Last updated on March 7, 2023
A cluttered but cozy space greets you as you walk into the door at the Cabrillo Bike Co-op. An eclectic array of posters, tools, and 90’s era bicycles litter the space, giving the impression of a gearhead’s Xanadu mixed with a punk rocker’s bedroom. Open 10-5 most weekdays, this little shop aims to help get students on two wheels.
Student/volunteer Abram Guzman started riding bikes as a kid, and fell in love. He fondly recalls “when I was 11, my dad bought me and him matching mongooses. I just remember riding up and down the street with him, and feeling the freedom it provided. Bikes are just another way to see how far I can take something.”
After he moved across town, and began high school, his passion faded slightly. “I got less into bikes and more into girls,” he admits with a chuckle. “But that changed when I was in senior year of high school.”
Abe began riding fixed gear bikes with his cousins, a pastime which reignited his love for all things two wheels. After beginning at Cabrillo, he realized that he wanted to learn more about how bike maintenance worked, so he didn’t have to keep bringing his bikes to expensive shops, which could sometimes have unscrupulous sales tactics. He also wanted to have the camaraderie of a club. The co-op fit the bill perfectly.
“The Coop is a place of learning.” says Ethan Hockridge, another volunteer.
The Coop isn’t a bike shop; the mechanics on duty don’t do the work on the bikes themselves. Instead, the owner of a bike can bring it in, and be shown how to do the work themselves. The prices are cheap for parts and to use the space, but it isn’t about the money for the coop.
“The real joy is getting bikes to people who really need them. The other day, we were able to sell a bike to a gentleman who’s gonna use it to get to his doctor’s appointments because he doesn’t have a car. Things like that make the time volunteering worth it”
