User:DavidM314159/Bike Oven

The Bike Oven is a community bicycle collective in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, dedicated to promoting the use of the bicycle as an alternative to fossil fuel powered transportation systems.

Mission
The Bike Oven endeavors to serve the community and improve the quality of urban life by promoting and facilitating, through culture change, the use of bicycling as an alternative to the non-sustainable and climate damaging fossil-fuel powered motor vehicle transportation system.

Goals
The Bike Oven pursues its mission by:  Encouraging cycling as a viable transportation alternative Reducing the financial, technical, and cultural barriers to cycling Creating a livable urban environment, returning the streets to the population through human powered transit Fighting poverty and dependence by providing a low cost alternative transportation system that promotes self-reliance Using bicycle culture as a catalyst to bring together disparate groups to promote and pursue culture change Creating a network of like minded individuals and empowering them to pursue their individual visions Supporting and growing the cycling community Lessening human impact on the environment Establishing a model of community service that could spread through new entities Serving as an incubator for new ideas for community and culture growth Bringing like minded individual together for mutual sharing and growth Using techniques of consensus and volunteerism to create a group dynamic that values and supports its members Using and encouraging recycling to reduce environmental impact and financial dependence Avoiding competition with traditional bicycle retailers by expanding the cycling community which increases retailers' customer base

History
The Bike Oven was founded in 1995 by Josef Bray-Ali in his garage in Highland Park. It began as a weekly meeting of individuals interested in bicycling who would gather to work on and discuss bikes. As awareness of the group grew, larger facilities were needed to accomodate visitors. In August of 2007, the Bike Oven moved into its current retail space location on Figueroa Avenue.

Organization
The Bike Oven is entirely volunteer run. All management is performed by a consensus system where all staff volunteers have an equal say. By avoiding the traditional majority rule system, the goal is to empower all individuals and to avoid the "tyranny of the majority". Consensus systems promote compromise and reduce the development of competing interest groups that tend to arise in democratic and hierarchical systems.

Services
The main mission of the Bike Oven is to provide training and assistance to bicyclists who want to repair, maintain, and build their bikes. Volunteer mechanics are available during open hours and will assist with nearly any repair task. The workshop is open to the public and stocked with tools and supplies needed for the vast majority of repairs. A wide range of used parts are available at low cost and a small selection of new parts is available at normal retail prices. An array of partial and complete bikes is available for those looking for transportation or for those looking for raw material for projects. Bicycles and parts are not available to those seeking solely to resell at a profit.

An hourly donation is requested for shop time and a donation is requested for all parts.