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As I return to campus for my sophomore year at Penn State, I arrive with great friends, hobbies, and classes. However, I also arrive with great sadness.

At the end of last year, I fell in love with late-night rides on the Spin bikes parked around the campus. Not only were Spin bikes a great way to get downtown from my dorm, but they also offered the chance for relaxation during a stressful finals week, where I would hop on a bike for 30 minutes to clear my mind.

For those who haven’t taken a Spin bike for a spin, it’s a semi-electric bicycle with a basket on the front. It’s a simple concept but a wonderful experience. You can even see how fast you’re going on its dashboard, which is very helpful when you’re riding down a certain hill by parking lot L83.

We here at Onward State have long been advocates for late-night Spin bike rides, and for good reason. And since Penn State removed the free hours of spinning, we will become advocates for their restoration.

Penn State first introduced free Spin bike hours during COVID-19 when Penn State saw decreased access to CATA buses and tried to provide another form of transportation. Now, however, the bikes are so much more.

Spin bikes have become an opportunity to connect with friends and further forge bonds, spend some time alone and reminisce, and simply have fun. No, bringing back free hours isn’t a great financial deal for the school. But, that doesn’t mean the bikes need to sit, without anyone to ride them, on racks around campus.

Penn State offers plenty of services that students don’t pay for directly, including gym access, library access, and even just watching FS1 in the HUB. The school is happy to provide services that just make life as a Nittany Lion a bit easier. Spin bikes should be added to that list.

My hope as a former rider is that Penn State sees the happiness of its students outweighs the price of a few hours of spinning. Until then, I’ll just hope.

Maybe we’ll all be back to our free late-night spins soon, folks.

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Joe is a freshman journalism major at Penn State. He enjoys yelling into the void over things such as the Philadelphia Union, the United States Men's Nation Team (soccer), Eagles, and Penn State football, alongside whatever else comes to mind. Find (and disagree with him) on Twitter (Joe_Lister21).

Rafanello has signed his fourth professional contract since leaving Penn State after the 2018 season.

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