University Star

The Bike Cave is kicking it into high gear.

The Texas State center for all things with two wheels and handlebars relocated over Winter Break.

“It’s not really like a cave any more. It’s a warehouse,” said Brian Mines, studio art senior and staff member at the Bike Cave.
Mines said the new location was last used in 1993 for a wood shop, and has since only been used for storage.Its last space was a car garage.

The warehouse is nestled between the Music building and the Trinity building.

“The biggest down side is that no one knows where it is yet,” Mines said.

The Bike Cave has not done any advertising yet, nor has it had its grand opening.

Mines said this is because of a few technical issues that still need to be worked out. The staff plans on having the place done around Spring Break, but it will remain open until then.

“We get people on bikes and keep people on bikes,” Mines said, “we offer advice, help and tools.”
The Bike Cave is open to all students, no matter what their bike experience. The Bike Cave  offers a class where students are taught to take a bike completely apart and rebuild it.

The new, larger space allows more students to work at a time, which means less waiting for a stand to become available. There are six new stands on the walls used for holding the bike while it is worked on, which means at least six students can be working at a time. The stands and the bikes for sale occupy space in the largest room in the warehouse. There are two other rooms, one currently used to store other bike parts. The other is on its way to becoming an office. The office walls house windows that look out into the open workroom.

The space is littered with tools and bike parts. Students may use the tools for $8 an hour, or may volunteer for an hour to cover the costs.

The hours of the cave have become more regular since the move. Students may come at any time during their hours to start a bike project or fix something on their current bike. The Cave has bikes and tires for sale, and gives away other bike parts.

“It’s neat that you can come in here and they fix it right up for you,” said Brooke Blume, exercise and sports science junior. Blume walked into the cave, told them what she wanted and received help.

“As soon as I told him what I was looking for, he got it on the rack and started working on it,” Blume said, “I didn’t expect to get a bike for 30 or 40 bucks.”

Judith Wilson, pre-geography resource and environmental studies senior, said the benefits of bike riding go far beyond finances.

“It’s not just about bikes,” Wilson said. “It’s about living in a cleaner world, and bicycles can do that.”

Students can check out the Bike Cave Web site, www.tram.txstate.edu/bicycling/Bike_Cave.html, for information on its location, hours and current events, or they can stop by the new location.