Meet the Cooks! Ryan

| Name: Ryan Lindsay Bartz |

Rides: i'm now on the city streets with a fixed gear Sanwa 400 (old steel frame Japanese road bike) that i built at the kitchen (with loving help of various cooks...shout out to Coral!)! I also have a Trek Madone for the racin', roady times.

Cookin' since: A month or two? when was i officially Cooked? i can't remember!

Holds down: Bitchen shift (and other random times when i'm feelin especially bikey)

How'd you hear about the Kitchen: A couple of friends mentioned it on different occasions and i didn't need convincing to check it out! strategically placed vegan restaurant and ice cream parlor confirmed my destiny to volunteer on this block.

Where's your favorite place to ride your bicycle: Uhh...everywhere. I have come to absolutely love riding in the city. You begin to discover new routes, new sights, the city unfolds in a brand new light...the way los feliz slopes into silverlake that connects to echo park and leads into downtown...it's a new adventure each time out. It really doesn't matter where i'm going or what for...just the ride and the experience of living in the moment...there's no other feeling like it. and on a sunny day...PCH is a wonder.

What do you do when you're not at Kitchen: Well, when i was employed i worked as a producers' assistant at Titmouse animation studio and part-time at Babycakes, a vegan bakery. Unemployment brought more ride time, ice hockey, obsessive music listening and juggling! Step 3: now i'm leaving town for an extended backpacking jaunt and will travel nomadically around africa and to teach english in south korea...and hopefully ride some bikes there too. So currently...while not at the kitchen, i'll be traveling, photoing and blogging (and thinking a lot about how i miss the Kitchen).

**NEW QUESTION**
Why donate: Bicycle Kitchen thrives not only on the volunteered time that the Cooks provide, but also on the the people of Los Angeles who support us in turn. It is a wonderful place. Donate for that kid who comes in looking to learn how to build a bike and come away not only with a practical new toy, but also with new knowledge. Donate for the guy or gal who comes in, unable to afford a service to their bike and would otherwise be left without transport. Donate to inspire more bike riders in los angeles, to support alternative transport and...hey, because Bicycle Kitchen is a uniquely awesome place that keeps the community rolling safely on two wheels!