Bicycle lending library

I'm considering creating/starting a bicycle lending library in an impoverished neighborhood in Chicago, is there anyone out there that can give me some guidance? 

Thanks,

Waymond Smith

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 15, 2014 at 8:32am

No idea how to run the library, but I can give you books.

Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on December 15, 2014 at 8:36am

Thanks for the offer of the books ( I will contact you about them), however I'm speaking of loaning out bicycles.

Lisa Curcio 4.1mi said:

No idea how to run the library, but I can give you books.

Permalink Reply by Haddon on December 15, 2014 at 9:03am

This is Waymond of the Bike Box notoriety.

You need a better name, I thought about books first as well. Stay warm!

Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on December 15, 2014 at 9:26am

What can be more descriptive than BICYCLE lending library?

Permalink Reply by Larry Mysz on December 15, 2014 at 10:23am

Check with the people who run the Iowa City Bike Library ... http://www.bikelibrary.org/

Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on December 15, 2014 at 10:38am

Thanks for the link Larry. I've be intending to contact you regarding LCI training, I've competed the exam portion and now I'm looking for training for the certification portion. I could wait for the mini 'BikeBike! that may occur in Idaho, however I'm looking at all resources.

Larry Mysz said:

Check with the people who run the Iowa City Bike Library ... http://www.bikelibrary.org/

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on December 15, 2014 at 10:44am

First of all, Waymond, what a great idea, a community based bike "lending library", bike share without the rider needing to pay anything.  I hope you can pull it off.

The trick is getting the bikes back in good shape, or at all, without some sort of financial incentive. The main reason Divvy bikes get returned safely and on time is that the member gets slammed with a huge $1200 charge to their credit card if they don't, which is why Divvy doesn't really work well for really poor folks.  A stack of community bikes leaning against your Bike Box might be a tempting target for some scrappers.

The other thing I'd be very, very careful of is your liability.  If someone should be injured (or worse), while riding your bikes, you might be personally liable for many hundreds of thousands of dollars in a legal settlement.  That happened to Lakeshore Bikes last year, when two renters on a tandem got doored:  http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/700k-settlement-from-bike-...    That particular incident scared at least one other bike shop out of the bike rental business.  I'm no lawyer, but I don't believe a waiver exists that could protect you from being sued in such a case, especially if some part of your bike failed, causing the crash.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 15, 2014 at 10:57am

Sorry--I see library and I think books.  I am a reader first, and a cyclist second. :-)

Waymond Smith said:

What can be more descriptive than BICYCLE lending library?

Permalink Reply by Larry Mysz on December 15, 2014 at 12:30pm

Hi Waymond,

There is an LCI Certification Seminar set for Batavia on the weekend of 4/10 - 4/12.   It is the reschedule of one from last Oct that was cancelled last minute.  It should be listed on the LAB web site  http://bikeleague.org  soon.  I'll contact you privately about the prerequisite TS 101 course.

 

Waymond Smith said:

Thanks for the link Larry. I've be intending to contact you regarding LCI training, I've competed the exam portion and now I'm looking for training for the certification portion. I could wait for the mini 'BikeBike! that may occur in Idaho, however I'm looking at all resources.

Larry Mysz said:

Check with the people who run the Iowa City Bike Library ... http://www.bikelibrary.org/

Permalink Reply by Larry Mysz on December 15, 2014 at 1:04pm

Indeed it would be great to see a bike library in Chicago.

Bike libraries generally don't care if a bike is returned or not.  They refurbish donated bikes and loan them out for a 6 month period for a deposit that ranges from $50 to $150 for adult bikes. Borrowers can bring their bikes in for free minor repairs during their loan period.

If the bike is returned in good order, the borrower gets their money back ... or alternately, the borrower can just keep the bike and forfeit the deposit.   The money is used to buy parts to refurbish more donated bikes.

The Bike Library provides bike mechanic training, and most of the donated bikes are refurbished by volunteers under supervision of experienced Bike Library mechanics. 

They do require borrowers to sign waivers and they do carry liability insurance.

Thunder Snow said:

First of all, Waymond, what a great idea, a community based bike "lending library", bike share without the rider needing to pay anything.  I hope you can pull it off.

The trick is getting the bikes back in good shape, or at all, without some sort of financial incentive. The main reason Divvy bikes get returned safely and on time is that the member gets slammed with a huge $1200 charge to their credit card if they don't, which is why Divvy doesn't really work well for really poor folks.  A stack of community bikes leaning against your Bike Box might be a tempting target for some scrappers.

The other thing I'd be very, very careful of is your liability.  If someone should be injured (or worse), while riding your bikes, you might be personally liable for many hundreds of thousands of dollars in a legal settlement.  That happened to Lakeshore Bikes last year, when two renters on a tandem got doored:  http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/700k-settlement-from-bike-...    That particular incident scared at least one other bike shop out of the bike rental business.  I'm no lawyer, but I don't believe a waiver exists that could protect you from being sued in such a case, especially if some part of your bike failed, causing the crash.

Permalink Reply by Davo on December 16, 2014 at 6:23am

I also thought that it would have been a mobile library being taken around by bicycle. Didn't we have someone doing that a few years back?

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on December 17, 2014 at 9:25am

They have done it somewhere else and I don't think I am thinking Iowa.  Somewhere in California.   I think it may have been this one - http://www.culturechange.org/library-bikes.html

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