The Somerville Bike Kitchen invite all cyclists to come and learn a few things about bike maintenance.

By Emmett Biewald

The Somerville Bike Kitchen is a volunteer-run bike cooperative open to anyone with an interest in learning about their bicycle. The space is located on 15 Properzi Way in Somerville, and hosts walk-in shop nights twice a week. These open shop nights are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The SBK was founded in 2015 and has since been providing tools as well as information to people who come in looking to fix a bike.

The term “bike kitchen” is not an exclusive term to Somerville, rather it’s a trend that describes a community bike workshop. This model of bike repair strays away from the typical bike shop because it is based in collaboration as opposed to a monetary transaction. The Somerville Bike Kitchen is a fantastic example of this community atmosphere as a product of cooperation. Visitors are welcome to bring their own bikes and work with staff members to conduct improvements to the bike. Instructions from staff are verbal for the most part as they promote the process of fixing your own bike.

Ace Young has been volunteering at the Bike Kitchen since 2019 and has been part of the staff since 2020. When asked about the benefit of the DIY model of bike repair, Young said “Someone could pay a shop a bunch of money, well earned money for what it’s worth, to do one thing. Or they get to come here and have the experience of figuring it out themselves.”

That DIY experience can really be felt by anyone who walks into the shop on a Tuesday or Thursday night. According to their website, the SBK hosts about 200 people per month during walk-in nights. Another advantage of the SBK is the level of accessibility to tools and equipment. A staff member mentioned that they have access to some machinery that cannot be found at most bike repair shops.

But where does the money come from for all of this? Currently, a large portion of their funding comes from grants and has helped propel the SBK to new heights. For a majority of its history, it was run solely on donations. An optional contribution of $10 an hour is a welcomed but not required expense for guests at the Bike Kitchen. In terms of staff, there are no full-time employees at the volunteer run co-op. This may slowly be starting to change. As Young puts it, “We are starting to dabble into paying some staff members for certain tasks, so we’ll see how that works out.”

The most striking takeaway from visiting the Bike Kitchen is the incredible community aspect. So many conversations are always occurring at once between staff members and guests at the shop. Hannah Goldberg has been involved at the Bike Kitchen for about a year and a half, and joined partly for the opportunity to meet people.

“The whole idea is that everybody is going to be learning, and we’re going to learn together,” Goldberg said while noting that the volunteers come from varying levels of experience. She mentioned that some had been mechanics professionally, and some had almost no experience with bikes at all. That’s what so many people love about the Bike Kitchen.

Learn more at https://somervillebikekitchen.org/.