Xail Hernandez and Devon Snyder

00:02 Hi, my name is Sherry Lynn Landis. I'm 33 years old. Today is Friday, June 31st 2020. We are in Chicago, Illinois and my partner over here is Devon. She's my coworker and friend. My name is Devon Snyder. I am 28 years old. It is Friday January 31st to 2020-2021 Chicago, Illinois and I am here with Hernandez my coworker and friend great. So I was thinking about questions before and there's some prompts that I was looking at. But really I just want to know.

00:50 Like what was your first experience getting into biking and looking bikes in a workers by kiss before you came here? I just always like to know what people's like first kind of like wow moment is with bikes. So funny. I feel like breakups have been good to me. I used to rely on rides with my ex and we were together for six years. So she was my wife for 6 years and then we broke up and then I was just using the the bus the bus is over there in Tucson and not to make anyone mad about the bus system public transportation over there's not a reliable is not that great as a set of biking and then doing this in the bus and it was just one day that I was just I can't wait anymore is it was just too much so I biked all the way from the U of A all the way to home.

01:50 I like about 3 miles and I just feel like so empowered just it just felt like a hot wings. I was just like I don't I don't need I don't need a car. I don't need anybody so so so much Freedom there. That was my big wow moment about yours.

02:12 Not breaker play to be like totally similar. It was you know bikes had always been a thing that we had as kids for fun. And I feel like that's how a lot of people still think about it, you know the socially if you grow up in what was essentially a suburb cuz there's like not a lot of really get anywhere on a bike where I'm from cuz it's not that doesn't know bike paths to get to the grocery store to the library. It's like just you know, you go biking the cul-de-sac and that's it. So when I went to college in Portland, there was a lot more bike infrastructure. So was it was much easier than waiting for I went to school up on a hill and there was a bus that would you know, every couple hours would take you down and up the hill so you can take the bus down to the city but like waiting for it took forever and for a long time they had a limit to how many people could be on the bus if there was like more than 50 people. They would like push you.

03:09 Does like screws raise the amount of people that I knew their who also used bikes has transportation and there were like, let's go on a 40 mile ride, and I'm like, okay on this like really crummy Gary Fisher hybrid bike and then I did it and it felt awful but great and the I just took the discovery of like independent transportation in like what my body can do and that was really cool. Yeah. I wanted to ask you like what what does it mean to you? Like bikes as a woman? Oh, that's a good question.

03:51 Cuz I figure reminds me of the conversation that was kind of facilitated at bike bike about like taking up space in like taking the streets.

04:03 I think for the most part when I think about riding my bike, it's like totally like genderless sexless. Like I am just a nobody trying to get from point A to point B, and that's really how I think about it like 90% of the time but then of course you're constantly remind even the other day I was biking and I'm like in like rain pants and a big puffy jacket and like my face is covered and I biked past a bunch of guys and they're like, you do more work with no idea what I look like the female body. So we're going to yell at it. So it's like a lot of times.

04:44 Like Viking as a woman is like not something I think about unless someone aggressively reminds me that that's what I'm doing.

04:54 And because of that I feel like

04:57 It makes me more aggressive as a as a cyclist. I've also been hit by cars a couple of times that's not related to being a woman or anything like that in the combination of just like any space is an unsafe space for for you know, any marginalized community that I like when I'm riding. I kind of have an angry face on a lot but look the same as like walking down the street and just being like don't talk to me. I want to get into two racing bikes too. And I feel like that is a space that has for a long time but a very hard hard industry to get into like a lot of races don't have the head like a cap on how many men can sign up for they don't have a cap on how many women can sign up because they want lots of women to attend which is both cool and also kind of a bummer to know that they have to like OfferUp you like anyone

05:57 But so it means it means a couple different things but

06:04 But I really just tried a distance. I just try to think about like I am a person getting from point A to point B. Worse cuz like I just want to wear a dress leave me alone Friday or shorts or whatever and like all the standards would like and it's interesting to how everything I do not I mean no pun intended but like bleeds until like other spaces where it's about like a hygiene and like Health like I don't know.

06:37 Like I like having longer hair and writing and that's not necessarily about being a woman that could just be hell like your joke gender expression. Like anyone could have long hair but feel like having longer hair like that wanted to shave my legs. It's it's interesting how things kind of like overlapping that way and that's what makes me glad to work at a place like this where I like, I don't have to worry about being held to a higher standard as a woman. Also. Someone has to be like wants to bike to get around like we don't have to worry about like, okay. Well, I want to bike to get somewhere but I have to make sure I'm like business casual but business casual for a woman is a cramped up to 11 because we have to always be looking great. But you know that we need it by guess in the community here and just like if you felt different or safer or less safe riding around as far as writing, it was really cool. Just

07:37 Set up taking ownership of the street that because I was taught to do it that way. I stutter comedian on my own for the longest time and then I went to Pike us and get educated and trained how to safely commute on the streets, but it was really cool to just on my own discover that I was like wait a minute like the cars are really close to me. And if I don't if I don't take 1/3 of the the lane that that just the car passing through and the wind just like it's going to push me and I'm going to fall into the sidewalk. So I need space and awesome to do it as a woman with a woman of color to just beat less apologetic. That's what made me not just do that, but it has expanded to a life that I'm like, wait a minute. I'm just here like I'm existing if I'm learning.

08:30 And I'm improving another language even apologize for it. I'm so sorry. You couldn't you know, you're have the opportunity yourself, but and it just like it has transfer so many components of my life. Thank you for breaking up with me at 7, but the Catalyst behind everything and sometimes it's like really shity stuff for your like like completely rearrange my life after that. Thanks assholes that I wish. I wish you well. Yeah it mean it's

09:10 It's so interesting to how.

09:13 Like like cycling as an industry, whether it's just like commuting or like casual writing or mountain biking racing like all of it. Like it's not like with any industry isn't going to continue to thrive and become mainstream unless it becomes a more accessible place and it's so people hold on to that space so tightly and are so like defensive of their territory and like the knowledge and their knowledge want to share it with you and you like do you want this?

09:48 Whole industry and Recreation to just not be something that's approachable or affordable and the answer is yes, but it's like cycling to just go Into Obscurity and everyone else is going to drive cars and like hate life and there's going to be higher rates of pedestrian and like car accidents and all the stuff unless it becomes something where everyone feels comfortable doing it. I mean like the number one thing that I hear from people who are Like I Do by Kina City cuz I feel unsafe and the people are saying that are like women and people of color and clear people. It's not like the old guy. He doesn't feel he doesn't feel scared. He doesn't it cuz it's just safety is like not a thing that's like on the same level for A lot of people are expensive to be safe can be expensive to have a helmet to have you know that the right gear fishing in the winter and earn extra layers. Do you have to put

10:48 Yeah, I've been really like you coming from bike has this is awesome collective in Tucson, Arizona because they were just very mindful of that. If we want to make Transportation affordable and accessible, you just have to give that tool to the person to the cyclist and there was such an awesome Community Building skill and skill Sherry and John that in that space wish I wish we had so many of those but it's just it's really hard cuz his is so much work to yeah. I mean you've been doing this for a long time. Like is it something that

11:28 Like is there ever a point where you're just like so exhausted from helping people cuz I feel that you're a little worn out cuz not only are you teaching your mechanicing you're also running a nonprofit, but you're not doing it doing it alone. It was really cool to see just

11:53 I don't know. You just get like that that gasoline I should I don't know where you get that energy. When when you give a tool to say a little young girl that the first thing she says, it's like I can't do it and then you tell it all. Yes. He can I saw about positioning and was a loosen the bolt is just amazing cuz their face just like lit up and that's that's what you get after teaching and getting really tired just like this is why I'm doing it and also my favorite part was to tell Dad that I was just fixing up a flat is such a, repair and yet not just little young girls, but anybody will come in somebody who was really older or somebody who just had an accident somebody who was told you can't do it all their lives. So, you know, and they believe it but we give him that rent such a simple too long and then they just like Footloose Appleton which is against

12:53 So far yet. I was thinking about this yesterday.

12:59 How to phrase it but it's

13:03 Sometimes I think what you helping people is such an inspiring thing and it like it it can really yeah, it's like fuel to any kind of work you're doing when you like see that impact your having but sometimes I think what makes me tired is like my constant need to be like in Susie Astic and and the person that's like like please cut like, you know, especially talking to folks that traditionally don't feel comfortable in bike-related cycling spaces where there's a shop or like a group ride and like the constant need to be like

13:44 It's at the knee. That's obviously also something. You know, I personally want to make people feel welcome to make people feel encouraged. Especially you don't come in to volunteer and and you know what that means but it could be so I don't always want to be the enthusiastic and Slick teacher or you know gatekeeper or you know, sometimes I just want to like be myself and not have to feel like I have to engage every single person that's in her room to remind them that they are welcome in a space. But if it just makes me think about how you know, the the

14:26 Like the people who traditionally don't feel comfortable and bike spaces are looking for people who look like them in order to feel comfortable in those spaces, but wouldn't it be great if like just a bunch of white guys? Could you like chill for like one second and likely that like be that warm and Susie Astic presents and I can actually make people feel comfortable and then there was thinking about it. I like the onus of like creating communities always placed on the people who like don't feel like they have the community but wouldn't it be cool if you like some white guys could just be chill for like 1 minute and not like make people feel stupid and take care of yourself when you you're feeling exhausted and just like trains and oh man, I feel like I just kind of high do I have the option of hiding in this building? I guess I can let go hide in the back but

15:27 I think just like not going into those situations alone like that. The issue was that yesterday? I did this Outreach thing and like I was by myself and I was like trying to convince all these people like come volunteer and it's really amazing and that's really great. And I think what's nice a lot of times is that you could find like your buddy or you're like co-conspirator to like tag team and be like I talk to about this thing for a minute and like I'm going to look at you and say I need to go get some water you're going to like keep talking about this thing and and switch off but it could be hard when you're trying to grow something cuz there's not that many of you right especially when you have to like fight so hard to like get people out to things where a lot of other communities can just don't have to advertise at all and they'll be like 20 white guys that a group ride without even having to advertise, but you might be the only woman there.

16:26 Kind of thing that everyone feels and I think it also doesn't help that like working bikes isn't just like a customer service organization providing people with like, you know, all that front-end business, but also would like a nonprofit. So there's like that extra layer and I know you encounter that a lot like what do you do to like take time for yourself? Even if it is like August and the shops really busy and you don't have a chance to go hide. How do you hide in yourself totally different experience? Cuz I want to actually go above and beyond to be right now till you can fix it. You can do it. We have Patch Kids and stuff like that by the same time I had to step back.

17:15 Remind myself, like know they chose to come here because I want to either support us because they have a need and and sometimes I just choose for them to pay the full amount to spend the night you fix my flat, you know the way I've been taking care of myself. Honestly Susa a lot of bike rides in amazing Buick Super opposite to where I come from ya so far has been super nice and like you said just talking to my teammates regular co-workers friends is just like immediately create those fine because we have this Mutual understanding of being like and I know where the hell I'm going to go hide in the office. Yeah. Anyway, I want to have as a button like an emergency, but I do like people come in as like buzzing in the back like

18:15 Just be some extra like body in front of this person. Like I just think it does get a little bit tired when I'm trying to promote or just to like present the idea of bicycles can be a tool, you know, and and the people that come in here who like it's the first time just being here is just like Oh, I thought I came here to get a bike for my little kid. I know you guys were here and I and I just tell them you don't like a bicycle I can do so much more by me again only do so much, right? Yeah everybody like I get so geeked out about stuff, but I'm not going to do anything to convince you that you are safe because like it's scary. It's not it's not saved. Saved. I mean

19:11 I just do it cuz it's what makes me feel happy when it makes me feel good. Even if I have to like hit some cars every once in awhile to say hey, this is my space. Get out of here. Leave a big No-No ones signals in Chicago. I don't know what that means. I don't say no. It's here. It's really wild the number of times. I've always been like squish through feeling like parked cars like a car turning become like more aggressive and like I said back at like back down to be like, I can't be that biking asshole how far I don't mean to put you on the spot, but especially as a woman just like I am always willing to be a shame the skills that I have cuz it mechanic and is not easy.

20:12 I think I don't know. I just want to let you share it and then I just wanted to see where it where are you and I have so much to learn still. I think that

20:23 You know, there's certain things I know how to do but I want to do it in like private and I don't want anyone to see like it takes me so long to change a flat. I know how to do it. I'm just not very fast at it and

20:38 And I think that

20:40 You know.

20:42 Especially being in a shop like this where there's so many different types of bikes and various stages of disrepair and a k but it can be difficult for me to think about approaching working on a bike here.

21:00 Just because I I don't I mean I work at a bike shop full of amazing people and I'm a constantly telling people that I meet out in the real world that this is a really there's no intimidation Factor all the staff are incredibly supportive. We've amazing volunteers. It's a really wonderful learning environment. And obviously, I can't take that. It's like I like I get nervous being here. So kind of a bummer to you know, not take your own like advice or promotion did like it's a really wonderful learning environment and then I'm like, I don't want to bother anybody but it's I mean, I think

21:41 There's I want to be able to build up a bike on my own and it did not and then not having it's not just a matter of like saving money, but it's also just like a skill like I want to be able to maintain anything if I were to eventually get a car God forbid. I want to be able to work on that car. Right? And you know, that's that's what I want. I want to be able to maintain everything on my own and and also have have the the special knowledge so that I can share it with other people and not like, you know, it's chill official record it it's almost like a band a lot and then they get really popular and you're like, I don't want anyone else to like this band suck. But but I want to be able to like teach other people. That's what I'm learning new things is cool.

22:36 But I have a lot to learn in and I need to spend more time.

22:41 Out of the office like fixing up bikes, but I never put it second imitating. I do his lean too heavily on anyone here because there's already so much need for like you to divert your attention to training, you know, Derek and I'm Alia and then the customers and then like Josh has his own ship that he's doing and is working with the volunteers and so my I don't want to be like the staff member that's like I also don't know how to do anything and I work here but that's no honestly like I coming from by cazwell. We saw the value of teaching mechanics and Shannon duh skill. Not just because I hate me why you don't like Fix-A-Flat and not bother us at all. It's just like it. It's it transfers. It just transferred to so many parts of your life like it starts making you think critically exactly what you said like, hey if I can take her but like maybe I can take care of of a car I can maybe fix up a light. Maybe I can build up a cat.

23:41 Whatever. Yeah, but that's that's what we're promoting. That's eventually what we're trying to do and it coming from that background and I know like you said the staff here, so I mean I'll tell you cuz I seen them they've helped me a lot but then it's just like like we want to share it. You know, that's the thing. We want to share this with you right now. There's just mellow and slow customers will come it will go crazy election. So, please please come over. I don't even like you. I need to get over my own my own ego. But yeah, I'm telling people all the time. It's so funny how people always want to wait on bike stuff until spring and I'm like no, in the shop and chill and like we'll be able to like what happens is that everyone wants to be able to I'm going to everybody like you're saying is mine's you got to remember that someone's coming to you because you have the expert knowledge.

24:41 I want to pay you to fix something and if they want to learn on their own, they'll like so find a time to do that. But so many people are just like I want to get up in your space and watch what you're doing. And for some reason people don't understand that like July is not the title. If you want to learn what the mechanics doing and you have a issue with your bike. Don't hold onto it until the summer they come in now move time to show you what to do. But yeah, you've been here almost I guess it hasn't been close to a year. But is it did by kiss ever have slow Seasons like this or are you feeling like like you're in this is a time to kind of

25:23 Like Shore up all your knowledge and share it or like what are you using this? This kind of Break In The Busy rush for cuz I've been surrounded by the amazing mechanic. So we have in the production department is social privileges just like the details in the fine-tuning on a bicycle repair or build up an amazing is all you're always going to learn something in a bicycle. So don't don't don't overwhelm yourself to be like, I need to learn how to fix if it's just like there's so many ways that you can fix a flat that sometimes it'll be longer. Sometimes it'll take you no less depending is little chicks for everything same with a build a bike and I was just it changes every time anything. That's why we like

26:11 Mechanic because it's just like the lady never stops your social order to yeah. I'm right. Now this is the perfect season and we're we're training you can just like throw yourself out there to training right now is it's really cool. I I think is when you go out we going death and then we put everything into practice and then we can also help out build up a bike as we go along, you know, which helps, you know are a protection knuckle up a little bit but I don't know. I think I'm back in bikers are swell season was summer so hot so hot nobody likes to write stuff like that. So we will be ready for the fall and the spring. I guess the heat is different there.

27:11 It's here. It's like it and it's always busy. I think the people are taking their bikes like going on vacation with them probably. Yeah more than anything. That's really neat. Do you feel like

27:22 It took a lot because I guess Derek was more of an intern when he first started and only started kind of doing service department work in the fall. Was that something that you felt like you were missing when you first started here was like that teaching cuz you did come from more of a background of like teaching and education at by guess and you like LED workshops. So did you feel like that was a need that is now being filled or is there more you want to do around that? It was I think it is I got those has small doses of it when I first started working here cuz people were pretty curious. It will tell me like what what are you doing there is because they saw me as being new mechanic and also being a woman that men a lot of men would question me and I will be happy to explain everything with the Rye vocabulary to be like, this is what I'm doing and then

28:15 You know what you're doing, but I think I really value whenever a person comes in and I mean not only other intimidated by the place cuz it's a little bit bigger than don't know anything about the Shelf where there's a woman a woman that want to show that you know that but when they asked a question to ask me a question, I'll be more than happy to answer them cuz I know it takes a lot, you know to show that. Oh, I don't know. I don't know how to teach a fly. Like how do you do like, what was the trick or when people ask me or how did the shifting when they asked me about the shift and specially I'll be more than happy to invite them into the service department to let them know if we have the time someone gets a little bit busy, but for them to just ask a question is just a girl such a long way cuz I know that that'll make him better writer. So sorry getting to another bicycle. Yes, that's like that.

29:15 And I feel like I don't know. I feel like you have a working bikes. We can definitely do a little bit more when it comes and I'm thinking I'm thinking of like, I don't know just wanting to hear set of us enters or you coming in here helping us out. I change a flat, you know during the summer or something something that we can set of have volunteers just come over and help out and I'll be more than happy to make have the right training and I just want to teach you know, ask questions if that's what makes a mechanic so great is that we are constantly asking ourselves question. I see Josh, I see John and out and all of them just be mechanicing what for like 15 all of their life pretty much yet. I still ask each other questions, which I think that's amazing. That's really nice of Works in separate areas of the building but it is really nice to to see when there's like conversations around things that are bizarre.

30:15 Just like these Arbiters of all knowledge and they are infallible. It's really really nice. I feel I'm always like gushing over how supportive this staff feels especially as someone who's experienced a lot of like negative interactions with bike shops. Not like luckily not here and I wonder if it's because you know come and going into like any bike shop chances are maybe I've met the person or like now have any my Swagger is a little different than like, I work at a bike shop to but I feel like in the past. Yeah, it's always just so awful especially as like a woman and having to like write down exactly what I need on my hand and then second-guess myself about it. You might Googled it like eight times and it's just just chain lube and it's just chain.

31:15 Because I happen once I was like chain lube in there like chain lube chain lube. Should I slow but yeah, I think you know we

31:30 Have ideas about getting more volunteers involves upfront to lighten the load a little bit because we have some I mean a lot of the volunteers most of the regular volunteers are like essentially professional mechanic certificate program with them, but they're like really great. So if we had a way to to make a space for them up front where it's like a volunteer in the summer is going to be up there and all they're doing is fixing Flats. I'd be so nice on it and it's a great way to like make use of volunteers and also a really great way to alleviate some of the stuff that you all have to do, which I know you're happy to do but sometimes it's just so busy.

32:21 But we are 8 minutes if that's a part of like the education because it's also really great to are there any other ways in which he wants like continue to teach people? I know you kind of have your hands full with Amalia and Derek, but I'm what's nice is that there's effect there's room to have ideas here and execute them and just just do it and like to make this face your own anything else you're kind of dreaming of I know I don't know. I have like service learning project ideas that we can always use in the front but I don't know. Haven't really cooked up anything before we finish I wanted to ask you a question that I will always have my my students and I'll build a bike class. The first question I ask is just like what is your most memorable bike ride?

33:16 Probably before I moved here from Portland, Oregon my and I had never written a hundred miles and my good friend and I rode just like a century through it's called The Gorge. It's an area that is in both Washington and an organ and it's / the Columbia River. So we did a hundred miles. It's a really beautiful and it was like

33:42 Early October and like he was all in his like kit with his like clip. It is like fancy shoes and I was just wearing like a pair of bike shorts. They weren't even like beds and like a grungy t-shirt and so is like a very fun and contrast but yeah, it was beautiful like writing in the Washington side and then the Oregon side.

34:09 It was really neat to just just to have that experience in this area where I was leaving and then to also ride so much that I was hungry for the next like two days straight. That was pretty cool.

34:23 But

34:25 Yeah, but just thinking about I thinking about biking in his whole new way of like long-distance biking and like riding to the point of exhaustion and like really feeling like your body as a machine where it needs fuel and that fuel is like just Snickers and Gatorade.

34:50 That I'm this thing that needs to get taken care of in like biking fulfills all those things but also like remembering to eat in hydrate and like how that's a part of it like discovering new points of exhaustion and hunger. What about you my I actually have a decent one, but I'm bodies and bicycles amazing they call. All right in college. There were there is a body body appreciation week or something this like this like series of events that the feminist Student Union wanted to put on and I wanted to do a bike ride a bike from the campus to you know, an area of Portland that allow people go to and no one showed up.

35:35 Bike ride bike ride to show what your body can do when your body is up with a way of getting around and it's amazing and no one showed up. So I just went on a bike ride by myself. But yeah, what was your most memorable ride when it snowed? That's when I got a taste of of the winter here in Chicago and it was really fun. It was my short my commute from here to my house is pretty short is like about 15 18 18 minutes super short, but it was fun falling. Do you know who's driving on Ice? Yeah. So thus covering my eyes felt like on the tires. I was fine, but it was just getting through that snow and on the small of I ate just like my entire by change to everything got frozen weight shifting of every

36:35 Slippery but then the next time it snowed. It was just awesome. Cuz I just like Road and I have a mask that I wear cuz it's really cold. But I was I just had this huge smile cuz it's a good attitude about it. LOL. I hate I mean, it's just a really cool and you're like, I don't know. I'd like cursing the whole time writing when I get home and I'm like a Cactus Road home and write it just feels like rain to be like well, like I just I can just write anywhere, you know after writing on that snow in that eyes when I felt only to get up. Yes a really cool. And then yeah, it's just that has the most recent and memorable one. So, I'm looking forward to Winter. I'm actually looking forward to winter here. It's been pretty but I'm sure it'll happen again and maybe next time it's sending one when you and Josh and I rode that one day where it was like

37:30 So cold. Yeah, I was a pretty memorable. That's the coldest it's been in the minute and like I really got to a restaurant and I took my shoes off and run my toes but usually in those cases that carry around my helmet with me. So people know that I'm not just a weirdo taking my shoes off in a restaurant that I bites.

37:50 Mike is my validation Idaho is where to go and into a place when you have like a full-blown mask and they just have to call you. But yeah, I did like it probably shouldn't say that in the recording Noel more and do some bike stuff cuz my bike is also filthy and I want to go to this other bike. So but we should plan a bike like a shop hang. We've been talking about that shop and then something I like to tell my story as students or whoever like I love questions asked me to get like really like you she about it, but I'm so happy that you're here. I like today was thinking about like Anna started a year ago and like

38:50 We such a great group of people and it's so nice to be in an environment where like I can ask you questions, especially, you know, not just in a way that you're a teacher but you're also like a supercooled friend and thanks for sharing. Nice hangout. Yeah.

39:18 Awesome, cool

39:20 Thank you. Love you. Thank you. I can swear I can wear or stay still.