OT: experience with the Bike Kitchen?

[Nathan Dushman]

I finally have all the parts I need for a bike build, other than some cables, but I need some tools that I don't own and that don't seem worth purchasing given my rare need for them. Specifically, I need to set a crown race, cut a carbon fork, and install a bottom bracket and Hollowtech cranks - although I might buy the cheap tool for that last one. Anyone have experience with the Bike Kitchen? Worth going there for those projects? Or, if anyone has the appropriate tools and wants to help me out for an hour, I will bring over your choice of beer, cookies, or kids clothing. (I can pay a shop to do this, given my limited free time, but it would be fun to do the whole build myself.)

Nathan

[John French]

I took a wheelbuilding class there and have gone back a few times for stuff I don't have the tools for (installing headset races, truing wheels). Definitely works great for that kind of thing. They were out of clean rags last time I went, might be worth bringing your own consumables, though they do provide the basics (lube, grease, etc.) and they have more stuff behind the counter if you ask - certain smaller tools that tend to "walk" if left out, threadlocker, that kind of thing.

It can get crowded since the hours are very limited, so show at or before when they open to get a workstand.

[Kurt Martin]

I give all my spare stuff to the kitchen since I think it's so good for the cycling community. I'd go there, for sure, and bring a list of what you want and need.

Kurt

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[Jason Ally]

+1 to what John and Kurt said. It's a great place to have space to work on your bike, especially if you're like me and live in a small apartment. I also like donating my spare stuff to them.

To use the space you either have to pay a day-use fee ($6) or become a member ($50-$100 for a year, sliding scale depending on what you can pay). Any of the classes come with a membership, which is how I became a member earlier this year. I think you have to pay an extra $40 to get digging rights to comb through their spare parts to build a bike, but I have no idea if that fee applies if you have all of the parts for a bike already and just need the space to assemble it.

My experience with the Bike Kitchen has been great -- I'd recommend it for anyone looking to do maintenance and learn. They sell new parts at cost, seeing people from different backgrounds working on bikes is cool, and the staff does what they can to lower barriers to access (nobody is turned away for lack of funds, you can also become a member or get digging rights by volunteering). Check it out if you're in the area.

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