Four volunteers share what keeps them coming back to BikeX — and why a wrench, a kind word and a little elbow grease can change a life.
It's National Volunteer Week — and at Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange (SVBE), it's a chance to pause and recognize the people who make our mission possible. Every week, a dedicated group of volunteers shows up at the shop to repair, tune and transform donated bikes into reliable rides for adults and children who need them most. Some have been here for years; others are just finding their footing. All of them are essential.
This week, we're spotlighting four of those volunteers. In their own words, here's what drives them — and what they'd say to anyone thinking about joining us for an event.
Doreen Yen
Ask Doreen Yen about her favorite tool and she'll point you straight to the humble Allen wrench triple — compact, versatile, and always within reach. But her most valued contribution at SVBE goes beyond any single instrument. What she treasures most is watching knowledge grow: in herself, and in the people around her.
"The most rewarding aspect is seeing the collective knowledge base grow among the volunteers — and my own."
Doreen has noticed something quietly remarkable about SVBE — an organizational quality she didn't find in many of the professional workplaces she navigated over the years. Here, she feels heard. Decisions get made collaboratively. New people are welcomed, not just tolerated. The shop runs, in her words, "better and more efficiently and collaboratively than all the places I worked."
It's an observation that says as much about the culture SVBE volunteers have built as it does about any formal structure. And it's why Doreen's advice to prospective volunteers leans less toward tasks and more toward possibility: "New volunteers have many possible roles they can do now or grow into."
Doreen's local biking recommendation: the Jean Sweeney Park bike path in Alameda, best traveled southeastward with the Bay wind at your back. Her must-have accessory? A Hafny bar end mirror. "You gotta watch your back," she says. And after a memorable trio of shoelace-meets-chainring incidents (all three times, somehow catching the ferry), she upgraded to velcro-closure bike shoes. No regrets.
These days, Doreen focuses much of her volunteer time on reflector building—a small, specific job with big safety implications for every rider who receives an SVBE bike. She signs off with a fitting phrase: "Keep up your reflections."
David Kamp
David Kamp has been showing up at SVBE for roughly a dozen years, and he shows no signs of slowing down. His tool of choice is the Y-wrench — a compact 3-arm wonder with 4, 5, and 6 mm Allen keys that covers nearly every bolt on the bike. Efficient, dependable, no fuss. Much like David himself.
For David, the mission is simple and the stakes are real. "Money stands between a kid and a bike," he says. "We fill that gap by providing fully serviced bikes for free." That directness — the clarity of knowing exactly what problem you're solving and for whom — is part of what has kept him engaged for over a decade.
"People dedicated to the mission of a nonprofit like SVBE are the ones who make it possible to serve the needy."
What inspires David most isn't the hardware — it's the human chain of mentorship that forms every Wednesday in the shop. Experienced volunteers patiently guide newcomers through their first flat repair, their first brake adjustment, their first complete overhaul. "Week after week," he notes, "the same mentors show up to guide newbies." That consistency, that quiet showing up, is the heart of what SVBE is.
His advice to anyone on the fence about volunteering is characteristically direct: "Give it a try. We are there to show you everything from a basic repair to a tune-up to a complete overhaul. We're patient. We want you to have these skills."
David's favorite bike accessory is a reliable front and rear light system — because when you leave work late and it's dark, "you're safe. Turn on the lights and spin home." He carries the spirit of Jobst Brandt, a cycling legend who commuted, traveled, and lived by bike. Brandt once signed David's copy of The Bicycle Wheel with two words that say everything: "RIDE BIKE!" David's favorite ride? "The one I'm on."
Peter Hansell
Peter will tell you that the single best bike repair tool isn't a wrench or a cable puller, it's the bike stand. "So much easier than flipping the bike upside down," he says with the certainty of someone who has learned the hard way. It's a practical insight that captures something true about Peter: he pays attention to what actually works.
Peter has volunteered in various capacities throughout his adult life, so isolating SVBE's specific impact on his community perspective is a bit like asking which mile of a long journey changed him most. What he can say is this: every new relationship formed through volunteering pushes him toward a more intentional version of himself.
"Each relationship pushes me to be a more caring and thoughtful version of who I want to be."
What energizes Peter most at the shop is watching new volunteers arrive. Their enthusiasm — the energy of people actively trying to solve real problems — is contagious. "I see many people are trying to solve the problems that society currently faces," he observes. It's a hopeful thing to witness, week after week.
His advice to prospective volunteers is warm and uncomplicated: "The Wednesday regular volunteers are welcoming and supportive." Come as you are. You'll be met where you are.
Peter's favorite thing about biking is also a kind of mindfulness practice: "I remember to breathe and relax. I value the random interactions with people I meet along the route." As for his bike, if it could talk? He imagines it pleading: "Please, I beg of you, stop working on other bikes. I need attention too."
Bob Matusiak
Ask Bob Matusiak about his favorite tool and he’ll reach for the Park derailleur hanger alignment tool — a precision instrument that most riders never think about until a bent hanger throws their shifting into chaos. It’s a fitting symbol for what Bob brings to SVBE: attention to the details that quietly make everything else work.
“A disabled gentleman rode to the exchange with a bike we had given him and said that the bike with a crutch attached to it had given him a new life — he was able to get around so much more easily.”
That story stays with Bob. It captures why he keeps coming back — the recognition that a well-tuned bike isn’t just a piece of equipment; for some people, it’s a lifeline. That sense of mission runs through everything Bob does at SVBE, from his partnership with veterans at the Palo Alto VA to his patient work with beginners who arrive knowing almost nothing about how a bike works.
Working with vets from the Palo Alto VA has been one of the more meaningful dimensions of Bob’s time at SVBE. Connecting veterans with reliable transportation — and with the satisfaction of understanding how their bikes work — is the kind of impact that doesn’t show up in any metric but is impossible to miss in person.
What Bob finds most rewarding, though, is one of the quieter parts of the job: helping people with limited mechanical knowledge learn to take care of their own bikes. There’s a particular kind of confidence that comes from understanding the machine beneath you — from knowing you can fix a flat, adjust a brake or diagnose a shifting problem without calling anyone for help. Bob loves being the person who gives someone that confidence for the first time.
His invitation to anyone thinking about joining is characteristically open-handed: “Join us, learn with us, ask questions and keep coming back — we need you!” It’s a rallying cry and a promise in equal measure.
Off the clock, Bob’s favorite local ride is the Dirty Moody bike path — a name that perfectly suits someone who clearly relishes a bike with some character. But his most treasured ride of all was a trip into Big Basin (before the fires) with his friend Paul. “My favorite bike ride ever,” he says simply. Some rides stay with you.
Ready to Ride With Us?
Volunteers are the engine of SVBE. Whether you've never fixed a flat or you could rebuild a drivetrain in your sleep, we have a place for you. Join us for an event and find out for yourself.
