Uneasy Rhetoric

But only because it’s located in a quaint shack next to the Brickhouse Gallery in Oak Park, and it was 97 degrees outside. I took some time this afternoon to check out the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen’s grand opening fête.

It sounds like the goal is to make the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen a kind of co-op where people can drop in and use the available tools to make repairs to their bike (small fee, certainly a lot less than a shop). In addition, there will be classes like basic maintenance (do you know how to fix a flat?), and an earn-a-bike program.

Their mission statement is, like all community-group mission statements, a bit of a mouthful, but you’ll get the point:

Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen is a community-centered bike shop in Oak Park run by volunteers with the focus of providing low-cost, alternative transportation for Sacramentans. By providing affordable bicycles and classes, we promote cycling as transportation and bring empowerment to members by enabling self-sufficiency through knowledge of bicycle maintenance.

It’s a good idea.