The Rec Center has experienced an increase in bike rentals from students and members of the fitness center due to the nice weather.
“As soon as the first day of warm weather came, almost all of the bikes we had were gone,” said Alex Burgazzoli, Rec Center facility manager. “Any nice day really, they’re all gone by the first couple of hours the building is open.”
The Rec Center offers a free bicycle rental service on a first come, first serve basis throughout  its daily hours of operation.
“You just come in, we take down your information, and then you can rent the bike, but they are due back before 7:30 p.m.,” Burgazzoli said. “They are not overnight rentals, so basically just lock up the bike and bring it back in one piece.”
Sophomore Kiesha Bowman said renting bikes is a fun thing to do in the spring.
“We’ve been cooped up in our rooms all of this time because it was winter,” Bowman said. “Now it is spring and we get to enjoy everything: the weather, our friends, the air and the environment.”
Sophomore Marcus Stephenson, communication disorders major, said he tries to rent a bike every day it is sunny.
“Every sunny day I usually rent a bike,” Stephenson said. “If it’s a nice day and I don’t want to be cooped up on campus, I just rent a bike, ride around town and see what’s happening in Huntington.”
The bike rental service is for students who do not have a means of transportation.
Burgazzoli said in order to rent a bike students just have to show their Marshall I.D.
“Some students don’t have bikes,” Stephenson said. “This is a great opportunity so we don’t have to be stuck on campus. Also, some people don’t have cars or gas so they like that the bikes are free. You just have to have that leg work.”
Burgazzoli said it is important to give the students an easy way to stay healthy.
“We feel it is important to offer an easy accessible way to stay healthy, to be outdoors and to just allow our students to go beyond just coming to the Rec Center,” Burgazzoli said. “They are able to take the bikes off campus and go further out into the community.”
Students expressed a few aspects of the bike service they would like to see change.
“You have to turn the bikes back in before 7:30 p.m., but I like to ride bikes at nighttime as well,” Stephenson said. “So I think maybe they should look into extending the hours until later.”
Sophomore Charles Johnson said he thinks they should have other types of bikes aside from mountain bikes.
The Rec Center will continue to provide this service for the remainder of spring and throughout summer and fall.
Nichole Henderson can be contacted at [email protected].