We provide free loaner bikes...

One of the most popular activities provided by FOCHSP is" Borrow-a-Bike". Here people can borrow a bike to ride within the park and see the sights for up to 2 hours...at no charge! That said, we do gladly accept all donations to help us offset the cost of new bikes, helmets and maintenance.  There is a  secure donation box  on the left front of the Barn.
Since its start in 1997, Borrow-a-Bike has always been operated entirely by volunteers and funded by donations. In 2014, bikes were borrowed by around  13,000 people and  that number  continues to  grow, reaching more than 14,000 in 2019

                       New: Local Bike Shops Support Friends of CHSP Bike Program
 
 
The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park (FOCHSP) Borrow-a-Bicycle program received an early present this year. For twenty-five years, visitors have been able to visit the Bike Barn adjacent to the Nature Center and borrow a free bicycle to tour the Park’s paths. The Bike Barn holds a fleet of forty-four adult bikes, twelve kids’ bikes, and three commercial grade bike trailers.
 The bike fleet has always relied on donated equipment, maintained by the talented bike mechanics who are members of FOCHSP’s all-volunteer Bike Barn Ambassadors group, but these trusty cycles have been showing their age.
 
​FOCHSP has just announced a major upgrade in the fleet. Thirty-one of the adult bikes in the fleet have been replaced with near-new Electra and Sun cruiser bikes. (See below) All bikes are now outfitted with baskets and bike bells. Ian Friedland, the Bike Barn coordinator notes that this upgrade couldn’t have happened without assistance from the wonderful folks at Lewes Cycle Sports, Seagreen Bicycles, and Rehoboth Cycle Sports. All three shops continue to provide outstanding support for the program.
 
Twenty-six of the replaced bikes have moved on to serve a different population. FOCHSP donated them to the Delaware Department of Transportation’s (DelDOT) J1 Bicycle program. This program gives bikes to the foreign students who come and work in local shops and restaurants during the busy summer months.
 
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  Weather Dependent Winter Opening Hours for the Bike Barn  are :  Wednesday  thru Sunday  10 am - 3pm    Bikes can be borrowed for up to 2 hours, again weather permitting, with last bikes out at 2 pm. 
​ All bikes must be returned to the Bike Barn by 2:45 pm. 
Procedures  are in place to ensure safety for our Bike Barn volunteers and visitors. This includes restricting access to the Bike Barn buildings – visitors pick up and return bikes and helmets outside the Bike Barn.
 
Borrowers must complete the form provided inside the Nature Center, and leave a photo-ID there for up to 5 riders, prior to picking up bikes. 
      Groups larger than 10 must  email or call us at least a week in  advance to schedule your  requirements.   
     FOCHSP@gmail.com   302-858-6127
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• All riders under 18 must wear helmets.
•  at least one responsible adult  must accompany children in each group
• Orange cones will be placed at 6-foot intervals; groups must stay at the next available cone until it is their turn to pick up bikes.
• Bikes will be available for pickup at the bike racks located between the Nature Center and Bike Barn.
• Bikes and helmets are to be returned on the opposite side of the Bike Barn.
• Bikes must stay on trails and in the Park at all times
• Bikes must be returned within 2 hours, but no later than 2:45 p.m.
• Please check back here regularly as days and hours of operation may be subject to change

 

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The Story of Borrow-A- Bike

The Borrow-A-Bike program began with a plan in 1997 and has always been operated by volunteers. In 1999, a $3,000 grant from The Delaware Bicycle Council enabled the purchase of 15 bikes that were housed in a shed built by the Lion’s Club. Additional donations — including $1,000 from Dupont — increased the program to 35 bicycles operated from a new shed supplied by the Friends. The current "Bike Barn"  which stands next to the Nature Center was built from scratch in 2009 by Friends volunteers under the leadership of Stan Lemiska, Chuck Moore, and Carl Lofgren. Today, the program includes  more than 40 adult  bicycles, including 2 with baby carriers, 12 children’s bicycles, and  2 double baby trailers.  Due to the  popularity of the program a second  Bike Barn has recently  been built  behind the existing one. This will also  free up much needed space  for the ongoing maintenance  and repairs of the bikes.

 Interested in Volunteering? 

We always need  volunteers to  act as "ambassadors"  who help  our visitors select the right bike for their needs, and/or  as mechanics to service and make running repairs  to our fleet.   If you would like to volunteer and want to know more about what is involved  please stop by the Barn  which is next to the Nature Center anytime we are open ,  or  go to "contact us" on this site and   call or email us.  You will receive a very warm welcome to our group for however much or little time you are able to give.
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