My Experience at "The Bicycle Tree" in Santa Ana
I was wondering the same thing. I’m not mechanically inclined nor financially well off. 5 years ago made my return to cycles, at age 48. First 5 years with adult trikes, but starting my 6th year with a bicycle. I pedaled over 26,000 kilometers on the adult trikes; I was living in Long Beach and riding seemed so dangerous opposed to the California deserts I rode in as a child/young adult. That combined with my balance issues were the main factors for starting with an adult trike. I had 5 adult trikes and assembled 4, and performed maintenance/repairs on all 5. I prefer riding to wrenching but can’t have one without the other and I don’t have budget to bring my cycles to the LBS. So I found helpful tips for cycle assembly and repair in BF Bicycle Mechanics. I also heard talk about coops and wanted to explore, if possible. I then discovered The Bicycle Tree in Santa Ana, so I went there to see what all the buzz was about.
I got to work on my trike for 6 hours; most of that time was waiting, the shop was busy that day (January 10, 2020 – fortunate because they stopped services during COVID). Within that time it was the most enjoyable experience working on my trike; I got to use a rack and it was the first time I had an excellent view of the drive train + cleaning sprockets and cogs without strain on my back. I was even allowed to use premium tools compared to my budget tools. And parts, some new & some used, were inexpensive. I was grateful for the experience and hope the county allows them to start teaching people to work on their bikes again soon; I’d love to bring in my Electra Townie and work on it there. They teach awesome skills; I assembled another adult trike last March, and used many updated skills learned there.
Bicycle co-ops are wonderful resources for communities (based on what I’ve heard and experienced). This is a great thread, I enjoyed reading it!