UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Austin Boyle’s regular workday begins with commuting to Penn State's University Park campus on his bike. An assistant teaching professor of economics, Boyle has been a bike commuter since 2006 when he was a graduate student and rides in any weather (except for very snowy or icy days). 
 
“Riding into work every morning gets me ‘pumped up’ for my day without needing a cup of coffee, and it’s a good way to get some activity in without having to worry about when I’ll be able to squeeze it into my schedule,” Boyle said. 
 
In graduate school, he worked as a mechanic at his friend’s bike shop and volunteered to teach others how to repair or upgrade their bike rather than throw it out and buy a new one. 
 
Since November, Boyle has applied his experience with biking and bike maintenance as a volunteer at Penn State’s Bike Den. 
 
“I worked in a similar capacity in grad school, and teaching people how to fix things in our ‘throw away culture’ is a great way to keep usable bikes that might just need a quick repair out of landfills,” he said. 
 
Bike Den volunteers offer their time to help visitors diagnose problems, walk them through bike maintenance, and run monthly clinics that range from topics like bike chain maintenance to tires. 

The Bike Den is currently looking for volunteer cyclists who are comfortable helping others work on their bikes. 
 
Some volunteer perks include access to volunteer-only hours of workshop use, priority reservations of educational workshops, and a free Bike Den T-shirt. 
 
Boyle says to those who are on the fence about becoming a volunteer, “Volunteering may look good on a resume and help you stand out from the competition by being an interesting experience that others don’t have. Just try it to see if you like it. You’ll meet some great people and have fun helping others.” 

The Bike Den, which is open 1 to 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is located on the ground level of the West Deck at West Campus. 

For Penn State students, employees and community members interested in volunteering, visit the Bike Den’s website for a volunteer form or email biking@psu.edu.