Buying a playa bike in state
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Warbaby Fox
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:14 am
- Burning Since: 2016
Buying a playa bike in state
Thanks to Jack Rabbit Speaks, I've learned that playa bikes are for sale in Reno and cities on the way to BRC. I'm coming from Florida so I'd like to pack as light as I can. Getting a bike in Nevada seems like a smart idea. But I wanted to see if these playa bike shops are the real deal. Should I avoid certain shops? About how much should I be prepared to spend with them?
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Captain Goddammit
- Posts: 8589
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- Location: Seattle, WA
Re: Buying a playa bike in state
Get a Huffy Cranbrook beach-cruiser bike... WalMart sells them, under $100. They work great on the playa, but more importantly that's the model used for the Yellow Bike program, and you can donate it after the event. It has to be the same bike for parts interchangeability reasons.
GreyCoyote: "At this rate it wont be long before he is Admiral Fukkit."
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Warbaby Fox
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:14 am
- Burning Since: 2016
Re: Buying a playa bike in state
That's a good idea. I didn't even factor in getting the bike back home. Donating it would definitely be the better option.
Re: Buying a playa bike in state
What the good captain said, with the proviso that the Huffy Cranbrook is less suitable for tall people, since it comes in only one frame-height, which is 18". This means that tall folks may not be able to raise the saddle high enough for comfort. The standard model is the ladies' with 26" tires. They also have one with 24" tires, and this is strictly for shorter folks, with frame-height of only 16".
Regrettably, frame height is an undiscovered phenomenon to mass-peddlers like Walmart.
They also sell a men's model, but the frame is barely 1/2" taller. And if Yellow Bikes uses them at all, they get stolen at a higher rate.
The Huffy Cranbrook is a single speed with coaster brake.
The quality of Huffys is pathetic, but most will last a week. Watch for over-tight chain -- a common phenomenon on bikes assembled at the Reno Walmart. Also, be sure the tires are fully inflated to 40 psi, as the tubes are prone to losing noticeable pressure over mere days, and low tires become completely flat rather easily.
Finally -- while I'm up to typing speed -- those bringing bicycles from lower elevations should have the tires only half-inflated on the journey, as the elevation over Donner Summit is above 7,000' and tubes have been known to explode from the low atmospheric pressure there. Inflate to 40 psi on arrival in BRC.
Mountain bike tires should usually be inflated to 65 psi. But always read the correct pressure on the side of the tire.
I'm done now.
Regrettably, frame height is an undiscovered phenomenon to mass-peddlers like Walmart.
They also sell a men's model, but the frame is barely 1/2" taller. And if Yellow Bikes uses them at all, they get stolen at a higher rate.
The Huffy Cranbrook is a single speed with coaster brake.
The quality of Huffys is pathetic, but most will last a week. Watch for over-tight chain -- a common phenomenon on bikes assembled at the Reno Walmart. Also, be sure the tires are fully inflated to 40 psi, as the tubes are prone to losing noticeable pressure over mere days, and low tires become completely flat rather easily.
Finally -- while I'm up to typing speed -- those bringing bicycles from lower elevations should have the tires only half-inflated on the journey, as the elevation over Donner Summit is above 7,000' and tubes have been known to explode from the low atmospheric pressure there. Inflate to 40 psi on arrival in BRC.
Mountain bike tires should usually be inflated to 65 psi. But always read the correct pressure on the side of the tire.
I'm done now.
Re: Buying a playa bike in state
I'm done now. [/quote]
Thread done! Next!
[/quote]Thread done! Next!
Re: Buying a playa bike in state
No... wait... I'm not done yet! 
Beware of all second-hand bikes. Even the legitimate re-sellers like Kiwanis Club, yes. I see a lot of Kiwanis bikes with serious defects. The Kiwanis are wonderful folks, but they ain't bicycle technicians.
And for Dog's sake... do not buy from some schmuck who sells bikes out of the back of a truck along the road. Those bikes tend to be the worst. At least test ride it thoroughly.
Always bring a couple inner-tubes for your bike. If you do not have the bike yet, buy 26 x 1.95 - 2.125. Or better yet, 26 x 2.3, as the slightly wider tube will fit just fine in a 1.95 tire, and have to stretch less to do it.
And a pump.
Beware of all second-hand bikes. Even the legitimate re-sellers like Kiwanis Club, yes. I see a lot of Kiwanis bikes with serious defects. The Kiwanis are wonderful folks, but they ain't bicycle technicians.
And for Dog's sake... do not buy from some schmuck who sells bikes out of the back of a truck along the road. Those bikes tend to be the worst. At least test ride it thoroughly.
Always bring a couple inner-tubes for your bike. If you do not have the bike yet, buy 26 x 1.95 - 2.125. Or better yet, 26 x 2.3, as the slightly wider tube will fit just fine in a 1.95 tire, and have to stretch less to do it.
And a pump.