On most Wednesdays, if an EMU student needs a bike repair, Ben Wyse will be in front of the Campus Center with his tools, ready to help. A graduate of EMU, Wyse owns his own business, “Wyse Cycles,” and occasionally teaches a bike mechanic class at EMU. Additionally, Wyse volunteers throughout the community, and, when the weather is nice enough to work outside, provides weekly help to the students and staff of EMU right here on campus.
EMU’s emphasis on sustainability, as well as the number of bikers around campus, make EMU an ideal place for Wyse to set up shop. “While I like riding for recreation, my real passion lies with riding for transportation,” Wyse said. “Most of the EMU cyclists commute around campus and town, even if they are also recreational cyclist[s]. This makes the EMU community a good fit for ‘Wyse Cycles.’ Riding bike for transportation is a tangible way to express our commitment to peace, environmental care, and a healthy community.”
This convenience is appreciated by first-year Jake Myers. “Ben Wyse does quality work, along with sharing how to do some easy maintenance of my own,” Myers said. “He works with the college schedule and provides services on campus.”
However, what really sets Wyse apart, junior Kyle Good will attest, is his compassion for the people who he interacts with and the world around him. “Ben was and continues to be a mentor for me in many ways,” Good said. “Perhaps the most impactful way has been seeing how what he believes about the world translates directly to how he lives. Ben cares deeply about people and relationships, he’s more than a mechanic. He seeks to treat people right; fixing bikes is just one aspect of this in his life.” Along with being a moral standard for Good, Wyse has also taught him bike maintenance, as a way to share his knowledge, while still keeping his services affordable for financially struggling college students.
These relationships don’t just impact students. “I enjoy many things about relating to EMU students,” Wyse said. “It is fun to have conversations that range to topics that extend far beyond the bicycle. My friendships with EMU students who ride bike often last long after they have graduated.”
This month, Wyse was recognized for his outstanding work when he was named “Best Bike Mechanic of the Blue Ridge” in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine’s eighth annual “Best of the Blue Ridge Awards” contest. Additionally, Wyse’s business will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary this April, and he will be selling new bikes for the first time this year.
