Apr 01 '06 - 778 W, 4 I - Vote Good + 17 :: Bad - 10 Baking Up Some Fun at East L.A. Bike Oven
Published April 1, 2006 by C.I.C.L.E.
By AG
Upcoming Spoke(n) Art Bike Ride and East L.A. Bike Oven XX Coming Soon! (Details at the bottom)
Baby Krishna gazes down on an eclectic mix of bikes and bikers from his
elevated position as a poster on the garage wall. It’s a brisk
Wednesday night, with a looming threat of a shower or two, but a small
crew of bikers still manage to make their way to the East L.A. Bike
Oven.
Inspired by the energy and the enthusiastic community that sprang up around the Bicycle Kitchen,
East L.A. Bike Oven was founded mostly on a whim by local bicyclist
Josef Bray-Ali. Josef wanted to create a community bike
space for the cyclists that live in and meander through the
streets of Northeast and East Los Angeles, so last Autumn he opened his
garage door to the community.
Opening night consisted of a few
local cyclists hangin' in the single-car-garage huddled around several boxes of
Target wine. A couple of neighborhood kids rolled in on their BMX bikes in desperate need of a fix for their flat tire. Before the recent generous donation of bike
tools from the Bicycle Kitchen, there were very few bike tools with
which to make a repair, and the flat tire got repaired as a result of a
collaborative effort by the bike riders present that night. Bicycle tip
#1: Always carry a healthy stash of tire patches in your tool kit --
sharing tire patches is a good way to make new friends.
E.L.B.O. has matured since opening night, and the garage
now houses a modest collection of bicycles, frames, bike stands,
and in production bicycle projects. And unlike the ‘early days’,
there are plenty of tools to go around to fix the most common of
bicycle ailments. A box of Target’s finest red wine still sits atop a
shelf against a wall -- a broad red-toothed smile awaits those who dare
to depress the button on the plastic spigot. Josef admits, that some
nights a lot more drinking than wrenching goes down -- but hey...
that’s what community building is all about.
Often times Joseph
finds himself doing most of the work, while the rider sits back in a
comfy camping chair enjoying the conversation -- but that’s just
Josef’s natural tendency to want to help out. Joseph is very adept at
wrenching and conversing -- and though he may come off as a kind
of happy go lucky dude, he is very thoughtful, insightful, and well
informed on a variety of topics. So group conversation can easily zip
from bike talk to corporate responsibilty issues in a flash.
E.L.B.O.
happens every Wednesday night from 9:00 to ?? in Highland Park. And now
a couple of the C.I.C.L.E. gals have just been given the keys to the
garage to host a women's repair workshop. Josef was really hoping to do
a women’s repair workshop, again inspired by the Bicycle Kitchen’s
“Bitchen”, so when he made the proposal, a couple of us
just had to volunteer. 
Josef is also helping to organize a monthly art ride -- gallery
hopping on bikes, free wine, free ride, free art, followed up with a
night at the Oven filled with conversation, wine, and a run to the all
night taco truck.
The Deets:
East Los Angeles Bike Oven
130 W Avenue 42
Los Angeles, CA, 90065
ubrayj02(at)yahoo.com
9:00 PM
What’s on hand at the Oven:
Tools
Two bike stands
a Truing stand
Bring
your own parts if you know what you need to repair, limited supplies
are on hand. No bathroom on site, but there is a Jack and the Box on
the corner.
East L.A. Bike Oven XX (coming in May)
OK
chicas... some of the gals from C.I.C.L.E. will be holding a
twice monthly women's repair workshop at the oven on Saturdays. We will be
starting this up in May and will announce the times and the dates very
soon. Cookies, tea and coffee, wrenching and conversation.
Spoke(n) Art Bike Ride
In conjunction with
Second Saturdays NELAart Gallery Night
Saturday, April 8, 7 - 10p
Location TBA (Check back for ride details)
http://nelaart.org
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Hello! great idea! great name! i am looking for nelson. i met him at midnight ridazz. i was told i could contact him throught here. i have some items that might bring a smile to your shop. are you interested? have him reach me through email…
he also mentioned something about being an ARMADILLO. i hope you guys can help.
RIDE-ON,
Adrian
Adrian Iniguez (Email) - May 15 '06 - 16:22
I think we can help you. We’ll email you with the info.Shay (Email) - May 15 '06 - 18:56