WE-cycle reopening upvalley stations on Tuesday

One of the Roaring Fork Valley’s primary sources of “multi-modal” transportation is about to make its seasonal return upvalley, particularly in downtown Aspen and Snowmass Village. 

WE-cycle, the bicycle ride-sharing program, has begun the process of returning the free bikes to the streets of the two towns.

The bikes are removed from the upvalley stations in the winter due to snow and snow removal equipment; often, snow is piled from the road onto absent WE-cycle stations. 

Once the winter season comes to an end, those stations are reinstalled, which some people might have already noticed around town. The stations are currently empty, but WE-cycle plans to open them back up for business on Tuesday, April 29. 

The bikes, once in full warm season operation, get pulled from rotation and serviced monthly to ensure they are always operational during the busy season. When issues arise, riders can alert WE-cycle to the issue by pressing a red button with a wrench icon on the station that the bike is returned to. 

WE-cycle was started for the express purpose of serving as “last-mile” transportation within the Roaring Fork Valley, enabling commuters within the valley to use Roaring Fork Transportation Authority buses and then quickly make it to their destinations without lengthy walks. 

The ridesharing platform operates as a nonprofit and is funded primarily with public and private partnerships. The catalyzing partnership and one that continues to be integral to the operation of the ride-sharing program is with RFTA. 

According to Cofounder and Executive Director of WE-cycle Mirte Mallory, the partnership aligns perfectly with WE-cycle’s mission to service the last mile of Roaring Fork Valley commuters’ and visitors’ travel, with bike stations servicing major bus stops in the valley and housing locations, shopping locations, as well as common recreation spots. 

“We have three dozen partners as part of a public-private partnership,” said Mallory. “It is critical to who we are at WE-cycle. We are founded on the idea that we can collectively make a difference, one pedal stroke at a time.”

In the 13 years that WE-cycle has been operating in the valley, it has expanded to 100 stations with a total 587 bikes. In 2024, it had over a quarter of a million rides from 12,000 unique riders. 

It is currently expanding its Snowmass Village presence from two to eleven stations, from the mall to RFTA bus stops. According to Mallory, the new stations between the Rodeo Lot and Snowmass Mall will all be traversable with less than a 30-minute ride, meaning you can get from the popular bus stop to the Snowmass Mall for no charge. 

“We have tested the e-bikes on Snowmass’ bike paths and on its topography, and you will be able to ride between the 11 stations in Snowmass within 30-minutes,” she said. 

All the stations in Snowmass, new and old, will be open for riders the week of May 5.