Last year, Minneapolis was named the most bike-friendly city in the United States, and for good reason. The City has a year-old bike share program and a network of bike trails, the star of which is the Greenway, a 5.5 mile long former railroad corridor that is now a highway for cyclists and pedestrians. And now we hear about a new company, Bike Fixtation, which offers self-service kiosks that cater to cyclists in need, and just opened its first location, in a Minneapolis transit shelter above the Greenway. 
As it says on the Bike Fixtation website: “Bicycles are incredible tools for transportation and recreation. And of course, they’re a blast to ride. But sometimes you get a flat tire, forget to bring a snack (beware of the bonk!), or need to make a minor adjustment. That’s where Bike Fixtation comes in. Bike Fixtation offers self-service kiosks on an extended-hours basis for bicyclists in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. You can buy a tube or patch kit, pump up your tires for free, and make simple adjustments using supplied tools.”
You can also make other fixes — such as broken lights — and even get some snacks and drinks from the vending machines.
We at the GMTMA think this is a fantastic idea and would love to see these kiosks in our area, because, as you know, making places more bike-friendly is not just about making biking appealing, but it’s also about making biking safe and feasible and easy. What do you think, On the Move readers? Where in our area do you think such kiosks would make the most sense?
For more on Minneapolis’s great bike culture, check out this short Streetfilms movie: http://www.streetfilms.org/major-bike-mojo-in-minneapolis/.