Bikes Not Bombs

This is a volunteer shop location.
Volunteering takes place here. It is usually organized by 2 – 3 staff and 10 – 20 volunteers.
People work in groups and do tasks like taking apart bicycles.
A good option for those who want to volunteer for a good cause in JP area.
If you are under 18 this is the place to find out about programs to earn a bicycle, get a part time job and learn skills.
If you are over 18, a place to volunteer and improve your bike fixing skills.

I’ve volunteered for various of organizations but never a bike shop. After learning about their Wednesday evening volunteer night from One Brick I decided to try them out. I know nothing of bike mechanics. Haven’t ridden one since I was a teenager so whatever work they were going to have me do it would be on a blank slate.
The atmosphere here is very, for lack of a better word bohemian. I walked in and asked a guy at the bike racks where to report to volunteer. I don’t think he worked there but he was doing something with his bike and the first person I saw. He simply told me that I can just walk around and check out the place since I was 20 minutes early before it started.
Everything here is so casual. I only freaked out once when I went to take a picture of their logo (for the Unilocal pic) and a girl screamed asking who was taking pictures. I told her my name and apologized but she apologized too. I think the random camera shutter sound surprised her.
The rest of the evening went off smoothly once we started. A worker gave a group of 10 or so volunteers a bit of background information about the programs they run and what they’re doing abroad and locally in the community. They even give discounts for bike repair for folks who put in some volunteer hours. Also run a couple of educational programs for kids to earn their own bike and some work experience where you have the opportunity to learn mechanics.
After the 15 – 20 schpiel they got right to showing us what we’d be doing which was re-​assembling bikes properly for their overseas shipment. We broke into partners and grabbed some bikes and got started. The guy who did the demonstration was a pro but he also checked up on the groups to make sure we understood what we were doing or if we needed any help. It was a good learning experience and a different volunteer opportunity for those looking for a change from the ever so popular soup kitchen events.