spokeland bike coop in oakland

the garden next to spokeland, chickens included

on a recent trip up to the bay area (which bay area? this one!) i made a stop at one of oakland's bike coops, spokeland. its a beautiful little space on a shared corner with a garden and the art barn, right down the street from donut farm, which is a must if you're a vegan like me.

joven, a former bdp volunteer and bike messenger who now lives in the bay, took me to spokeland. its a pretty low traffic shop, open two days a week plus the first saturday of the month, but its beautifully put together and the volunteers are more than friendly and helpful. bonus: one of them is a semi-pro comic artist.

hopefully when bikes del pueblo gets a space (any day now, fingers crossed, we'll find something) it will be as well put together as the one those fine people at spokeland have put together. if you're even in the east bay spokeland is a must see. 

not a coop but nonetheless a rad shop is recycle bicycle, a used bike shop that allowed us to dig through piles of old parts and borrow tools to hook up our own brakes outside. altogether the bay is a great spot for bikes, not only because its geographically easy to get around, they have great bike lanes, and accessible public transit, but because everywhere you look there are friendly people willing to lend a hand. shoutout to roberto from michoacan who let us borrow his hand pump on the side of the road.

blurry shot of (from right) joven and ladule, loyal bdp mechanics

genius bent spoke+old chain wheel hanging device

yes, their sign is a tile mosaic

update bonus pictures:

joven's old freewheel is missing more teeth than a minor league hockey player

even the coffee up there is all about bikes