VirginBurner's bike quandary...

[Hootus]

Just so happens we are buying 2 new bikes anyway, now B'Man. We walk a lot, but not 5 miles/day, like all over this gathering. Concerned about
theft with 2 new $500-$700 bikes. We could: take our chances, or take 2 beaters we'd have to find and probably fix, or
2 $75 disposables from Walmart or wherever and feel consumer remorse. Thoughts? Thanks!

[MFOB]

Um. Use a lock. Mmmmk

[TT120]

I wouldn't bring expensive bikes to the Playa if it were me. If you do, make sure you bring a lock and secure the bikes anytime you're not riding them. Aside from theft, your fancy $700 bike will get Playafied and the dust will get into everything including bearings. Get a couple cheap bikes and then you wont have to worry about them.

[VultureChow]

If you lock your bikes religiously, theft is pretty unlikely. But, dust is harsh on bikes.

You can quash your guilt by getting the Huffy Cranbrook from Walmart and then donating it to the yellow bike program afterwards.

http://blog.burningman.com/2014/08/buil ... ened-next/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackRockCommu ... fref=photo

[Ratty]

Yes! VC hit the nail on the head.

[misfit]

>>>>Huffy Cranbrook<<<<

stay away from disposable walmart crap. reuse and recycle, hit up craigslist and pick up a nice used bike for the same price. I bet I will last longer than a year.

[pretty_monster]

i have an expensive bike. she's slowly being destroyed by the playa dust but i think the $$$ is worth it for a reliable, comfortable ride and a bike that will hold up for many burns. she is my playa beast and i don't want to have to ever replace her.

i lock her up EVERY.. SINGLE.. TIME i leave her sight, even in camp. she's also heavily decorated and very recognizable so if she did go missing, it'd be hard for the thief to be like "what, no, this is my bike."

[MFOB]

A really nice bike may be an issue. But if you clean it when you return home it will last for years. I have a Full Suspension bike that I take and was at many burns before I even got it. I resurrected it and got it up and in great shape. Take care of it after the burn and all will be fine.

[maladroit]

If you want to get bikes that are pretty much ideal for the playa...try a fat tire bike like the Beast or Dolomite. Absolutely amazing on the playa with those 4" wide tires.

Locking up your bike is not just about hanging on to your expensive property. When someone takes a bike, they're probably not going to actually steal it and remove it from the playa to sell elsewhere. They're stealing it for a quick ride and will drop it some random location. Now your bike is lost in the chaos, destined to become a giant piece of MOOP. And it was YOUR fault...YOU failed to control what you brought to the playa, and you failed to take out what you brought in.

To guard against this, make sure to write your camp address on the bike somewhere, and in the unlikely event you lose it even while making sure to lock it, someone might decide to make a little adventure of bringing your bike home.

[rideincircles]

Also, whatever bike you bring make sure you are comfortable riding it. The cruiser I bought will probably have a smaller gear on it when I bring it to the playa. I rode it around on some light hills and it is rough on the knees. Don't wait to find out stuff like that on the playa. I started a general discussion on bikes for the forum also and it has some good info. Elliot is the go to for bike info around here.

viewtopic.php?f=286&t=73632

[skippy3k]

The cruiser I bought will probably have a smaller gear on it when I bring it to the playa.

x2.

I replace the front sprocket on all of our single speed bikes we bring to the playa. The best modification ever.

[dragonpilot]

I use a 1989 model Specialized Stumpjumper. It's been going to the Burn since 2005. It gets a thorough pre-playa check and a post-playa cleanup. Anytime, and I mean ANYTIME I am not sitting on it it is locked...in camp, porta potties, dance venue piles o' bikes, Burn night piles! I've talked to more people who lost bikes at the porta potties..."I just jumped off to take a pee and came back out and my bike was gone!...Boo hoo..."

Buy a reliable junker, bring spare tubes, add a basket, decorate it...and lock it the fuck up!

[danibel]

Huffy Cranbrook and donate after, or buy some beaters with COMFIE seats and use as playa bikes in the future.

I brought a nice mountain bike my first year. It was awful. For one, I was hunched over the handle bars the whole time. Secondly, I didn't clean it properly after and it rusted. I gave it away for parts a few months after the burn. I bought a cruiser off craigslist and replaced the seat with a fat soft one and now pinky is my ride. I have a basket and a rear rack. I like cruisers because you sit "up" on them. It's easier to see.

LOCK YOUR BIKE. I lock my bike at the portos - seriously. I have a word combo lock and I use it every time.

[Hootus]

Ok, thanks for all this. I think we'll take our chances and bring our new bikes. Can't bring myself to buy
throw-aways.

[Dr. Pyro]

I bought mine at a garage sale five years ago for $10 and it's still working fine. Buy used since the playa will trash anything you purchase.

[maladroit]

Ok, thanks for all this. I think we'll take our chances and bring our new bikes. Can't bring myself to buy
throw-aways.

Good luck...I hope the playa dust doesn't eat your bearings too much, and that you don't get too many scratches in the paint when digging your bike out of a pile of 300 bikes that magically appeared around where you parked them.

[lucky420]

this is what i plan to do when parking my very expensive trike at the portos; i will have a rope tied around it (it will stay on the trike wrapped up in the basket the whole burn),i will have a hold of the other end of the rope so if anybody tries to abscond, boom there I am!

I always lock my bike, I am a fast pee'er and this seems a little easier than locking up for the 15 seconds it takes me to pee.

the knot will be convoluted and weird

[dragonpilot]

this is what i plan to do when parking my very expensive trike at the portos; i will have a rope tied around it (it will stay on the trike wrapped up in the basket the whole burn),i will have a hold of the other end of the rope so if anybody tries to abscond, boom there I am!

I always lock my bike, I am a fast pee'er and this seems a little easier than locking up for the 15 seconds it takes me to pee.

the knot will be convoluted and weird

It takes the person leaving the porto as you enter less than 15 seconds to ride off...but if that leash is around your wrist they'll be opening the porto door for you!

Win-win!

[lucky420]

yep! Surprise....

[trilobyte]

If you'd spend some time doing a little reading, you'd probably see an abundance of advice on the subject of bikes. Don't take a nice bike to the playa, it's not a theft issue as much as it's an issue of it pissing you off in a huge way when your fancy bikes are never the same again (playa dust contains corrosive levels of alkali).

Get something basic that you can bring to the event (I recommend this), and then do bring a simple bike lock. Most of the time people are pretty great, but people get confused (even when they're not in a less-than-sober state), and some people are lazy jerks who just pick up and pedal away on the nearest unlocked bike they can find.

I wouldn't advise that anyone bring a bike of any real value out there until after they've been to the event and know exactly what they're getting themselves into. Some people keep sticking with basic bikes, others go big and invest in trikes (that's what my gf and I did), or really kickass playa bikes and even more elaborate decor.

[Hootus]

So I understand that in a pinch there are bike repair resources at a couple of camps, eh?
I've bought a used cheapie. Looks good for now, but you never know. Wondering about repair
possibilities on the playa.

[Chowski]

We were camped near an RV of ten or so Euro-Ibiza-party boy types a few years ago. Every day they went out with bikes and came home with all new bikes. They thought it was hilarious. Do not leave your bike unlocked even for a minute. There ARE people who will intentionally steal your bike.

[caffeineslinger]

There are some bike repair camps but plan to fix your own stuff. Bring a couple extra tubes and a chain at least.

[Captain Goddammit]

Yes there are bike repair camps, but just so you know - they want to fix on-playa breakdowns but generally don't like fixing stuff that wasn't in decent shape when you showed up in BRC. That's just poor planning, not an accident.

[pink]

Chowski, you could have had them arrested for theft. That might have made it seem a bit less 'hilarious'.