SANTA CRUZ, CA. standing outside the Bicycle Church, i see the quintessential community bike shop: bike stands here and there taking up space in a parking lot, bicycle frames and people scattered throughout. there are only two volunteers from what i can tell, and there are many patient bodies standing with their bicycles waiting for help. i also see a huge parts bin in the lot, filled with nuts and bolts and chains and cranks and everything else bicycle. tools are freely distributed to those who need them, and the volunteers are showing the bicycle owners how to fix their problems instead of doing it for them. the Bicycle Church requests users pay a donation, five dollar per hour if possible. inside the small indoor shop, enough room for only a couple bikes, pumps, and tools, the air smells of grease and sweat. i hear the clangs of metal against metal. running in and out of the shop, the volunteers are doing the work of ten people. and they are doing it well, i should add. periodically, i pitch in and answer a question from a bicyclist or help bead a tire or find a wrench. there’s no nagging salesperson, no stuffy owner, and no one around is in a rush. everyone seems to be here to learn or share. this environment is such a characteristic here: no attitude, no master/consumer hierarchy, no ownership or pretension. this area is for bicyclists and belongs to no one, but to all.