Contact: Casper Hill, Communications Department, 612-673-2342
April 22, 2008 (MINNEAPOLIS) Gasoline prices are soaring, and everyone is looking at alternatives to driving in order to save money. In Minneapolis, already a national leader when it comes to bicycling, a unique, new bike center will make pedaling even more appealing to commuters.
The Freewheel Midtown Bike Center, located behind the Midtown Exchange along the Midtown Greenway, will open to cyclists the morning of May 16. Modeled after a bicycle center in downtown Chicago, this center will allow biking commuters to lock up at an indoor bicycle parking bay and go inside for a variety of services.
The bike center includes:
• Bike store – The Freewheel Bike shop will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., offering cycling supplies, clothing and more to greenway commuters.
• Café – Also on site, Peace Coffee Café will offer its fair trade coffee freshly brewed to customers.
• Bike valet – Just like a valet at restaurants, bike valets will take bicycles to a secure area while cyclists shop at the bike store, stop by the café, visit businesses in the Midtown Exchange, or head to other nearby destinations.
• Contract storage area – People who need a place to park on a regular basis can get monthly or annual bike storage rentals. Card key access lets renters get to their storage area at all hours of the day.
• Bike rentals – People who wish to rent a bike can do so here and spend a day biking on the greenway.
• Bike maintenance facility – As with cars, bikes also have breakdowns on the road. This facility will help bikers get on their way quickly and easily. When bikes need to stay overnight, loaner bikes will be available.
• Shower facilities – Showers and locker rooms will make it easier for cyclists to clean up and change clothes once they get to their destination.
• The city’s first bike shower – Bikes get dirty, too. And when they do, the bike shower can clean them up with blasts of soap and water.
Another of the bike center’s big assets is its central location. Once the center opens, bikers will find it more convenient to shop at Midtown Exchange’s Global Market and other Midtown businesses. The center is also not far from the Chicago Lake Transit Center, giving bikers a way to travel throughout the metro area.
The May 16 grand opening will take place during Bike Walk Week. After the 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, bikers along the greenway will be offered tours and treated to refreshments and entertainment courtesy of Peace Coffee and the Midtown Global Market.
The City of Minneapolis oversaw the construction of the Midtown Bike Center, and helped fund it with a grant from the federal government. Other funding partners in this project include Freewheel Bike Shop, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Ryan Companies, Hennepin County and the Midtown Greenway Coalition.
For more information on the center, go to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles.
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Communications Department