Hello MN Cargo Bike Library friends,
We’ve got some great updates for you below.
- MCBL In the Press
- Program Updates: August Bookings + Orientations
- Program Reminders
- Upcoming Events
MCBL In the Press
Did you catch us mentioned in the recent Pioneer Press article on cargo bikes? Or in the recent Streets.MN podcast? Or in the Mill City Times? We also got a little shout out in the notes on this awesome new e cargo bike guide from Wirecutter! Thanks to everyone for helping us increase awareness about our program.
We are actively applying for grants to hopefully help us expand to other cities in the years to come. If you have any leads/ideas for funding opportunities or locations, please reach out via our contact form. If you want to volunteer with any of our current branches, please let us know! It’s a great way to make a difference and meet awesome people.
August Bookings Now Open
Our August bookings are now open to everyone who has completed an orientation (in 2025 or 2026). If you are signed up for our July or August orientations in Minneapolis, you’ll get access to book bikes on our site following your orientation.
Please note: We now have over 160 people in our program! To ensure we have enough bikes (and weeks in the year) available for everyone to borrow at least one before we close up for the winter, we will not be hosting any additional orientations in Minneapolis this year. Rochester, however, will have another orientation (for Rochester residents) on Tuesday, August 18th. Check our orientation page later this week for the registration link (we’re still finalizing some details).
The bikes listed below are available this month and are listed within the new branches pages, allowing you to more clearly see which bikes live at which branch locations. If you are having any trouble using your account, please reach out so we can help.
Please be sure to closely read over the description of the bike (scroll down on the bike page) you’re looking at to ensure it will fit you, your needs and your schedule re: check in/out days.
Program Reminders
To protect our volunteer capacity to run the program, please do NOT book a bike if you are not able to check it out during the designated check out window. You can see the check in/out times on each branch page: Lyndale, Brackett, Rochester.
We do not have volunteer capacity to offer custom/rescheduled check in/out times, so if you’re not able to be there at that time we will need to cancel your borrow and reschedule for another week. Check in/out is rain or shine (as long as there’s not lightning/severe weather/dangerous AQI). If your schedule changes at any point prior to your loan, you can cancel your booking directly through our website, or email us for help.
As a reminder, all bikes need to be transported by riding them to/from our locations – we do not allow members to transport bikes in a car (for safety and liability reasons), so please plan to walk, take transit, get a ride from a friend, or use bikeshare. OR – if you have a folding bike, most of our bikes can easily transport a folding bike in the cargo area with some straps!
For safety reasons, we do not permit members to install or uninstall accessories on the bikes (like child seats). We can make some limited modifications to install or uninstall kid seats, depending on volunteer availability, but please choose the bike that is set up to most closely fit your needs (based on the photo/description) and reach out to us at info@mcbl.bike ahead of your loan to see if we can help meet any individual needs you have re: different accessories.
If you want to volunteer or have any questions, ideas, feedback for us please don’t hesitate to email us via the contact form on our site or directly at info@mcbl.bike.
Upcoming Events
We hope to see many of you at the following events.
- August Minneapolis Orientation (sold out): Saturday, August 8 @ 3-4pm
- August Rochester Orientation: August 18th, 6-7:30pm (registration coming soon!)
- State Fair Eco Experience Building: August 27-September 7
- Nicollet Open Streets: Saturday, September 26th @ 11am-5pm
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