Every Sunday, volunteers transform a vacant lot in Normal Heights into a community bike shop.
They decorate the lot with dozens of affordable bicycles up for sale. And set up workstations where experienced mechanics teach people how to fix their own bikes. During hot summer months, they cover the lot with tarps and offer locals a cold drink and a place to sit.
“It’s an oasis,” said Kurtis Croft, one of the volunteers. “We even have palm trees.”
Across the region, there are people volunteering their time. Some do the conventional — serving food, donating blood, picking up trash at the beach. Others find more unusual ways to make a difference.
That includes volunteers at Bikes Del Pueblo, a worker-owned co-op that’s trying to make cycling more affordable and accessible to the community. They offer free community workshops aimed at helping locals become self-sufficient cyclists.
“Flat tires are super common,” Croft said. “It’s probably like the number one thing that has a bike sitting in a garage for a year or two.”
On a recent Sunday, he helped someone repair a front brake, taught a few people how to repair flats and helped a little girl get a new pink bike.
“You spend a few Sundays here and you get to meet a lot of people from the neighborhood,” he said.
The little girl with the pink bike was an immigrant from Afghanistan. Her family has only lived in San Diego for six months. All her siblings got free bicycles from the co-op.
Volunteers try to make Bikes Del Pueblo a friendly alternative to bike shops, especially for immigrants and non-English speakers, said Cynthia Tecson, another volunteer.
“Bike shops can be a little expensive or intimidating,” she said. “Sometimes people just want to come to a safe and welcoming environment. And that’s the whole purpose of this co-op.”
A couple of friends began the co-op in 2007 out of their house in Normal Heights. Today, there are approximately 15 active volunteers, Tecson said.
