The Bike Cave Cooperative San Marcos

Whether driving, biking or walking, traversing the hills of San Marcos can be a difficult task.  However, if you happen to get around by bike, there’s good news for you.

Bike owners and riders appreciate the rare commodity that is free bike repair.  Not many people know how to do all of their repairs themselves.

We have resources available to us, like the internet, that can assist us in doing our repairs on our own, but often times the internet can take away from our sense of local community.

The Bike Cave in San Marcos is a cooperative offering free bike repairs.  The cave has a shop located in room 100 of the Colorado building, located on the north side of Pleasant Street, across from the Agriculture Building.

It was established in 2007 with a mission to get people out of cars and onto bikes.  By doing this, people who ride their bikes would be reducing the demand for parking and alleviating traffic.

The shop offers much more than just repairs.  There are plenty of classes and events held at the cave as well as social rides that have spurred from the cave.

Take for example the Re-Build A Bike class.  Instructor Sean Welch has taught these classes each semester for a few years now.  They are very informative and are at a very low cost to the public, not just students of Texas State.

“It’s important to know how to re-build your bike just incase anything happens.  If you’re on a long ride and something goes wrong with your bike, you’ll be thankful you took my class,” said Welch with a bike tool in hand.

Another bike cave spawned idea is Flow Riders, an all-female social ride group that tries to have rides once a month. A member of the group even hosts a potluck post-ride.

Erin Cooper, creator of the group, said “Our goal is to empower women to feel safe on the road and confident in the shop.”

The cave also receives donated bikes and campus police deliver bikes that are left on campus unattended for a prolonged period of time.  So if you wish to be a bike owner the cave has made it affordable for you to do so.

The Bike cave has thrived in the past several years and has done a great job at shaping the bike culture in San Marcos.

For more information on The Bike Cave call (512) 245-4567, email thebikecave@yahoo.com or stop by their website http://www.thebikecave.org.

Why We Ride Bicycles

There are numerous reasons for individuals to ride their bicycles more often.  The three main reasons people ride their bikes in the first place are for exercise, transportation and recreation.

The benefits of cycling are endless.  Bike riding is one of the best forms of exercise.  Routine bike riding can improve overall physical and emotional health.  It is one of the best cardiovascular workouts and can aid in weight loss.

Madison Crider, a senior biology major at the University of Texas, said “Riding my bike is probably my favorite way to get a good workout”.  Crider has participated in multiple triathlons in the past and says the biking portion is always her favorite.

Bicycles are a great way to get around.    Using bikes as a form of transportation is very efficient.  They don’t cost you money while guzzling gas and forcing toxins into the atmosphere.  Instead, they run on the energy of the rider and cause no carbon footprint.

Many people in Austin and San Marcos use bikes in order to get to and from work or school.  Morris Green is one of those people.  Green, who is interning at the Livestrong office located in east Austin, commutes to work on a daily basis.  When asked about why he commutes by bicycle he said, “I feel like it’s fitting to ride my bike to work considering the livestrong concept was started by Lance Armstrong and everyday is just so much more interesting when I do.”

Green said he doesn’t have a car at the moment and is thankful that he lives in a city where he is able to get around without it.  “It’s nice to know that my bike will get me where I need to be and that I’m not the only one using my bike for transportation purposes.”

Many people don’t care about the benefits of riding and just think of cycling as a fun hobby.  There are many fun places to go bike riding in Austin and San Marcos as well as events that promote social cycling.

Rachel Marton, a Texas State alumna and Austin resident, frequently rides socially.  When asked why she rides socially she said, “Sometimes I ride with a friend or two to in order to find places to take good photographs, but I also really enjoy the Thursday night social rides.  You can’t go wrong riding around town with a bunch of interesting people to a spot with free beer.”

Photo Credits to Daryl Goerner and Rachel Marton.