An old building in the University of Wisconsin Parking Lot 60 used for years as a public restroom and marked for destruction opened yesterday to serve the UW faculty and student biker community. What is now being called the Bike Annex offers free professional tool checkouts, classes and manuals.

“This is good for people who want to learn how to do bike repairs, and even for those who already know,” Alison Carpenter, UW bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, said. “There are a lot of things like this at other universities, which is kind of how we got the idea.”

According to Carpenter, the annex is possible because of a group of students called Bucky’s Bicycle Ambassadors, a UW Transportation Services program.

“Ambassadors help to promote biking and safety on campus,” Carpenter said, adding that they are present at many events around campus putting on classes, bike tours and teaching others about biking.

Ambassadors also provide UW bikers with maps and route information, do helmet fittings, lead “Get to know Madison by bike” tours and quick bike checks.

For the month of April, the Bike Annex will be open Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. According to Carpenter, the hours may change in upcoming months.

“I think that this is a great thing because if people don’t bike because of cost, this will help a lot,” UW sophomore Natalie Hinck said. Hinck, an avid biker, plans on joining the UW cycling team soon. “[The annex] may get more people into biking who don’t have the tools, which usually are very expensive”

The annex is located in row 5 of Lot 60, which is next to the School of Pharmacy and the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, and is easily accessible from the Lakeshore bike path.

“This is a really good spot because so many people bike down the Lakeshore path,” added Hinck.

The first of many upcoming classes at the annex is called “How to get the best fit for your bike.” The class will be held April 14 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Although tools are offered to the public, bike owners must do any work on their own because bike mechanics are not on staff. Repair manuals are available. Items not provided by the annex include cables, tire tubes and brake pads.

Tools that are available include wrenches, basic hand tools and bike-specific tools.

Interested students can visit www.fpm.wisc.edu/ambassadors for more information about the annex and Bucky’s Ambassadors.