Four sleek bike racks have been installed and a fleet of new white bikes sponsored by Zimmer Biomet – the basis for a new community bike program – have been delivered.

On Monday, representatives of Zimmer Biomet and community leaders will unveil the new bikes as well as the concept to the community Monday during ribbon-cuttings at two of the bike stations.

The program is run through an app with Zagster, which signed a three-year contract with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce.

Zimmer Biomet provided seed money for the project. Trailhouse Village Bikes in the Village At Winona has agreed to provide maintenance for the bikes.

In exchange, Zimmer Biomet’s name appears on the bikes.

One rack is at Boggs Industrial Park West, near the Masonic Lodge and several Zimmer Biomet facilities. Another is just west of Warsaw Community Public Library and two are in Winona Lake: one along Park Avenue near SYM Financial and another at the Gordon Rec Center.

After registering with Zagster, users can unlock a bike by going to the website, finding a bike number for a bike at a specific bike rack and unlock it with a code number provided by the website.

The bikes come with a self-locking mechanism when bikers either drop off the bike at a rack or take an intermittent break. Users are expected to drop off the bike at one of the four racks.

Users can either sign up for annual membership for $25 for adults and $15 for students or they can pay each time they use the bike at a rate of $1 per 30 minutes.

For members, trips under an hour are free.

Numerous online companies offer community bike programs, but Chamber President Rob Parker said they chose Zagster because of their network and ease to do business with.

Zagster has more than 200 similar programs in 34 other states. In Indiana, Zagster has similar services in  Carmel, Huntington, Fort Wayne and Valparaiso, among others.



[[In-content Ad]]

The bike program is another step in a series of moves aimed to make Warsaw a more bike-friendly community.

The idea was initially proposed by the Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake Committee.

The cooperative venture between Zimmer Biomet, Trailhouse Village Bikes and Zagster is providing the chamber with a program to tout without any additional cost to the chamber. “It’s about getting people out and experiencing the joy of walking, running and biking,” Parker said.

“From an economic development point of view, when we get people to slow down, ride bikes more, where do they spend their money?” Parker asked. “Local stores.”

Zimmer Biomet’s sponsorship is an effort to encourage bicycling as an easy transportation option, an enhancement of health and wellness, and a sense of community and camaraderie, the company said in a news release.

The program has the full support of Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer and Winona Lake Town Manager Craig Allebach, who is a member of the bike committee.

“Zimmer Biomet’s investment in bicycling in Warsaw plays a central role in making our community a healthier and more sustainable place to live,” Thallemer said.

“We are excited to implement the Zimmer Biomet-branded bicycles to further enhance our increasingly bicycle-friendly community.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Monday morning at the bike rack near the Warsaw library.

On Friday, the bikes will be used to kick off an annual ride that marks the beginning of the weekend-long Fat & Skinny Tire Festival at the Village At Winona Lake. That event begins at 5 p.m.