In L.A., you are what you drive. And despite the green movement-– with a few celebrities buying hybrid Priuses for pure PR-– Angelenos might complain about smog but they’re largely hooked on their Porsches and Bentleys, and busy valets can attest to that.

There are some who are thinking outside that box though, and they’re determined to save L.A. by peddling: Nestled on a tiny block between L.A.’s community college and a no-man’s land of bodegas and asphalt, lives a burgeoning enclave of hipsters, eco-warriors and do-it-yourself bad-assery focused around the emergent bicycle culture of Los Angeles. Ground zero of this urban oasis is the Bicycle Kitchen -- a cooperative bicycle repair shop. James Singer is one of the Cooks who helps visitors fix and/or build the two-wheeled warrior of their dreams.

What do you credit with the rise of LA bike culture?
There are a lot of varied and complex factors that have led to bicycling becoming so popular in LA, but The Bicycle Kitchen has a big stake in the rise in urban cycling's popularity around Los Angeles. I know that places like The Bicycle Kitchen as well as the organized mass rides give people that opportunity to see each other and realize that there are a ton of us spread out over L.A. county -- and we ride. This gets more people on bikes more often feeling empowered through this kind of interaction.

What kind of person frequents the Kitchen?
There is this amazing Chinese woman who rolls into the Kitchen every few months to work on ancient rusted out Schwinn 3-speed. She usually is just getting back from the Farmer's Market and the basket of her Schwinn is always full of produce. The last time she came in, we re-cabled her brakes and fixed her saddle. She paid us with 3 giant Hershey Bars. The same night there was this couple in there. They were building a bike together for the girl. They had taken a 12-speed and made it into a 6-speed cruiser with moustache bars, a basket and fenders. There were some dudes on track bikes learning how to break a chain from some neighborhood BMX kids. In the back room there were guys working on Mountain Bike wheels. I went outside knowing that the people inside were there to work on their own bikes. Overall, Angelenos frequent the Kitchen. Our clients are as varied as Los Angeles itself. The one thing they hold in common is the desire to fix things themselves, which I see as empowering.

Since you began at the Kitchen, how has your part of Melrose changed?
I first came to the Kitchen as a volunteer when the doors first opened. Pure Luck was a Korean dive bar only open at night, the café was marginally open and besides that you had some art spaces and Pizza Paul's. The area was pretty dead overall. Soon though, the café became a bit more established and the most amazing thing ever happened- Tai opened Scoops, which was immediately adopted by the Cooks who he has systematically enslaved through his addictive gelatos. Soon, two Cooks took a space over to start Orange 20 [a bike shop]. Later Pure Luck closed and another Cook took that space to open a vegan pub referred to as UCK because of the current condition of the sign. Since then a few other non-bike-related places have opened, most interestingly to me is the Dharma Punx meditation space. So the block is having this amazing revival.

What new developments in the Bike District are you most excited about?
My favorite thing about the Bike District is seeing my friends branching out. The new Orange 20 is the real deal and every time I walk in there, it just blows me away. I love getting a beer in Pure Luck and seeing the people I have known and worked with for the past few years just chilling out having a beer. I love that there is a place in LA that I can go to where I am sure I will know someone and find something worth doing to do even if it is hanging out in a park drinking beer until the sun comes up. I am excited to see where it will go from here.

What other kind of business or hot spot would you like to see come to the Melrose Bike District?
I would like to see Heliotrope becoming a cul-de-sac right at Melrose. That is my dream. I would also like to see a public skate park where skateboarders and BMX riders could learn to love each other without the interference of people on rollerblades. Last, I think we should turn the driving range into a giant bouncy house. Golf is cool, but bouncy houses are better, and a bouncy house of that caliber has never been done. I am trying to talk to Jeff Koons about this but I lost his email address.

What could L.A. do to improve the bicycle culture even more throughout the city?
Infrastructure. L.A. has really weak bicycling and public transportation infrastructure. Riding down roads like Wilshire and Beverly is a joke. Even riding down Fletcher towards Ripple where the fancy bike trail starts is absolutely perilous. I think a lot more Angelenos would ride more often if they felt safe riding and I will be totally honest, I do not feel safe riding to the Kitchen from my house. It is about 12 miles and there are only two bike lanes. The rest of the way is a battle. I do not mind battling with cars but I know who wins when one hits me and that keeps me appropriately scared at all times. To move forward, L.A. needs to work very hard at creating adequate public transportation as well as solid cycling infrastructure. If L.A. had these things, I would never consider moving.

What's your favorite flavor at Scoops?
Chocolate Chile Aztec style.

~Allison Moon


Go There:
Bicycle Kitchen, 706 Heliotrope Ave, 323-NO-CARRO
Pure Luck, 707 N. Heliotrope, 323-660-5993
Scoops, 712 N Heliotrope, 323-906-2649
Orange 20, 4351 Melrose Ave, 323-MO-BIKES
Dharma Punx, 4300 Melrose Ave, 323-665-4300