A Dero Fixit repair stand in action.

Cyclists on campus in need of a speedy tune-up have a new bike repair stand to inflate tires and tighten screws.

A Dero Fixit repair stand was installed Nov. 3 on a cement pad between the Arts and Thorvaldson buildings. The green steel stanchion can hold a single bike at a time, and is equipped with a manual air pump and an assortment of tethered screwdrivers, wrenches and Allen keys.

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union spearheaded the initiative in association with the U of S Office of Sustainability.

“This thing is cool,” said Alex Ferwerda, USSU vice-president student affairs. “And because it’s in a visible area, with high bike traffic, I think students will really enjoy it.”

Ferwerda said he initially got the idea from the University of Virgina, which installed the same stand on their campus in the spring.

The cost of the stand was $1,868, which was split between the USSU and the Arts and Science Students’ Union. The Office of Sustainability paid an additional $3,000 for the construction of the concrete foundation.

Bob Aldrich, a representative from the Minneapolis-based Dero Bike Rack Company, said the Fixit repair stand has been on the market for more than two years, but only recently gained popularity on campuses south of the border.

He said vandalism and problems with the air pump are occasional grievances, but he nevertheless expects that bike repair stands will become far more common as campuses and communities continue to strive for sustainability.

The U of S is the first campus in Canada to install one.

Ferwerda said he plans to conduct workshops in the coming weeks on how to use the tools.

[box type=”info”]Correction: It has come to our attention that the U of S is not, in fact, the first Canadian university to install a bike repair station on campus. The University of Victoria built their own customized “bike kitchen” in 2010. The U of S remains the first Canadian university to install a Dero Fixit repair stand.[/box]

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Photo: Gary Cziko/flickr