E-Bike Lending Libraries Offer Free Access to a New Mode

Free, community-run e-bike ‘libraries’ are popping up around the country — and introducing new people to the joy and convenience of biking.

As Kea Wilson explains in Streetsblog USA, “The model provides a neighborly alternative to sometimes-costly traditional bike share rentals that only offer limited models, too-short test-rides at bike shops that can be alienating for some shoppers, and even to traditional libraries that allow patrons to check out bikes alongside books — but may not have an expert on hand to talk about how and where to ride in a neighborhood they know intimately.”

Library organizers say borrowing e-bikes can be a gateway to purchasing one of their own for people figuring out if an e-bike works for them and helps educate new riders about safe routes and safe riding. “Over the course of several weeks, a librarian might coach a patron on the basics of cargo bike storage in a studio apartment, or how to charge a battery safely if there’s no outlet in the garage; he might share his own experiences biking with kids, and offer other parents detailed advice before he loans them a child seat to go with their long-tail; he can help them game-plan a pedal-assisted grocery run and loan (or even gift) them a set of panniers; they might trade stories about scary run-ins with drivers, and talk through the anxiety of getting back in the saddle.”