The Gentleman Bike Mechanic
by Greta Shred
[Reprinted from Mudflap, Greta’s perzine—one of the rare artistic, thoughtful punk zines…lots of bikes, girls and hoboing—all 3 rare in punkzineland. Send stamps or $1 to MF, POB 410894, SF CA 94141.]
[Newsflash: As OYB 7 went to press in 95 we found out that Greta particularly liked this interview—she started going out with Al a day later. And now they’re married! Shred on lovebirds!]
Al Sobrante recently moved back to the Bay Area from up North. Ted White kept telling me about this guy who fixed bikes for free. Little did I know this was my pal Al. I interviewed Al at Happy Donuts on 3rd, after the Ne’er-Do-Wells (Al’s band) played with Dieselhed.
MF: I had been hearing about the Free Bike Repair Guy for years, how come you started doing that?
Al: The free bike repair started out because everyone in Arcata was holding hands and lighting candles, singing “Give Peace A Chance” on the day the Gulf War started. So I thought, “I gotta do something to protest the war. What would be completely absurd?
I know, I’ll FIX BICYCLES FOR FREE! The they’ll have no excuse not to ride!”
I didn’t have classes on Fridays so I went out to the quad in the middle of campus, at Humboldt State, and got a table. Actually, the music club let me use their table, cause you can’t have a table unless you’re in a club.
So I got my tools, and I set up this dinky little sign, it was on a quarter of a sheet of paper, and it said “FREE BICYCLE REPAIR, Table Courtesy of the Music Club.” And I just sat there. People would walk by, and I’d say, “fix your bike?”
They’d go, “How much?” I’d go, “Nothing.” And then they’re like, “Well what are you gonna do?” I’d say, “I’ll fix it, I’ll make it run nice.” I think I fixed three bikes that day, because people just couldn’t figure it out. But then the next Friday, I was there and people knew, they were like waiting for me to show up.
MF: But why was it FREE?
Al: Bicycle repair, for me, is the closest I’m ever going to get to a spiritual experience. I mean, I totally failed Asian Philosophy…literally. I failed. The guy has never given a grade lower than an A. He said, “You know, I’ve never not given anyone an A.” And he gave me a D. I didn’t get it.
But then again, when I’m fixing bikes, I feel invincible. It’s incredible. This guy came up to me, this Christian guy, while I was fixing bikes one day, because I used to harass the Christians when I did free bike repair…
MF: You did?
Al: …Oh yeah, they had these huge banners that would say, “Victory In Jesus.” So I’d say “Victory In Bicycles” on my banner. They’d say, “Jesus Christ, The Prince Of Peace,” so I made one that said “Al Sobrante, Prince Of Bike Repair”…
MF: (uncontrollable laughter) Wait, was their table right across the quad from yours?
Al: Right across. No, no, sometimes right NEXT to my table. Oh it was hilarious..
One day they had this speak-out rally day, where all the clubs could get up and do a little talk…The Legalize Marijuana Club gave a speech about hemp, and the Christians gave a speech, and right after them, it was my turn. So I stood up and all I said, in front of 300 people, in a microphone, was “JESUS CHRIST RODE A BICYCLE MADE OF HEMP!” That’s all I said. I got this rousing applause! It’s probably the most profound thing I’ve ever said.
So anyways, this Christian guy brings this bicycle over from their camp, and says, “Hey, uh, do you think you could fix the brakes on mine?”
I say, “Yeah, sure.” I’m fixing the bike because, hey, I’ll fix ANYONE’S bike, for free. And I’m wrenching his bike, I’m wrenching his bike, and he goes, ~You know, thank God you’re doing this…” And I go, “DON’T thank God. I’M doin it. HE’S not doin it. I’M doin it!~ We got into this weird pseudo-argument…
MF: While you were fixing his bike?
Al: Yeah, while I was fixing his bike. The reason I say “pseudo-argument” is cause HE was truly arguing, I was just fucking with him, rhetorically. I was just going, ~Oh yeah, really?” It was great, because he was really senously trylng to convert me, and I was just fixing his bike.
MF: So you brought your tools out with you?
Al: Yes, I had them all out on the table and I never once had a tool stolen. The whole time I worked there, a year and a half. I liked fixing peoples bikes for free. It was neat. It got me a couple free beers, and tools. It got me a lot of tools. Someone would bring a bike and they would need something done that I didn’t have the tool for, so I’d say, “Look. you go buy the tool, I’ll fix the bike, and I get to keep the tool.” And then I get to fix everyone else’s bike with the tool, and people were into that.
MF: Did you ever use your bike in the commission of a crime?
Al: Yeah, every good bicyclist should!
(Al tells unrepeatable tales of shoplifting and glue-sniffing on bikes)
MF: What did you mean when you said that thing about “disposable components?”
Al: They’re non-rebuildable, they’re nonserviceable. I mean look at your average Shimano derailleur. It’s all sleek. Compare a Sante derailleur with a Campagnolo Record derailleur. The Record derailleur has bolts coming out of it and is all non-aerodynamic-looking, it looks very industrial. Well the reason it looks like that, is that you can completely rebuild it. You get one problem with your Sante, and it’s garbage. What these parts are doing is lowering the status of bike mechanics, from skilled craftspersons to “parts-swappers”.
MF: What’s the daredevilest thing you ever did on your bike?
Al: I rode down Highway 120, from Crane Flat to Yosemite. You lose about 3,000 feet of elevation in 11 miles. And I had full touring bags, my bike was fully loaded. I’d been riding all day so I was heat-exhausted and delirious. I was passing motor-homes and riding into oncoming traffic on a road that was carved out of a cliff and was only 18 feet wide. And had tunnels. It was so much fun!
The speed limit was 35 mph, so assume everybody was doing 40, and I was passing them, so I was probably doing 45.
Then I got down into the valley and I got my wheel caught in a slat on a footbridge and I fell over and jabbed my handlebar into my heart! I still have a scar!
(That’s what Al said, but I happen to know that Al rode alongside a moving freight train, matched its speed, and then hopped up and rolled onto it, on his back, with his teet still in the toe-clips! Twice! That’s way radder! Another one for the “Don’t Try This At Home” category. Hey, Al is a cool guy. Write to him at the address below. Bye All.)
Al Sobrante, POB 20141, El Sobrante, CA 94820-0141
