& retail




LEASE A BIKE

Need a bike to get around campus?
Click here for lease information and application ...
 


VOLUNTEER
Would you like to volunteer to help repair, paint, or maintain  bikes? Volunteers learn a wide variety of bike maintenance skills and earn access to work on their own bikes. Click here for details.

DONATE A BIKE
We welcome donations of sturdy bikes that are in good working condition. If you have a bike that you'd like to donate, please click here for more information. To drop off donated bikes (contact us first please) here's location information to the MSU Bikes Service Center.

Farm Daze Tour



New idyllic rest stop this year...
click for more tour pics from last year with scenes of some new routes too...


Come ride the tour with your friends or fellow MSU alums! This group from the Grayling, MI, area have been riding in the Farm Daze Tour every year since the start. (L to R: Pam Amato, graduate DCL at MSU 2000; David Hunter, M.D. graduate College of Human Medicine 1997; (Me) Brian Gedeon, M.D. graduate College of Human Medicine 1998; Jeff Klop, graduated with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies of Health, a pharmaceutical rep. 2004, and Brad Brunner, BS in Interdisciplinary Studies of Social Science.

2008 Tour News Flashes:
(tour info/ details below this news ...)

5/12/08: If your non-riding significant others are looking for something to do in the MSU area while you're riding in our Tour consider some of the following events, attractions:
- East Lansing Art Festival - attracts 70,000-80,000 attendees from across the region; 230 artists from across the United States and Canada are invited to exhibit each year.
- Kresge Art Museum, MSU Campus - Andy Warhol Photographs and Silk Road to Clipper Ship exhibits.
- MSU Museum - Current exhibits...
- Michigan 4-H Children's Garden at MSU - fantastic garden for children to learn more about gardens/ plants, etc. Parking fees apply; admission is free.
- MSU's Amazing Gardens - Beal, Annual Trials Garden, Clarence E. Lewis Landscape Arboretum
- MSU Arts and Culture - other arts/ cultural events going on at MSU.
- Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing - great museum for younger children, Saturday 10 am - 7 pm; kids 2 and under are free.

5/8/08: If you'd like to camp out Friday night before the tour, the Ag Pavilion does have campsites available. Unfortunately, you can't reserve them. You need to go into the Show office in the Pavilion after noon on Friday 5/16 and before 10 pm to get a permit. Fees are approx. $15.00 Questions? Phone: (517)432-5566
pavilion@msu.edu.

2/20/08
: The start location this year will be the MSU Agricultural Pavilion, (4301 Farm Lane Rd, East Lansing, MI). See this PDF map with our suggestions for which exits to use to get there the easiest when coming from out of the area.

Jan. 08: Due to a ton of upcoming construction projects, particularly the Farm Ln. underpass project (which will have Farm Ln. closed for approx. 2 years) and all around campus please review the detour map as posted to the Construction Detour Maps site (maintained by MSU’s Engineering & Architectural Services Dept).

Here is a page of other campus maps and surrounding area maps if you’re new to the E. Lansing/ MSU area: http://www.msu.edu/maps/index.html

If you have any questions or get lost the day of the tour pls. feel free to call cell phone: 517/706-9244

Before the day of the tour call the shop number: 517/432-3400.

Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Tim

PS:  There are no dirt roads on our routes, so road bikes/ touring bikes are ideal for our Tour.


MSU FARM DAZE TOUR


Typical farm scene on the MSU Farm Daze Tour (taken during our volunteer & friends ride, 2007; click pic for more. Some pics of new routes and rest-stop included)

Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual Farm Daze Tour on Saturday May 17th, 2008. This the main fund-raiser for MSU Bikes.

This tour will start and end at the MSU Agricultural Pavilion, (4301 Farm Lane Rd, East Lansing, MI). Click here for a map (PDF, 1.5mb) ; here's an interactive map to the Ag Pavilion; this is our starting/ending location which gives us indoor registration. We'll then meander south thru the MSU farm areas and surroundings down to Leslie (100 km route). We've made a few route changes as well as a new rest stop for this year which we think will make for a more enjoyable tour. Showers are also available. Voucher tickets will be provided for a hot lunch thru one of the campus cafeterias.

There will be 25, 50, 75 and 100 kilometer routes. A registration form is available here (Word doc) and a general flyer for posting in your place of work or local bike shop is here.  

The registration fee is $30 for adults, $20 for youth and $60 for a family of four or more.

A t-shirt is available for pre-order and the day of the tour. On-site registration will be accepted from 8:00 to 10:00 am and you can start riding between 8 & 10 am. You'll get a map of the route of your choice the day of which will have an emergency phone number for you to call if you need road-side assistance from one of our SAG vehicles.


Payment:
Payment can be made via check (made out to "MSU") or credit card (Visa/ MC) over the phone or cash (in store).




Directions:

This tour will start and end at the MSU Agricultural Pavilion, (4301 Farm Lane Rd, East Lansing, MI). Click here for a map (PDF, 1.5mb) ; here's an interactive map to the Ag Pavilion. For out of town participants we recommend exiting 496 via the Jolly Rd. exit , then head east to Collins Rd., then north to Forrest Rd. (Collins becomes Forrest Rd. as it curves to the east), then over to Farm Ln. Rd.; north on Farm Ln. to the Ag Pavilion. Another good option: exit 496 via the Trowbridge exit, turn south on Harrison and then east on Mt. Hope Rd. to Farm Ln. Rd., then south to the Ag Pavilion. You should also review the detour map for the Farm Ln. construction project as posted to the Construction Detour Maps site (maintained by MSU’s Engineering & Architectural Services Dept).


Parking:

Please park in the lot to the north of the facility (to your right as you enter from Farm Ln. Rd.). Come inside the main entrance facing North for registration, showers, etc.

Needing Volunteers:

If you're willing to help out the day of the tour with registrations, SAG driver, rest-area helper, etc. please let us know via email or phone: 517/432-3400.



Listen to some Happy Farm Daze Tourists!

Check out a nice short podcast (MP3 format) interview of Farm Daze 2005 tourists and BP volunteers by Darryl Wattenberg, the founder of the Michigan Cycling Podcast.

Check out the Mar. 20, 2006 broadcast with a blurb about the Farm Daze Tour 2006.

For more the latest information, bookmark and check this web page again. The contact person is Tim Potter at: bikes@msu.edu or 517-432-3400 during MSU Bikes Service Center hours.

The MSU Bikes is a university department dedicated to transforming recycled bicycles into a fun, economical, environmentally friendly and healthy transportation alternative for the MSU campus community. We're a division of MSU Transportation services, within the Michigan State University Physical Plant. In addition to a full range of bicycle repair services our aim is to recycle abandoned/ donated bicycles by repairing them to make them available for the campus community and reduce the waste stream of the University.