.
“We’ve been providing bike program services for over 30 years, but Bike Fest in its current form is in its seventh year and it keeps growing,” said SarahDawn Haynes, the outreach engagement coordinator for the CU Boulder Environmental Center. “Each year, we have more and more partners who want to help support a culture of cycling within Boulder.”
A student attempts to ride a reverse-steering bike during the CU Bike Fest at Farrand Field on Thursday, September 5, 2024. (Andrew Wevers/CU Independent)
According to Haynes, the bike program is supported through student fees, which contribute around $6 to $7 million toward various sustainable transportation services, such as bus passes and bike rentals. These fees also contribute to theft-prevention efforts, like distributing U-locks in exchange for cable locks.
“The more abandoned bikes, the more theft there is around them,” Haynes explained.
Emma Gamanho, a junior at CU Boulder has been working in the Sustainable Transportation Department at CU Boulder’s Environmental Center for six months.
Gamanho explained the efforts that are put into the annual used bike sale.
“We tag and identify [abandoned] bikes in the spring semester and then fix them up over the summer,” Gamanho said. “The bikes are priced between $80 and $200, with nothing over $200.” She explained that a raffle system allows the first 50 ticket holders for two different time slots to purchase bikes at each sale.
A detailed view of a Bicycle Recycling Program vest worn by CU Environmental Center employee Benjamin McVay during the CU Bike Fest at Farrand Field on Thursday, September 5, 2024. (Andrew Wevers/CU Independent)
Benjamin McVay, a psychology major and CU Environmental Center employee, shared some insight into the process of removing bikes from campus to later be recycled.
“We definitely get weird looks around campus taking an angle grinder to a bike and then putting it in a van,” McVay said.
Bikes usually sit for about three weeks after they are tagged before they are recycled, ensuring owners have time to reclaim them.
In addition to these efforts to support students in their transportation needs and contribute to broader sustainability goals on campus, the bike program also hopes to encourage student involvement within the program.
“We hire about 75 people in the fall and have ongoing opportunities [to get involved] throughout the semester,” Haynes added.
A detailed view of a CU Environmental Center Bicycle Recycling Program tag put on bikes across campus that are marked for recycling on Thursday, September 5, 2024. (Andrew Wevers/CU Independent)
For more information about the CU Bike Program and future events, visit the CU Environmental Center’s website, or email bicycle@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Staff Photographer Andrew Wevers at andrew.wevers@colorado.edu
