Well I’ll be - that ivory tower isn’t so far away after all! Occidental College’s Robert Gottlieb has included the Oven in an article adapted from his book “Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City” (MIT Press).

The book excerpt is available in the March/April 2008 issue of Sierra Magazine (the Sierra Club’s bi-monthly publication) in an article entitled “Bikeway or the Highway” by Richard Nelson.

Way down at the bottom of the page, the Oven gets some online ink:

“The Bike Oven … started as a free repair and do-it-yourself bicycle maintenance shop, but the garage where it operates has now become a social space and meeting center where neighborhood rides are launched, monthly art shows are held, and “bike-in” movies are screened. And while policymakers still largely ignore the bike’s potential as one alternative to the car, L.A. cyclists have begun to coalesce into a force that promises to become more formidable in the months and years to come, as the congestion, pollution, and cost of driving become the movement’s most effective recruiting tool.

Surprisingly, this print description has captured the Oven, and L.A.’s social cycling scene, pretty well! Thanks for the mention Dr. Gottlieb, Richard Nelson, and Sierra Club. You’re welcome to ride down the hill from Occidental College anytime and join us in the fun. Tomorrow night our Bike-In Theater will be screening “Vampiros lesbos” after our normal Sunday shop hours are over. It’ll be fun for the whole family (as long as they’re all over 18).