Playa Bicycle Tips to Share

[Fledgling]

Well this was my sixth burn and I managed to improve a few things and thought I'd share.

Camera Box: I glued a Click'n'Seal air tight tupperware container on my handlebars to hold my camera. It provided a quickly accessible spot for my camera, safe from dust. Sooo much better than an annoying camera bag.

Bike Trailer: This was the biggest improvement I have made in a while. I modified a Cannondale child carrier with some fur, a cooler and a toolbox which I kept loaded with all my Playa supplies; dust masks, Carmex, baby wipes, chewing gum, batteries etc. etc.. This Cannondale floats along as if it is not even there, and everywhere I went I had everything I needed, ice cold beverages, and no annoying backpack/camelback to deal with.

Kickstand foot: For years I've been annoyed by my bike falling over on the Playa when the surface is soft. I glued a little 2" square plastic pad that I bought at home depot onto the bottom of my kickstand. The type used under table legs, castor wheels etc. It gave my bike a solid sturdy stand wherever I went.

Hope this helps someone.

[AntiM]

Kickstands: welded little pads onto the feet. However, "my" bike needs no stinking kickstands! It is a bitch to trailer out, though. And we always get questioned at the gate. "But it has a battery ..." So if you're getting to the point a bike is too hard on you, but you don't want to go the handicapped golf cart route quite yet, consider four wheels. (yes, mylarry does most of the power pedaling.)



The green chest contains a cooler, the deck is carpeted, there's a hitch for a garden trailer. We even have a misting system, which we forgot to bring this year. There's even a solar house number panel on the rear deck which I modified into a license plate reading "Anti M."

New for 2008, I will have handlebars on my side for cupholders and to lean into when the passenger is pedaling. Will not control the wheels. New seat covers to replace the Floating World ones which got eaten. New battery, smaller, lighter. Still, that deep cell runs the lights allweek without a recharge. More lights. New canopy frame, sturdier. mylarry wants box aluminum, but hasn't considered the fact that it won't collapse as nicely as the current kiddie cabana. We're still arguing the point.

[trypical]

those things are SICK!!!

[AntiM]

those things are SICK!!!

And unless you have time and expertise to build one and access to a good machine shop/welding unit, expensive as all hell. As in old used car expensive. We did meet one guy who had made his own, but he had resources and skills to do so. I couldn't do much at Burning Man without one, so it was a good investment for us. Found that out when ours blew a seal this year. Luckily mylarry has a spare on hand, but it took him a while to shoot it the the exact problem. I was stranded in camp until he worked out the problem.

It also has hauled art installations from camp to the playa, made ice runs, and has now and again hauled folks to medical. We don't lend it lightly.

From 2005:

[phil]

http://civilizedexplorer.phanfare.com/a ... D=25921833
for video of a tricycle at night. It's about 15 seconds into the video, after Jeff and Louise toot the flaming train horns. (Click to play.)

[The CO]

Found that out when ours blew a seal this year.

"Leave my personal life out of this & just fix the damn thing!"

[AntiM]

Found that out when ours blew a seal this year.

"Leave my personal life out of this & just fix the damn thing!"

And here I thought RG would be the first on on top of that.

[gyre]

I rode a bike with SNOW tires.
It goes right over the dust drifts.
I hear schwinn makes them.
Very wide and smooth with a slight chevron pattern.


To access yellow bikes next year, bring boltcutters.
I have a nice lightweight alloy set that are short.
I suggest bringing cheap bike locks to relock sets of bikes back together after you free any stolen yellow bikes.
You won't need the keys.

I think hanging onto a yellow bike way out so you won't get stranded is understandable, but while you party in center camp??
The system won't work until there are enough bikes to go around.
I applaud the idea.
The city is too big now.

Art cars are a useless method of transport generally.

[BAS]

And unless you have time and expertise to build one and access to a good machine shop/welding unit, expensive as all hell. As in old used car expensive. We did meet one guy who had made his own, but he had resources and skills to do so.

I'll second that! I have looked into them, since a four wheel cycle seems like the ideal way to get around BRC (not to mention out to any art installations.) Plus, most of those cycles only power one of the rear wheels, which seems kind of strange to me. (I seem to remember pedal cars from my youth which had BOTH wheels in back powered! Can't they just scale that up for adult size?)

I'd like to build my own, but first I would have to learn how to weld, get the equipment, and then make the time to actually build the thing. (A nice, adult size vintage child's pedal car would be what I would want....) I could probably get advice from the kinetic sculpture people, though. (I am really sorry I missed their camp. Hopefully they will be back next year.)


B.

[AntiM]

Both sides can pedal, ours has 36 gears. Oh, without the canopy and with two dedicated pedalers, this will do 20 mph on the flat. Downhill? Haven't checked.

Here's a look underneath:

[BAS]

I know both sides can pedal, but are both wheels powered? The standard RhodesCar bike only has one wheel powered, unless you pay (quite a bit) extra. I really don't know why, but that is the way it is.

If yours is different, I would like to know where you got it. I only know of two manufacturers of that style cycle, and both are the same WRT having only one wheel powered on the standard model.


B.

P.S.: It looks in the picture as if only the left rear wheel is powered on your vehicle.

[AntiM]

I'll have to ask larry.