DENVER, CO. almost every bicycle space i’ve visited–collective, non-profit, cooperative–has addressed the issue of the bicycle repair shop as a commonly male-oriented or dominated space. the solution has been to initiate women’s-only hours for periodic dates in the repair shop space. the event is usually described as “ladies only” or “women & trans night”, or more creatively as “S.P.I.N (Super Power Inclusion Night)” or “Bicycle Bitchen”. in LA, Bicycle Bitchen has been so successful that the event has gone from happening monthly to bi-monthly and now to weekly as interest and attendance grew. the founders say it is a success and continues to empower women by offering a space to help each other and talk shop without a patriarchal environment where men tend to dominate bicycle knowledge. even for women that feel comfortable during normal business hours, women’s hours provide a safe and comfortable environment where women turn to women with questions and advice.

in tucson, BICAS has just recently in the past six months developed their “ladies only” day, opening the shop on sundays from 1-5pm exclusively for women. some of the organizers at BICAS say the program has had a noticeable effect as they now see more women coming into the shop during regular hours after gaining more repair skills and feeling more comfortable with their knowledge.

this idea of creating a women and gender-queer space is important to changing the gender dynamic of the bicycle repair space and working to fight oppression. it will be a significant focus in my documentary as i hope the idea will spread to other projects and perhaps into the thinking of those who trying to create more equal community spaces.

TUCSON, AZ. i’m leaving tucson in the morning after spending three full days with BICAS. this place is amazing, and yes: everyone had told me so. i will return here one day, hopefully soon, and continue this project. the best part about BICAS is it’s focus on education and creating a community center. and they’ve done that, and in a basement of an artists’ studio building. thank you to the warm and hospitable people of BICAS. i’m off now to denver to see the kids from the Derailer again. chicago is getting closer…

LOS ANGELES, CA. i arrived on sunday and shot on sunday. a good reason to always have my camera and extra video tape with me (which hasn’t always happened, unfortunatly). the bicycle kitchen, or bici coicina, reminds me of most other bicycle collectives i’ve seen, although more organized and better staffed. store front space, recycled bicycles everywhere, six stands, three walls of tools, bicycles and wheels hanging from the ceiling. i met a handful of the volunteer mechanics on sunday and monday, and last night taped kelly and ma bell during Bicycle Bitchen, the women’s-only night at the bicycle kitchen. this was the first time i’ve interviewed anyone specifically about a women’s-only space in a bike collective, but this is a topic that i am very eager to get into and will be including in the documentary. every bicycle collective i’ve visited holds a women’s and transgendered event, usually weekly or bi-weekly.

tonight i interview a few of the founders of the bicycle kitchen, and then head out of this sprawling city while the traffic is mild. next stop is tucson, arizona.

while in the bicycle kitchen, i met ashira, a woman who directed, shot, and edited “Even the Girls,” a movie about women bicycle messengers in new york city. i hope to show the film in chicago sometime when i get back. check it out: sketchspace.com

i’m not really looking forward to driving into los angeles. but a few things make it worth it: 75 degree weather, beaches, and the bicycle kitchen. this is the eighth bicycle collective/cooperative i will have met, with one more in tucson, arizona. it’s been over four months on the road and over 4,000 miles traveled.

it was a difficult goodbye at the bike church yesterday. i grabbed a few more shots of the new immaculate space, complete with fresh paint, dozens of bikes, parts and tools, and exhausted but satisfied volunteers. of all the bicycle collectives i have documented, i have spent the most time, by far, at the bike church in santa cruz. i hope to get some footage and photos up here soon, and notes on what i have learned. but if you could see me now–sitting in my truck in the parking lot of a days inn next to highway 101–then you might understand this moment. i’m still on an amazing trip complete with bicycles and new friends, mountains and oceans, hitchhikers and highways; but, yes: i can’t wait to get home.