Cycling enthusiasts dispense TLC for two-wheelers
At a twice-weekly clinic on the edge of Memorial Grove, members of the student organization Citizen Cycle offer free bike repairs and education to fellow cyclists.
April 15, 2011
Jim Gao and Tal Kempler at a Citizen Cycle bike-repair clinic (Melani King photo)
With spring in the air and Bike to Work Day on the horizon (on May 12), the time is right for members of the campus community to give their bicycles some TLC. Here, at a busy bike repair clinic on the edge of Memorial Grove, Berkeley students Jim Gao, left, and Tal Kempler make adjustments to a bike owned by history grad student Steve Gross.
Gao, a senior studying mechanical engineering, is a guiding spirit behind Citizen Cycle. The two-year-old campus organization teaches bicycle repair and maintenance — through a DeCal class as well as its free clinics, held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays in front of the East Asian Library.
Empowered with new knowledge of bicycle mechanics and repair through the DeCal class, Kempler plans to practice her chops this summer as a “shop rat” in Los Angeles.