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.
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.
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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