Station located on Tomorrow River State Trail
By Holly Neumann
A bike repair station, located at the Tomorrow River State Trail trailhead just off of State Highway 49 in Scandinavia, is the first of its kind for Waupaca County.
Ann Casamassa of the Waupaca County Parks and Recreation Department said the idea came from Greg Loescher of Bike Iola, who approached the county.
“A few years ago, I noticed one of these stations at a bar in Wausau frequented by bicyclists,” Loescher said. “Then two years ago, the City of Wausau installed several around town, including one at the Weston YMCA, where the Wausau Wheelers bike club starts most of their weeknight bike rides.”
Loescher then brought the idea to the county.
“We have a lot of road bikers coming through due to the great quiet backroads in the area, as well as challenging hills,” he said. “I thought it would be nice to have one of these stations in either Iola or Scandinavia as an amenity to boost bike tourism.”
The repair station contains a wide range of professional quality bike repair tools, including pedal and Allen wrenches, Philips and standard screwdrivers, two steel-core tire levers, headset/pedal wrench, 8/10mm cone wrench, 9/11mm cone wrench, Torx T-25, hex key set and air pump, which are all available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“It is a great resource for visiting and local cyclists,” Casamassa said. “It allows the opportunity for last-minute adjusts and mid-ride repairs for cyclists on the trail or in the area.”
“The tools on the repair station provide enough options to fix many bike problems, providing the person knows how to do some minor repair work,” Loescher said. “A good example is tightening a loose seat or raising/lowering a seat, which can be done using the hex key set attached to the repair station. There are also tire irons to help take tires off to fix flats.”
Bike Iola and the Scandinavia Booster Club each paid half the cost, while the Waupaca County Parks and Recreation Department arranged for the concrete slab and installation of the unit.
“This was a great project for the parks department to be a part of,” Casamassa said. “We hope that the stand is utilized by local residents and visitors as well. The parks department has plans to install a similar stand on the Wau-King Recreational Trail in an area behind Waupaca High School.”
Bike Iola!’s Facebook page has more information on biking activity in the Iola-Scandinavia area.
Loescher said the Tomorrow River State Trail is perfect for families and beginning bikers, as it is flat and has no traffic. Plus, riders can’t get lost.
“The trail can be accessed at trailheads in Manawa, Ogdensburg, Scandinavia, Amherst, Amherst Junction and Plover, where it connects to the Green Circle Trail,” he said. “I recommend starting in Scandinavia and either head east to Ogdensburg or west to Amherst and back, about a 15-mile round trip. Both of these sections are the best part of the entire 29-mile trail.”