Our featured volunteer this month is Helen Hsiu. Helen has been a dedicated Wednesday volunteer all through the pandemic, and has recently taken over as the lead (along with Rose) for our Women's Night event (WTF / FTW) on the first Monday of every month.
She has also been an indispensable volunteer at some of our offsite events as well as helping at various community events. Despite being a top-notch mechanic, she is never too busy to roll up her sleeves to ensure that donation bikes have properly inflated tires or to pitch in wherever her help is needed. We first approached Helen about being a featured volunteer a year ago, but she humbly declined. Now, after repairing dozens of bikes and leading our WTF nights, she's ready for the spotlight!
How did you get involved with SVBE?
I’m a California native, born and grew up in Southern California. As a child somehow my parents didn’t mind or didn’t know I was taking things apart at home to see how they worked. I only shocked myself a couple of times and learned to unplug things first. After college I moved to the Bay Area and worked as a Software Engineer in the defense, telecom, and speech recognition industries. I enjoyed programming and troubleshooting systems. Then I was a stay-at-home Mom doing the usual school volunteer, room parent, team parent things. I enjoyed designing and making things with my son such as cooking projects, Lego creations, Halloween costumes, and our Bao/Cupcake Car. My son Robbie is now in college and has also enjoyed volunteering at BikeX. I started with BikeX after becoming an empty nester and am really enjoying it.
What keeps you coming back?
I like bikes, I love puzzles and tinkering, I like to think it’s helping people and the environment, the people at BikeX are nice and always great about taking the time to share their knowledge, and, of course, Judy’s cookies!
Which bike stands out as the most memorable, or your favorite?
It’s all a blur. The first time I get to work on any particular setup or part is always extra fun though.
What’s your favorite bike tool?
The electric pump.
What is your background in cycling? And on wrenching on bikes?
I’ve been riding in the hills around here for exercise with friends and around town for errands for almost 40 years now. I learned about working on bikes mostly through articles and videos on the internet. My son grew so fast I was buying bikes every two years for him and decided getting used ones and fixing them up was more economical and fun. That’s why my knowledge is mostly in the older stuff.
What can you share about your personal or family bike collection?
Our stable varies but currently has 10 bikes and 3 unicycles, most are quite old but in fine shape. Recently my husband and I bought new-to-us bikes from BikeX. Being a mechanical engineer, a titanium Litespeed caught his eye. And I got a carbon fiber at least 5 pounds lighter than my trusty 1989 Miyata so I could stand a chance in keeping up with him.
What have you learned since volunteering with SVBE?
Lots about bikes! There’s always something different with each bike in ways you’d never expect. Also, getting to know the folks at BikeX has been fun and inspiring.
What’s your favorite bike ride (local or not)?
Any ride with family or friends.