After a chill meet and greet, we were invited to ride as a group up to East Bay Bike Party. We even had the luxury of a music bike to accompany us from our ride up to Ashby BART startion. 

A few of the neighborhood kids rode with us for a few blocks. Pretty cool to see these young people riding their bikes with the same joyful freedom that as adults we might forget in our busy adult rush. 

After riding with EBBP for a leg + it was time to get some sleep before a big day of workshops and learning. Luckily the ride went right past downtown Berkeley BART. 

Nothing helps to build community like cooking food together. The organization required to pull off an undertaking like this was impressive to say the least. This weekend was greatly inspiring as an example of what is possible for a collective or co-op. 

After a breakfast of food donated by local shops and delicious coffee we broke off into our different workshops. Like other professional conferences there were several options for workshops. Unfortunately I couldn't clone myself and be at all of them at once, so I had to choose ones that would most benefit YB but also my own growth. 

Here was the list of workshops YB was able to attend:

Sat 10:30am
#&$^# - The art of getting things unstuck @ Spokeland
Women of Color and Families in cycling @ Art Barn <--------
Bike Collectives as Radical Community Spaces @ The Holdout
Inspiring New Cyclist & Mechanics @ Pedal Express

1:00pm
Technology in Co-ops @ Pedal Express <----------
Campus Coops @ The Holdout
Starting a Comida No Bombas on Bicycles @ Art Barn
Macguyver Bike Repair @ Spokeland

2:30pm
Effective Teaching @ Spokeland
Community Bike Organizations @ Art Barn
Gender Inclusiveness and Your Bike Community @ The Holdout
Hustling Donations 101/Fundraising through events @ Pedal Express <----------

Sunday 10:30am
Organizing Parts @ Spokeland <-----------
Youth Programing @ The Bikery <----------
Practicamos Español del Taller (Practicing Shop Spanish) @ Pedal Express

My first workshop was "Women of Color and Families in Cycling" led by Binky from Binx Garage. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Binky at an organizing meeting for the next Clitoral Mass, which will be held in Oakland in May (more on that later). 

Binky is an inspirational teacher and local mechanic, whose focus is women of color and families. Her workshop discussed the barriers that can and often stop WOC and families from riding bikes. These can include cost, carrying capacity, safety on the road, community and family support just to name a few.

The large courtyard was a great location for everyone after our morning workshops to gather and have lunch. Nothing like a little Oakland sunshine.  

On a quick break, I wondered over to Actual Cafe and found Girl on Bike earrings, made from repurposed bicycle tube. Was surprised I'd never heard of them, especially considering the handle Girl on Bike. Very cool to see community partnering to reuse and repurpose old parts. 

My second workshop was Technology in Bike Shops held over at the office of Pedal Express. This was a tech lover's dream. We discussed and shared various apps and platforms that work for community shop spaces. 

My last workshop of the day was also at Pedal Express, which made the commute a breeze. Devin from Spokeland led "Hustling Donations 101/ Funding through Events". Money is real. Rent is real. But the work we do can be made easier with community support, networking, and going out and shaking hands. 

After our last workshops for Saturday we had free time to explore the neighborhood, take naps, or learn a little screen printing. Allan from SF Bike Kitchen came out with his pro set up and screen. 

Dinner followed by a group ride down to the Oakland Ports for a special Port Sprints. These races are a great way for Spokeland to earn a little cash while promoting cycling in the community. 

Besides where else would you want to come test out an 80 x 13 geared bike....

Besides 3 gallons of coffee, I needed the Green Men of Civic Center BART to wake me up on the way over to Oakland. 

The last workshop of the weekend was Youth Programs held at The Bikery, which had my favorite set up so far. The workshop was led by two of The Bikery's young mechanics, Mohammed and Kasheif. This fact was pretty awe inspiring and rad to watch these young men confidently explain the organization of their shop, their programs, and how they maintain youth evolvement. 

Mark from Spokeland rode out another amazing contraption to make ice cream for us! With a little adjusting and a few quick welds they were able to make a pedal powered ice cream maker. Not too shabby. 

I was only able to attend a short part of the closing but was grateful to have been able to participate. A huge thanks to Spokeland for hosting and organizing. I know SFYBP can't wait to join Bici Bici next year and maybe we'll even ride our bikes there!