Cycling services you need — for free
LEXINGTON, Ky (Sept. 29, 2022) — Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library (WWBL) is University of Kentucky’s own bicycle shop, offering free bike repair services for students, staff and faculty.
Wildcat Wheels is located on north campus on the first floor of Blazer Dining. Fall semester hours are 2-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with morning services available by appointment. The shop is manned by knowledgeable students who can assist and teach bicycle maintenance and repair. Gently used parts are available in exchange for volunteer time.
If you didn’t bring a bike to campus this fall, but think you could benefit from one, consider the shop’s free bike check-out options for both short and long-term use. While many of the long-term rental options are now full for this semester, you could still take advantage of weekly check-outs or departmental bikes.
If you have your own personal bike on campus but are having maintenance problems, Wildcat Wheels student mechanics can assist while you learn to fix your bike.
Individuals who wish to work on their own bikes can also do so by utilizing the university’s numerous DIY Fix-It stations, located throughout campus. These stations offer a variety of basic bike tools and air pumps. See this page for a list of DIY Fix-It locations.
If you need to purchase bike parts in a pinch, take advantage of a bike parts vending machine located just inside the entrance to Wildcat Wheels. The machine is stocked with brake pads, shift cables, road caliper pads, bike chains, brake cables, bicycle tubes and bar tape, among other cycling essentials. The vending machine accepts all major credit cards and is accessible from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
“Wildcat Wheels is our legacy bicycle program at UK,” said Sandra Broadwill, alternative transportation manager for UK Transportation Services. “This fall is the 18-year anniversary of the program and providing access to free transportation for the campus community. We’re excited to see it continue to grow and serve a new generation of students.”
For more details about Wildcat Wheels and UK’s bicycle programs, visit the Transportation Services website and sign up for Bicycle e-news. You can also follow Wildcat Wheels on Facebook.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.