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Get Ready To Pedal Away Thanks To The Bike Library

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The City of Golden kicked off it's second season at the Golden Bike Library on Thursday. At the popular bike sharing program, bikes are free for the first two hours at the new Golden Bike Library and then just $10 for the entire day.

Dozens of bicycles are available to check out at the new bike barn behind the Golden Visitor's Center at 1010 Washington Avenue, right on the Clear Creek bike path.

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Hours are Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. through 3 p.m., plus there's a key drop box that will allow bikes to be returned after hours.

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Last year during the first year of the Golden Bike Library, bicycles were rented out more than 1,600 times. Golden added even more bikes this season.

All you need is a credit card and ID, and your signature on a waiver for damages and you can be on your way. On one credit card you can check out bikes for you and your whole family or a group of friends.

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If you want to ride longer than two hours, you can rent for the day for $10.

All bikes come with a lock, plus they give you a reusable water bottle and loan you an adjustable bike helmet.

Why is it such a bargain? The city got a federal grant to fund the program.

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Unlike Denver's B-cycle bike share with all the same three-gear cruiser bikes, Golden's includes children's bikes and lightweight bikes geared to multiple sizes so you can cruise through town or tackle the foothills and mesas.

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The Golden Bike Library (credit: CBS)

The Clear Creek path through town can take you past the flagship Coors Brewery and downstream to Wheat Ridge, or you can pedal uphill into the canyon where in just a mile or two it looks you're in the wild with the city life far behind.

Golden has 24 miles of interconnected trails.

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A growing number of Colorado cities and towns have joined the bike sharing craze since Denver launched its first in the nation B-cycle program in 2010 after a test run during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Boulder B-cycle pedaled into action the following year, and Fort Collins and Aspen added programs in the past two years.

The city of Westminster will roll out its bike sharing plan July 17.

For more information, visit www.goldenbikelibrary.com.

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