Gompei's Gears Bike Share

Gompei's Gears Bike

Gompei’s Gears is a free bike share program for the WPI community. Originally conceived as a student Interactive Qualifying Project (PDF, 3.35MB), this project has gone from theory to an impactful program on the WPI campus.

Registered users may rent a bike for up to 8 hours at a time using the Movatic app. 

Email bikeshare@wpi.edu with any questions, comments or concerns about the program.

CONTACT

Register

To sign up for Gompei's Gears, you must be a WPI student, graduate student, faculty, or staff member, at least 18 years old, and register with an @wpi.edu email address in the Movatic app. Please follow these instructions to join the Gompei's Gears program. The name of the bike share in Movatic is "Gompeis Gears".

Registration Instructions
Movatic App

Bike Rack Locations

Gompei's Gears bikes can be rented from the Quad, Salisbury, Faraday, and Gateway (out of order). Please return the bike to the station you rented it from when you finish the rental - the number on the bike should match the number on the key box. 

Interactive Campus Map

On this page:

CYCLE SAFE: WEAR A HELMET

The most serious injury that you can suffer on a bicycle is one to the head. It's not expensive to invest in a bike helmet, and will definitely be worth your while! 

Find Inexpensive Helmets Here

How Does It Work?

General Use Rules:

  • User must be 18 years of age or older to ride
  • User must be a WPI student, graduate student, faculty, or staff member who is registered for the program
  • Bikes may be checked out for up to 8 hours at a time
  • Do not share your unlock code with anyone

Registration:

Download the Movatic app and follow these instructions! Once you have filled in your credentials (please register with an @wpi.edu email address) and read and accepted both the Liability Form and Terms and Conditions, the Bike Share administrator will accept your user request. From there you are free to enjoy Gompei’s Gears Bike Share!

Checking Out a Bike:

Once you are a registered user of Gompei’s Gears Bike Share, checking out a bike is as easy as four simple steps by logging into Movatic on your phone:

  • Choose the location and bike and receive a code
  • Enter the code to receive the key
  • Unlock the bike
  • Complete pre-ride check and ride on!

(For complete instructions on checking out and returning bikes on Movatic, click here.)

Pre-Ride Check:

As part of using this program all members must check the condition of the bike that they wish to rent. Please follow this simple check list:

  1. Are the tires properly inflated?
  2. Are the tires free-spinning and undamaged?
  3. Do the brakes work?
  4. Is the seat at the right height? (See the FAQs below for help adjusting your seat.)
  5. Is there any other damage?
  6. Did you place the U-lock in its holder?

If everything is in order, ride on! If anything is out of order, use the Bike Share app to report a problem, and check out a different bike.

Returning a Bike:

Bikes must be returned within a maximum of 8 hours. Once you have finished using the bike, return it to the original location where you signed it out. Make sure to secure the bike to the rack with the U-lock, replace the key, and end the rental in the Movatic app. Enjoy the rest of your day! 

Safe Cycling

WPI and the Gompei's Gears Bike Share team take bicycle safety very seriously, and require that our riders do so as well. Below is a short safety video, as well as a list of the most important rules of the road that all cyclists should be aware of. Please carefully review this information before participating in the Bike Share! Information is also available as part of our registration and liability process. The Bike Share Team thanks you for taking your safety seriously, and understanding the risks and rules associated with bicycling and participating in the Gompei's Gears program.

Check out our Gompei’s Gears intro video!

General Bike Safety

  • Ride on pavement (safe for you and the bike). You may not ride “off-road.”
  • We strongly recommend wearing a helmet.
  • Obey all rules of the road (a bike is a vehicle, all vehicle rules apply).
  • Use hand signals when making turns.
  • When riding on road, don’t ride within 3 feet of a parked car. One of the most common bike accidents is being hit by an opening door.
  • Ride one person per bicycle.
  • Don’t overload the basket.
  • Be careful in rainy/icy/sandy conditions (no sharp turns).
  • Always lock bike to bike rack or secure object (and make sure the bike cannot be lifted and removed!).

Rules of the Road

A short summary of key rules of the road for cyclists and motorists is shown below. For an exhaustive list, see MassBike’s summary of bike laws here.

Bicyclist Rights

  • May ride on any public road and on sidewalks outside business districts (unless specifically prohibited)
  • May pass cars on the right
  • May use either hand to signal stops and turns 

Bicyclist Responsibilities

  • Must obey all traffic laws
  • Must use hand signals to stop and turn, if safe to do so
  • Must give pedestrians right of way
  • Must give pedestrians an audible signal when passing

Motorist Responsibilities

  • Must check for passing bicyclists when opening doors
  • Must stay a safe distance to the left of bicyclist when passing
  • If lane is too narrow, motorist must wait until safe to pass
  • Prohibited from making abrupt right turns at intersections after passing a cyclist 
  • Must yield to oncoming bicyclists when making left turns

Sponsors/Donate

Thank you to our sponsors for taking Gompei’s Gears from theory to impact! Initial sponsorship from SGA, GSG, and the Office of Sustainability have allowed us to make this program a reality. 

Gompei's Gears would not exist without the financial support from the following organizations:

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

GRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

WPI OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN SUPPORTERS 

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    Racial & Ethnically Diverse Students

    Questions you may want to consider, research and ask about

    • What are the cultural norms of my host country?
    • Will I experience discrimination in the country I study in? Who can I contact if I do?
    • How is my ethnic group perceived in my host country? What kind of stereotypes are there?
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    • Will my advisors and the Global Experience Office staff understand and help me through any racial or discriminatory incident I may face?

    Content adopted from Diversity Abroad and ASU's Study Abroad Office.

    Resources for more information

     

     

     

    Q: Isn’t WPI on a hill? Will this make bike travel harder?

    A: It sure is! However, there are certain paths around the campus  that avoid steep hills. Intercampus travel (from Daniels Hall to the Library or from the Library to Gateway Park) will mostly avoid those hills.  Furthermore, the bikes in this program are made with internal gearing. What this means is that even at a stand still you can change gear and make travel easier. This is useful if you are stuck at the bottom of a hill and need to shift gear; you can do so without moving!  

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    Video 1 introduces you to patent careers and explains intellectual property terms. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78IhiUfM7zg&list=PLwqvEb2ZqRVgGvovc7jzd0lZVW26Sp5VD

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    Q: What happens if my bike breaks down while I’m riding?

    A: We ask that before every ride you check the bicycle you intend to borrow. That said, things happen. If the bike breaks down mid-ride DO NOT attempt to repair the bike yourself. Visit the Bike Share website to report a problem, and walk the bike back to campus if you can. A Bike Share team member will respond to this report as quickly as possible.  

    Websites for your Internship Search

    Massachusetts Internship Opportunities

    If you’re looking for an internship in Massachusetts, these websites are a good place to start your search.

    Other Internship Opportunities

      Handshake

      Handshake is the Career Development Center’s system for accessing internship, co-op, and job postings along with requesting appointments and accessing additional resources (GoinGlobal, Career Shift, Focus2, Shortlist.me, and more!).  Check out our video tutorials. 

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      All of the resources highlighted below are accessible through the Resources section of Handshake. For help getting started with Handshake, go to their Help Center.

      CareerShift

      You can use CareerShift to create folders to store jobs, companies, and contacts you’d like to use during your career search. You can also use the My Jobs, My Contacts, and My Companies tabs to search for jobs, contacts at particular companies or organizations, and companies you’d like to learn more about.

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      Vault provides detailed information on nearly 5,000 companies in more than 120 industries. Vault also provides extensive information on more than 840 professions. This includes education requirements, skill requirements, salaries, advancement prospects, and more.

      GoinGlobal

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      • The Country Career Guides section includes country-specific information, resources, and tips for finding internships or full-time employment in other countries
      • The USA/Canada City Career Guides section offers career and employment resources for some of the largest cities in North America
      • The Job Postings and Internship Listings section allows you to search for opportunities in the United States and around the world
      • The H-1B Information Section allows international students to search the H-1B database to view companies who have submitted H-1B visa petitions.

      Focus2

      Focus2 guides you through a reliable, intuitive, career and education decision making model to help you choose majors offered at WPI, explore occupations, and make informed career decisions. 

      Focus2 contains five quick self assessments (work interest, personality, leisure, values, and skills) which help you to identify possible careers and majors of interest. To take any of the self assessments:

      • Create a Focus2 account and agree to Focus2 terms and conditions
      • Enter the license code displayed in Handshake.

      Once you’ve taken the assessments, it’s strongly recommended that you schedule an “Focus2 Self Assessments” appointment with a CDC staff member to discuss your results, and learn about additional steps and resources.

      Shortlist.me

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        Configure Google Scholar Settings to Access Library Resources

        Configure your Google Scholar settings to access the full text of library resources whenever you search Google Scholar. 

        1. Go to Google Scholar and into the settings.
        2. Under the Library Links tab, search for: Worcester Polytechnic Institute - FullTextFinder@WPI
        3. Select this choice and save your settings. 

        This will work both on- and off-campus.

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        Identifying where and how to find information
        • Creating an efficient and effective search strategy through the selection of appropriate search tools.
        • Recognizing that there are different search tools with different uses.
        • Identifying a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.
        • Utilizing the features of search tools.
        Q: Can I still use the bike share during breaks/over the summer?

        A: Yes! The bike share will be in operation over summer and fall breaks. However, Gompei’s Gears will be closed after the first snowfall of the winter and will not reopen until the roads are deemed safe, so the program will likely be closed for winter break and will possibly be closed during spring break. 

        Join or Contact Our Team

        In order to keep Gompei’s Gears turning, the WPI Green Team is taking care of bike maintenance and logistics. This means responding to distress signals received through the app and going on weekly bike checkups. If you have a passion for biking or want to take a walk with us to make sure this program rides on smoothly, contact the Bike Share Chair at greenteamexecs@wpi.edu. Have suggestions, comments, questions or concerns about the program? Contact the team at bikeshare@wpi.edu. 

        The Fine Print