Yellow Bike Theft?

[Toolmaker]

Yellow bikes were brand new Huffy bikes.. beach cruiser style. They were donated by an unreleased source. I am unaware of whether or not any were added to the remaining "stock". I saw stolen bikes in 07 and 08 on the way out. I also saw many being put into RVs both years. I lost count early in the week both years as to how many were repainted and decorated on the playa. This year I was threatened with bodily harm when I tried to use one after a participant stopped at the potties and got off the bike. I waited by the portas to find one both years and had some luck getting one within 30 mins or so.

[travisbikes]

Actually very close, but.... this is not a yellow bike. I won't tell you how I know, never give away your secrets. I am very glad to read this discussion of the project.

Instead of arguing radical self-reliance against the project, start arguing if the citizens of BRC can prove to be more responsible with community property. We know these projects fail in normal cities due to crime and greed. Can BRC prove their superiority as a community, or will it be proven to be a bunch of assholes from some other cities at a party.

Their will always be bad apples. Can we self regulate? Does the fact that people are taking action to protect community property mean they can suceed? Can people put the community before themselves? How much do you need to tell people theft is wrong before you stop accepting ignorance as an excuse?

These are the things that the YBP is testing, but it's results will mean alot more than community bikes, they can define the true integrity of BRC as a whole, or will show it's just another town, Anywhere USA.

[gyre]

I did see some bikes in 2007 that had the exact same paint job.
I was told that they were extra bikes that had been added to the program.

Travis,
Further, how can you distinguish them when they are repainted and have had the chain guard removed?
I saw many I could not be sure about with no chain guard.
Was a further marking added this year?
Don't some programs use something welded or soldered to the front?

I also strongly urge a different color.
Green is too hard to spot at night and there are too many stock green bikes.
Yellow was chosen for a reason.

What about my idea of using a strip of diamond grade reflective striping?
My 2005 bike still reflects bright as can be and has been outdoors since then.
All the other reflective material on it has faded to white.
It makes a bike extremely easy to spot with a light at night.
I used the common horizontally oriented striping on the curved lower tube and it still worked very well.

[Grazelda]

Frankly, I think the yellow bike program, while a nice idea, cuts directly across the grain of radical self-reliance.

They become a scarce commodity which plays into peoples' dark sides - hoarding, hiding, lying, stealing and cheating. It also activates a similar but opposite function in the "yellow bike liberators." I saw a guy last in line at the Pancake House lose his shit because he discovered a yellow bike had been decorated and thus taken out of circulation.

I ask this in earnest: What is the virtue of the yellow bike program?

strikes me as 'the virtue' is a wonderful community sharing concept. would be fun to put a tiny GPS on a few and see their week's travel pattern after the burn.

would also be karmatic to lessen the drama and add couple/few thousand more of them... the more common something is, the less people seem to be interested in stealing/hoarding sometimes. ring the city with 'em then report to LEO that yours (which just happens to look exactly the same) was stolen. might give them something productive to do for a while...

and definately make most of them twin seaters so those riding alone look rude.