County offers free use of bikes

Got a hankering to read but no spare change? Head to the library.

Got a hankering to ride but no bike? Head to Redmond.

Marymoor Park has become the home base for 20 bright-blue bicycles available for free public use on the city's array of trails.

The Eastside city is among eight areas around the country — Baltimore; Dallas; Pittsburgh; Provo, Utah; Orange County, Calif.; Villa Park, Ill.; and Rockmart, Ga. — to get free bikes in a new program sponsored by Dasani bottled water and the Rails to Trails Conservancy. The goal is to get more people riding.

"We're stoked," said Tom Teigen, partnerships and enterprise initiatives manager for King County's parks department. "I think it's going to catch on."

Nearly 50 people had registered yesterday, the program's second official day, Teigen said. Several were cyclists who have bikes of their own but were glad to learn of a way to encourage their bike-novice friends to join them, he said.

Want to borrow a bike? First, visit the park's maintenance headquarters (a brown cottage at the first right after entering from West Lake Sammamish Parkway) with a photo ID that shows you are 18 or older. Park staff will issue a plastic card you'll later swipe at blue-bike lockers outside the park's velodrome. So long as you have ID, it doesn't matter where you're a tourist or a resident — one registrant hails from Alaska.

The bikes are one-speed cruisers, with comfy seats, fenders, wide handlebars and coaster brakes. They come in two sizes and have adjustable seats.

Helen Gonzales, who works for the county parks department business and finance office, beamed as she pedaled along the Marymoor Trail in yesterday's sunshine.

"That's the first time I've been on a bike in years," Gonzales said, remembering a similar blue bike she had as a kid.

And remember, it's B.Y.O.H. — bring your own helmet. They are required in King County, Teigen said.

Teigen said the program may add children's bicycles in the future, after the county gauges the popularity of the initial bikes.

Marymoor Park is located at 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E. in Redmond. For more information, call 206-205-3661.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com