This summer I unlocked the power of biking! However, I realized there were many things that I did not know how to do, including basic bicycle maintenance. When I visited the bike stores around me, they were indeed male-dominated spaces where I felt rather intimidated, which was also reflective of the experiences of my queer friends around me.
In some ways, my date Z inviting me to Women and Trans Night at OCB felt like it opened a portal to a different world. Even though I just sat around and passed Z the tools, observing how Z built their bike, how shop manager Laine provided personalized instructions, and being in a quieter space with less people around made the experience more comfortable and welcoming.
This past summer, I had attended a Critical Mass Bike Event where some of my friends and I built a lil queer biking squad of our own and joined everyone else on a night ride around Vancouver. It was really encouraging to see all kinds of people on their bikes come out together for a common cause, and solidified the core ethos and values of bike culture -- biking should be accessible for everyone!
Reflection
Bike Culture & Makerspaces
Gender Gap in Bike Culture
Fixed-Gear Bicycles
2429 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 3E1
Women & Trans Night @
Our Community Bikes
Critical Learning Task: A Visit to a Local Makerspace
Bike Date with a Fixie Cutie
My first visit to Our Community Bikes Access Night was actually a date with a cutie!
My date Z wanted to learn how to put together a fixed-gear bicycle and invited me along for the ride.
They had more experiences with bikes and knows their way around the anatomy and all the bits and pieces of a bicycle. The shop manager Laine was super welcoming, and only stepped in to give a helping hand (and some elbow grease) when requested.
I am fairly new to bicycle maintenance, and so I mostly observed from my seat on my tall stool, and passed them the tools they needed.
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