good bikes-advice sought

lostinTime · Post by **lostinTime** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:38 pm

First time burner..trying to find a good bike, i am flying in accros country so whatever i buy will be pre-shipped to CA from there driving in w/ friends.
Low price range (don't really wanna ship it back to MI)
any advice or links would be great

thanks all

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:51 pm

Have a friend stop by a thrift store or a garage sale-don't pay over 20 bucks-find some cloth and tie it on if you can find a basket bunjee that on...and enjoy....DO NOT BRING AN EXPENSIVE BIKE TO THE PLAYA

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:53 pm

Oh and if you time it right there is usally a guy in Gerlach with bikes for 20 bucks and you can drop it back off with him...

lostinTime · Post by **lostinTime** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:17 am

thanks for your replies. I was looking at $50 bikes from large retailers, if i can get one for $20 thats great.

totallysteve · Post by **totallysteve** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:49 am

Get a basket and/or a rack that you can put on the bike. It'll be helpful to carry your beer, water, beer, snacks, beer and camera. And your beer. Get lots of 'blinky lights' to put on your bike so people can see you at night. It'll be dark.
This way people will be able to say, "I got run over by a drunk guy on a bike. He took my picture. Offered me peanuts. Quenched my thirst. Damn, those lights are pretty....ouch....my ribs..."

fatcog · Post by **fatcog** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:06 pm

If you are buying your bike local (ie in Michigan) and $20 is the average well great. In the bay area and Reno, $20 will not find you a reliable bike. There will be 20,000 people looking for the same thing.

The ideal bike for the playa- is a one speed coaster brake cruiser or singlespeed converted mountain bike. The key is the tire size- 26x1.75-2.125 floats over the lakebed really well. Narrower 10 speed and 'middleweight' (26x1 3/8") tires tend to find ruts and are more squirrelly.
A basket is good to have.
You will need a front and a back light either on the bike or on your person.
A lock is a really really good idea. Nothing extravagant- a 4 foot long cable with a combination lock is all you need.

Folding bikes will be cheaper to ship from MI, though you could always stuff your tent or costumes in with a regular bike to save you some room on the plane.

bigstreets · Post by **bigstreets** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:02 pm

This will be my third time out & both times I bit the bullet & bought a bike at Walmart in the $50/$60 range. I fly in from the East Coast & not knowing my way around Reno or SF, I resort to going with where I know has easily-accessible bikes -- Walmart. Both of my previous burns they have served me well. I DO recommend getting a comfy seat or seat pad; give your tushy a little more cushy.

Finnegan · Post by **Finnegan** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:39 pm

with a combination lock

You might want to write the combo on your hand. And your friend's hand..

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 6:41 pm

Finnegan wrote:You might want to write the combo on your hand. And your friend's hand..

or just change the combination to something you can remember even when totally bonkers

Finnegan · Post by **Finnegan** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 6:52 pm

R 1
L 1
R 1

Even that might get tricky. Hilarity will ensue.

notonmysofa · Post by **notonmysofa** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:36 pm

Thrisft store or look for a cheapo bike from Wal(suck)Mart. The fatter the tires the better, try and get a big soft seat or buy a bigger seat and replace the existing, your butt will thank you, and a basket is helpful too.

fatcog · Post by **fatcog** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:09 pm

if you never ride a bike, any bike seat will kill your ass. Break in your ass before you head out to BRC. ride a couple of miles a day for 3 or 4 days now so when you are at BM your ass isn't surprised and has built up some callouses over your sit bones.

gotta go for a ride.

flightless · Post by **flightless** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:18 pm

What kind of bikes will work on the playa? Does it have to have super fat tires like a beach cruiser or will a road bike work?

EB · Post by EB » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:53 pm

flightless wrote:What kind of bikes will work on the playa? Does it have to have super fat tires like a beach cruiser or will a road bike work?

The fatter the tire, the better. After a few days the playa "cruft" (great word) breaks up and makes biking harder as the week progresses.

Thin ten-speed tires won't work out there unless you're Lance Armstrong.

Hoolie · Post by **Hoolie** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:13 pm

flightless wrote:What kind of bikes will work on the playa? Does it have to have super fat tires like a beach cruiser or will a road bike work?

Indeed, fatter tires work better on the playa. But if you have a road bike, you can get tires for it that are fatter than typical road tires, as long as your frame can accommodate them. Look for cyclocross tires. Also, it helps to keep the tire pressure sort of low in the dirt. That will provide better traction. But don't go so low that you may get a pinch flat.

fatcog · Post by **fatcog** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:54 pm

in general, a mountain bike or cruiser is best for the playa- anything with a tire larger than 1.5" in width.

Anything else you are asking for trouble unless you are up for a real challenge and have amazing bike handling skills. A newish road bike will not have reliable clearance for CX or hybrid tires.

Hoolie · Post by **Hoolie** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:09 pm

Fat tires...check.

stormfeather · Post by **stormfeather** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:46 pm

Craigs list www.craigslist.com is good place to check for bikes. At least in Portland, Oregon.

We found very nice quality/light weight mtn. bikes for about $50.00 each here.

Thrift store bikes often have big repair issues, plus if you have to buy rubber it can add up.

Make sure you bike is safe and rideable before you leave and bring a couple of tubes, patch kit , tire irons and a pump!