Try a different kind of cycling
Most people have never ridden a cargo bike. Or an electric bike with any real power to it. Or a tandem with someone they like. These are not bikes most of us grew up with, so most of us do not know whether they would actually work for us.
The Bike Library is our free loan scheme. Borrow one of our bikes, take it home, and give it a proper try, for long enough to find out how it could change the way you get around Worcester. It is also how you find out where you stand when something has changed: a hip, a diagnosis, balance or sight that is not what it was, or simply years off a bike and no idea where to start again.
What’s available to borrow
Cargo bikes for the school run, the tip run, the shopping, or carrying kids. We have two electric cargo bikes, which are a game changer for families with young children and for anyone moving bigger items by bike.
Cargo Bikes
Electric bikes with pedal assist, making longer distances and hilly routes feel completely different. Some come with a spare battery, so you can swap over and keep riding if the main one runs low.
Electric Bikes
Tandems for two people, one bike, same pace, with no steering or balancing needed from the back seat. Good if your sight is limited, or if you would rather not ride alone yet.
Tandems
Trikes for three wheels and no balancing required, which is good if two wheels feel uncertain, if you have lost some mobility, or if you want the shopping carried too.
Trikes
We also have children's seats, tag-alongs, bike racks and other equipment lent separately so they can go on the bike you already own.. The majority of our fleet and accessories have been donated to Bike Worcester, and we are hugely grateful to the Worcester community for their generosity.
How it works
1
Find your ride
Browse the live fleet online and pick a bike or accessory. You can filter by cargo, electric, tandem, trike or accessories.
3
We bring it to you
A volunteer delivers the bike to your home at an agreed time and spends a few minutes going through how it handles and how to lock it. For an electric bike, we will also show you the motor and the battery.
2
Check availability and book
Open the item's availability calendar, choose your dates and tell us when you could take delivery. Loans run for up to two weeks.
4
Ride it, then hand it back
When your loan ends, a volunteer collects the bike from you. Someone else can then borrow it.
Bookings are online at library.bikeworcester.org.uk. You do not need an account, and you do not pay anything.
Good to know
It is free. There is no charge for a loan, and no deposit.
Loans last up to two weeks. We ask you to honour the return date you agree with us, because another booking often follows yours.
We come to you. Delivery and collection are both done by volunteers, so you do not need to get the bike home yourself, and we will go through how it handles before you set off.
Please look after it. Keep the bike safe while it is with you, and tell us promptly if anything is damaged or goes wrong.
Not available when you want it? Ask us to notify you and we will email when the bike is back in the fleet.
Full terms are on the library site's policies page.
Help us keep it running
The library is run entirely by volunteers, and the majority of bikes in it were given to us. If you can offer a few hours to deliver and collect loans, or if you have a bike, trike, tandem or piece of equipment going spare, we would love to hear from you.
Tell us what is missing from the fleet too: we do not have every kind of adaptive bike, and knowing what people ask for is how we decide what to look for next. Get in touch through our contact page or come along to one of our events and say hello.