As the pedals turn, RamBikes helps drive sustainability at VCU

By Amelia Heymann

On a humid May morning, bike technician Rowan Leary had their hands full in the RamBikes repair shop on West Broad Street. They and a colleague were giving new life to bicycles that would soon be welcomed by new legs.

These bikes had been abandoned around the Virginia Commonwealth University campus, and they were now being prepped for deployment to Camp Spokes, a free day camp for middle and high school girls.

Leary, with fingers covered in grease, smiled at the notion. They have been involved with RamBikes since their undergraduate days at VCU, and seeing their handiwork - renewed wheels - rolling across campus remains a thrill.

"It's really rewarding having that direct connection with the people that you're helping," Leary said.

RamBikes is much more than a repair shop. It's a multifaceted program - with rentals, workshops and other services - that promotes bicycling as a transportation option on and around campus for students, staff and faculty. It's at the foundation of why VCU has been named a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists since 2012, with a gold ranking since 2020 (the first university in Virginia to achieve this status).

And as the Camp Spokes riders will show, RamBikes is a key component of VCU's commitment to sustainability.

"Having a bikeable campus - that's a really visible, tangible way to embed sustainability into our One VCU culture," said Sara Barton, director of VCU Sustainability. "We just adore RamBikes. They are the best - it's a unique resource to have their breadth of services. You can start really from zero as far as biking expertise."

The One VCU Sustainability Plan was adopted in 2024 as a first-of-its-kind plan for VCU to embed sustainability throughout the academic and health system realms. A bicycle-friendly campus is an engaging element in line with the goals set by the plan, one that mixes fitness with community exploration.

"It's nice to enjoy your commute somewhere. … It makes for happier people who are also more aware of their surroundings," said Sera Erickson, sustainable transportation manager for VCU Parking and Transportation, where the program is housed. "A city is like a breathing thing, and if you're biking on the road, you get to really enjoy your city."

Bikes that are abandoned around campus are given a second chance through RamBikes. This bicycle is being prepped for deployment to Camp Spokes, a free day camp for middle and high school girls. (Amelia Heymann, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

According to VCU Sustainability, combined emissions of student, faculty and staff commuting for fiscal year 2025 was the equivalent of more than 19,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or nearly 13% of VCU's total greenhouse gas emissions.

"While bike commuting is not feasible for all commuters, safer and more abundant bike infrastructure on an around campus could encourage bike commuting and reduce our commute-related emissions," Barton said.

Erickson added that VCU, as an urban campus, can play a lasting role in encouraging alternative modes of transportation, as habits formed during a student's college years can endure. As an example, she said students who engage with active transportation like walking, biking and using the bus are more likely to do so as they enter the workforce. She added they are also more likely to experience increased well-being.

To support the bicycling habit at VCU, RamBikes offers classes on how to ride as well as rentals, repair workshops and a website filled with local resources. It also offers a creative, engaging way for someone to get a new set of wheels: Students can volunteer for 25 hours at a food justice, sustainability or bike-related organization in order to earn a bike. They choose from the collection of models that had been abandoned on campus and refurbished by RamBikes.

"People get a bike, maybe they decide they don't like it, they don't want it … who knows," Erickson said of the abandoned models.

She noted that while abandoned bikes on campus used to be a much larger issue, it still happens. Last year, staff tagged 60 bikes - which starts a 10-day clock for owners to reclaim them - and then cut 45 from the racks where they had been left. Owners have 120 days to pick up their property, but most bikes are never reclaimed.

"Probably like three people out of 50 might come and say, 'Hey, where's my bike?' Maybe even less some years," Erickson said. "So, what do we do with those bikes then?"

While about half of the bikes collected need to be thrown out due to damage, RamBikes has found several sustainable outlets for the others. Some are allocated to a free bike program, others are donated to nonprofits such as Rag & Bones (which operates Camp Spokes).

RamBikes is a multifaceted program - with rentals, workshops, repairs and other services - that promotes bicycling as a transportation option on and around campus for students, staff and faculty. (Amelia Heymann, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

"We wanted to use it as an opportunity to do more sustainability activity," Erickson said of the reclamation initiative.

RamBikes also wants to sustain its progress on other fronts. In addition to continued collaboration with campus partners such as the Outdoor Adventure Program with Recreation and Well-Being, it works with academic classes to help promote bikes. And with a long-term eye toward achieving Platinum status with the League of American Bicyclists, it hopes that VCU and Richmond can improve bicycling infrastructure in the city.

Follow RamBikes on Instagram for the latest biking community updates and future workshops you can attend.