Everyone knows fall is just “Long Summer” in Nova Scotia, meaning there’s plenty of time to get outside and spin tires on trails and roads—bike tires. For rentals, repairs, knowledge and trips, there’s a place for bike enthusiasts and newbies on Dalhousie University’s campus.
The Dal/King’s Bike Centre—run by students for the community of students and non-students alike—hosts all of the above and more, including free week-long rentals to students, through their shop at 1 Alumni Crescent. Staffed by knowledgeable bike mechanics, the bike shop has an inventory of affordable new and used bike parts for sale to community members. For help with repairs, staff are there to answer questions during their open hours, seven days a week. The shop’s fall hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7-9 pm; Thursday from 9-11am and 7-9pm; and Saturday and Sunday from 9-11am.
For students, staff and faculty at Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College, bike loans are available for free for up to seven days after becoming members at the Dal/King’s Bike Centre. Register with your school email and ID number here. All bike loans come with helmets and U-locks. The Bike Centre also has a tricycle available for loan that can be used by students and community members with disabilities.
The centre also offers a reCYCLE Bike Program that encourages anyone across the HRM to donate their unused bikes for free or, depending on their condition, for compensation up to $100, so that the centre can eliminate cost and accessibility barriers to students by selling affordable bikes on campus. Once bikes are donated, mechanics fix them up and sell them to members. Says the program’s website, “when students no longer want the bike, they can donate it back to the program for another lucky student—hence the cycle continues.” Dal/King’s students can fill out this form to be given priority to buying bikes through this program based on meeting the following criteria: having long daily commutes, being in financial need and having accessed the Centre’s services—bike loan program, services and events—in the past. For questions on availability to non-members—or non-students, staff and faculty of Dal/King’s—regarding rentals, repairs, the shop’s inventory and more, contact the centre by email at [email protected] or drop in during their open hours to chat with their staff.
Interested in volunteering or leading community bike trips? The centre does that, too. Fill out this form to sign up to work alongside Bike Centre mechanics and attend community repair nights to help others fix up their bikes. The Centre is also the hub for the Dal/King’s Bike Society, recruiting new members for their monthly bike planning sessions to plan trip routes and guide rides. Past trips have included a 14km roundtrip to Long Lake in June and a trip to Lake Banook and Shubie Park last November. For more details on how to get involved in trip planning, send them an email at [email protected].
