Bike Etiquette on the Playa

tola · Post by **tola** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:38 pm

This was my third burn and I have always locked my bike, even when just stopping for a few minutes. At first I was embarrased for being a suspicious paranoid person, but I am realistic enough to understand that 35+ thousand people don't all share the same beliefs. I was still horrified, however, when one of my campmates trashed his bike and another person went off and came back with a 'borrowed' bike. I took a stand on this and refused to party with them unless he returned the bike. 'It's only worth about $40' he said. 'Not out here it isn't. Out here it's your means of transport, your freedom and fun and stealing someone's bike to my mind is a horrible, mean and totally selfish thing to do. Any views on this? Can you trust the universe while not trusting your fellow men?

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:42 pm

in the 19th century, they hung horse thieves.

does that help?

tola · Post by **tola** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:36 pm

Heh! Man after my own heart...
Quite right too.

Tamborinadanceandsing · Post by **Tamborinadanceandsing** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:44 pm

We got our bike stolen. We went into the man maze, came out and it had gone.. Made me sad and annoyed. People should not do it, it is stealing, not 'borrowing' 'cos you don't give it back! And it was only on the 2nd day too..

Post by **Eric** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:02 pm

Tamborinadanceandsing wrote:We got our bike stolen. We went into the man maze, came out and it had gone.. Made me sad and annoyed. People should not do it, it is stealing, not 'borrowing' 'cos you don't give it back! And it was only on the 2nd day too.. :x

Sorry about your loss. All I can say is:

bike lock- bike lock- bike lock

People do steal, people will borrow. Locking is the only answer. W
ish it weren't so.

Tamborinadanceandsing · Post by **Tamborinadanceandsing** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:00 am

The bike was from our camp pool of shared bikes that we all used, and so did not have a lock. Nevermind, we shared the one bike for the rest of the day, and that was fun riding on the front! He he

On the topic of things that made me annoyed, I noticed people pissing directly on the playa! There is no excuse for that what so ever and people should be ashamed of themselves! I know the loos can be hard to find at night on the open playa, but for god's sake, people are going to be walking through it, or even sitting down in it! And what about MOOP? It's terrible, selfish behaviour. Tsk tsk head shaking...

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 6:29 pm

Also, when you arrive and your destination and decide to dismount, look around you to see where the pedestrian traffic is flowing. Try to find a place for your bike where people will not be TRIPPING OVER YOUR SPROCKETS IN THE DARK!

Sorry, I'm all better now.

P-Mobius · Post by **P-Mobius** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:10 pm

i had my bike ripped 2 years ago--it was a seldom used mt bike that was in west coast storage in my friends garage and would make trips to bman and thats about it...

used to use it alot--but then not so much

well--after 1000s of folks are partying and its late, well...some drunken buffoon probably got on the thing rode it and then abandoned it realizing it wasnt his...

i was upset, but also---hey i didnt bring a lock-so--it was my negligence really--i also considered it liberation for my bike from that garage and into the more fun matrix of bman and wherever else

burningman is no utopia--its distopic and mutated--in accordance youll have all sorts of people with less than benign intent--add drugs to the mix, boundaries disolve..and there goes your poorly protected bike

this year i did bring a lock and i came home with my bike... a combo lock for that matter so i couldnt lose the key---when out on the playa with nothing to lock it to id lock the front wheel to the frame--simple enough

so for any of you who get your bike ripped off without locking it---well---DUH!

that doesnt justify the theft, but the 3 minutes total youll spend for the whole week locking and unlocking your bike is less energy than youll lose psycho emotionally when your bike is ripped. its less energy that writing this email.

thats my 2 cents
peace

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 6:47 pm

Do like they do in Amsterdam - get the cheapest bike you can get and don't get attached to it.

Adarr · Post by **Adarr** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:35 pm

Please don't do like they do in Amsterdam!
I helped clean up the huge pile of MOOP that once was bikes after the event.
This is a BIG DEAL, requiring many resources to remove bikes that have little value on the street thanks to the power of Playa dust.
PLEASE take responsibility for your bike - a lock or something else to make the bike unborrowable, and YOUR NAME AND ON AND OFF PLAYA CONTACT INFO TAPED ONTO YOUR BIKE will help us continue to keep this a leave no trace event, and help reduce theft and loss.
Thank you.
Adarr
Bike Guild

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 6:12 am

I used a Python lock by Master. Unique lock acts as a tiedown as well as a cable lock. You can strap things you can't go through. Lengths up to 20 ft are available. Light and survived the dust. Cheap.
They make a high grade hoop lock I started to take then realized it was worth more than the bike. Heavy too. If you're taking a hi value bike I'd take it or equiv. $40 plus. They also sell cutter proof chain, also not cheap. Master has a shrouded industrial padlock I use on trailers. Cheap chain can be bought at cable and lift suppliers. Ask for chain hardened and resistant to cutters. Will be heavier and will rust compared to boron alloy but good value. It is possible to make a bike impervious to anything but a torch. Some thieves use torches. On the playa I strapped both wheels to each other.
There are cheap china versions of some Master locks at Walmart. These are not the same. The good ones are all USA made.
There are other and better locks. These are best deals I know.

Jesus · Post by **Jesus** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 9:18 am

tola wrote: I took a stand on this and refused to party with them unless he returned the bike.

Thank you for protecting an ideal of burning man.

My bike was 'borrowed' for a day and a half this year. I'd bought a fancy looking but $77 bike at Target. And fortunately, it was returned back to the side of my tent. Come to think of it, it could be the same bike, tola!

(I assume your campmates did come to their senses and return the bike.)

For the burn before last, my enlightend camp leader printed and handed out labels with the camp name, location, and group email address (and a pretty logo) for us to attach to bikes and equipment that he lent out, like ladders.

We had someone take someone's red speed bike and leave their red speed bike behind. The label surely helped lead to the subsequent switcheroo back, IIRC.

I think the org should suggest that after a certain, defined point (say, sunset on Monday) bikes defined as abandonded are fair game. (e.g. not by porta-potties, within 20' of anything and untuched for an hour_+... I guess it's been discussed before... a recent BM update mentioned many abandoned bikes each year, and twice, someone asked if some abandoned-looking bikes were fair game this year on Monday...

xtine2 · Post by **xtine2** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:00 pm

Maybe "Fair Game" would be bikes without labels or license Plates on Monday. Those that are marked should be gathered so that those who haven't been reunited with their bikes (particularly workers who stay past Monday) can still have a chance...

Also, check out the BM-License Plate Discussion.
There is an effort to work on a large-scale BM bike labelling scheme.

Desert Duck · Post by **Desert Duck** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 3:32 pm

Anyone who wants to know about abandoned bikes should volunteer at Bike Guild with Victor. Many of us stay well past monday (as much as a week or more), and I would hope that people wouldn't think that just because I've been on the playa mooping for three hours that they can come along and take my bike if I'm not near it.
I always lock my bike, either to itself or to the other bikes in my group.
Anyone who thinks that there being a "fair game" point is a good idea, needs to rethink what they're suggesting. Theft is theft. If there's a remote chance of reuniting a lost bike with an owner, I'll try.
What people REALLY need to do is playafy their bikes to make them unique and decorative, then LOCK THEM UP when not in use.

Jesus · Post by **Jesus** » Mon May 15, 2006 11:51 am

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have posted without including even more check measures than I did; xtine makes a good suggestion; leaving a note both before and after taking the bike would also be appropriate. But I do think abandoned bikes are a large problem, and that mindful participants can help resolve it. Mental note to discuss at Bike Guild sometime made.

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Mon May 15, 2006 3:01 pm

I have a really silly and/or stupid idea...

Get a shitload of those tyvek wrist bands like at concerts, but the ones you can write on. Put your name and camp location (and maybe your phone number) on the tag, and wrap it around the neck tube. Have rangers give the dam things out so they retain some level of officialness. Like a bike licensing program, but cheap and semi-unofficial.

Come closing, (or esp. a day or 2 after), your bike is sitting out there without a LOCK or a tag (and it's not at your kamp or next to your porta potty) it gets picked up and rended for scrappage or theivage or moopage or whatever. Free game. If it's in a camp or someone belongs to it, keep yer mitts off.

If it's got a tag, and/or it's got a lock, it's someone's. If the camp which the tag came from is abandoned, then the bike is scrappage - AND the camp gets dinged for major moop violation...

Those tags cost all of what, a nickle a piece or less? Maybe hand them out at the ranger stations, Bike camp. and center camp. Enough places people can get to them, but NOT at the entry portal. Why not? Because you don't know yet where the f*** you'll be camped.

Another idea - a bike deposit. You bring a bike on the playa you pay $20 for each at the gate (Yeah, $20.00 each.) You leave with them you get the $20 back. You don't, the money collected helps defer the cost of picking up your fucking trash you left. Can be "policed" the same way - wrist bands on the bike as people come in, exchanged for the $20 on the way out. bike with your band, or no band with your bike, then no $$. Since it takes so damn long (usually) to get though exodus, it won't be that much of an inconvenience. You forgot to get your deposit back when you left? Then you just helped defray the cost of moop removal, and (maybe) contributed to the DPW operating fund! (Tho for 3 bikes at $20, bet you remember to "check out" your bike at the gate...)... and you get the kewl souveneer of this year's bike tag.

With all the bike moop. you gotta do something, yet keep people from boosting bikes as well. This helps, as to get your deposit back you need to have a bike and the deposit tag. You were dumb enough to not lock your bike, and it got lifted, the penalty is... yep. $20.00 plus your bike.

Just my idea - for what it's worth.

bb

Bike Etiquette on the Playa

Bike Etiquette on the Playa

lock your bike duh

Bike Locks

Re: Bike Etiquette on the Playa

All Bikes Should Be Labelled

volunteer