Hello

Barr · Post by **Barr** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:35 pm

Hey, long time hiker and mountain climber here getting excited about my first burn. Gotten kinda psyched about the whole thing even though it's a year off. I usually camp in decidous to alpine regions. Converting my methods to playa seem straightforward, standard survival tips with regard to activity levels and resource management. I'm looking forward to not having to bring a bear canister. Unless... there are bears among you... Note to self: reconsider bear canister...

I'm a little concerned for my mountain bike. Should I bring a junker instead? Mud and general wear and tear never bothered it but that immutable dust I keep hearing about is starting to make me wonder.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:28 pm

Apparently, making a good bike good again is just as expensive as buying a new bike.

I have my quarrells with the whole "disposable" bike thing, because I question an entire industrial apparatus for making crappy stuff with huge doses of planned obselesance (stock market crashes--so does my spelling) and then not even reclaiming the materials, but I don't know if there's a graceful way around that.

Barr · Post by **Barr** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:28 pm

Perhaps I have been misunderstood? I meant to imply rather, a reclaimed one speed bike I keep for when I need to work on my main bike. It would be lot easier to clean up rather than having to take apart my geartrain if the dust cakes in there.

And on the whole disposable marketplace issue, a lot of it, I find, is ignorance or neglect of basic maintenance.

H "Waterheater's broke again!"
M "Really, when was the last time you changed the filter?"
H "Filter?"
M "You have hard water."
H "Hard... like ice?"

Etc Etc

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:42 pm

Since you already have the 1-speed and know how to work on it that sounds perfect. There are no hills out there so more speeds aren't really necessary.

Dust doesn't really cake too bad unless you do what I did my first year and keep spraying WD-40 in the gears to clean them out. They're better dry.

Post by **Elderberry** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:28 pm

Hi there. Welcome to eplaya.

I asked the guy at the bike shop if he thought he could bring my good bike up to speed if I took it to the playa. He said sure. I did and he was able to clean it up good as new. (Wasn't cheap, but nor was the bike.) Took it again this year too.

As you have a spare not so good bike, I think I'd take that. You probably wouldn't have to worry as much about locking it--though I was sometimes forgetful about locking mine. Fortunately it never got borrowed.

JK

PabloInTheSky · Post by **PabloInTheSky** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:47 am

WeLcOlMe To ThE ePlAyA.

Sit back relax have a beer, Already got one, Have another.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:02 am

everything you own will get fucked up, including your pretentious buddhism.

moesy · Post by **moesy** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:31 am

Welcome! I suggest bringing the one speed and saving your good ride for other ventures. You don't need a multi-speed bike on the playa, just something to get you from one place to another. Simple is good. Be sure to "light it up" though, mucho importante.

I am pretty sure I saw some Bears out there this year

! How big is that canister???

RockinRose · Post by **RockinRose** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:55 pm

Bring the junker. Yeah, how do I know, since I haven't been yet? Heard enough stories about weather doom and damaged equipment.

[quote]everything you own will get fucked up, including your pretentious buddhism.[/quote]

where was the pretentious buddhism, exactly? sure, there's plenty of mountaineering jargon in there, but not a mantra to be found as far as I can see....

anyway, I'm rambling.

RockinRose

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:23 pm

RockinRose wrote:
everything you own will get fucked up, including your pretentious buddhism.
where was the pretentious buddhism, exactly? sure, there's plenty of mountaineering jargon in there, but not a mantra to be found as far as I can see....

2 possibilities.
*The mountaineering jargon is a prelude to going to Tibet and coming back a full-fledged lama.
*Simon was being snarky and you better get used to it because snark is one of the dominant leit-motifs of the board. Besides, we want to strip the newbies of evil dewy eyed tendencies to become American Buddists and especially Hippies.

btw click the 2nd box below the text box so that you can have all the fun coding. Or change it on your profile page, so it's always on.

Now, why is it that lamas and llamas both live in mountains.

Barr · Post by **Barr** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:54 pm

Well the cannister is 9" across and 12" long and it's shaped like a barrel. The manual says it carries almost a person-weeks amount of food (depending on your activity and metabolism). They'll lick it and push it around but it's too big for them to get their jaws around it and walk off with your granola.
Thanks for the input on the bike selection. I'll bring the one speed. Sounds like decorating the bikes is a regular past time on the playa, I guess I'll bust out my glow-in-the-dark accrylic.
And Buddhists are vegetarians by their nature (that whole life being sacred idea), and I am not. I eat meat. I eat fish. I agree that life is sacred but in the absence of predation systems tend to break down.

And I consider trolls, and other snarky members of the internet to be on the menu when the chips are down.

"Whenever possible, I prefer to eat the rude. The free range rude,"
- Hannibal

grapes · Post by **grapes** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:12 pm

barr...i like your style.

carry on.