Need help getting an old rig up and running, cobbling together a ride-worthy steed, or learning how to repair your fancy racing bike? Well, if you live in Los Angeles, the Bicycle Kitchen has just the recipe.
The Bicycle Kitchen is not just another bike shop. It’s a nonprofit venture that teaches people how to fix their own bikes. For the ludicrously low suggested donation of $7 per hour, customers get access to a bike stand and tools as well as oversight and assistance from a knowledgeable staff. A mixture of new and used components is on hand for bikes in need of more serious overhauls.
The Yelp business review of the Bicycle Kitchen is chock full of stories of non-mechanically inclined people receiving expert guidance and spinning off on their revamped rides in no time, loaded with a sense of accomplishment.
The Bicycle Kitchen subsists on donations – bikes, parts, and money. Their policy is never to turn away a cyclist in need; the staff is all-volunteer and the prices are suggested donations. A low-budget repair facility is a boon to all would-be bikers. The Bicycle Kitchen represents much more. They’re located in Los Angeles, the car-centric sprawl capital of the world. The Kitchen makes it easy for people to get onto a functional bicycle for really short money, and their on-hand mechanics teach cyclists how to keep on cruising.
The Kitchen’s open on weeknight evenings (closed Friday) and noon to six Saturday through Monday. Monday night, dubbed “Bicycle Bitchen,” is reserved for “women and trans-gendered folks only.” Their phone number – appropriately enough – is (323) NO-CARRO.
Photos via flickr by Pirate Scott & Champion of Cheese
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