Bike Query

Natalia Von Magpie · Post by **Natalia Von Magpie** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:25 am

Ok, so Im looking to buy an old cheapie bike to take this year. The last time I really rode a bike was age 10, and after knocking out a front tooth, have sort of avoided them. I was pleased to discover last year after hopping back on one for a quick beach ride that hey! it really is like riding a bike! Rest assured, I will probably not mix the bike riding with any sort of intoxication :)

Now, having avoided bicycles for many moons, I find I don't know jack squat about them. My playa veteran friends insist that I must get a "beach cruiser". But, my local cheap bike seller insists that this is not a good choice for the terrain at all, since beach cruisers are actually meant for cruising boardwalks. (?) Playa friends insist any kind of BMX or mountain bike will not be adequate.

My question to the board is: Does it really frickin matter as long as its comforatble and the tires are nice and wide?? Also is it necessary to bring an extra tire?

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:47 am

Actually, a mountain bike should be fine. Or an old Schwinn. The important thing is that it can handle a little dust, or a LOT of dust if you plow through a Playa Snake (dust dune), as well as the odd bump. Wider tires handle better, and a 10-speed narrow-tire Lance A. special wouldn't last long out there. A simpler bike has less gears and guts to get packed with dust and seize up, but a well-cared-for and lubed-up bike is the important part. And a comfy seat. And a lock, unless you trust to the Playa Gods as some do. Better bring yer walkin' shoes if you're one of them.....And bring a spare key, or write the combination down in two places....
Write your name on a slip of paper, roll it up, and stick it down the hole where your bike seat goes. Or inside the handlebars. If your bike DOES go missing and (a miracle!) gets spotted later in the week, it'll lend weight to your claim. I also bring a couple of pieces of tinfoil to make seatcovers with while I'm off the bike for a while. Keeps the heat down. One naked ride on a preheated seat equals *YIPE!*
You don't need a spare TIRE, but you may want to bring a spare TUBE, or even TWO, or a patch kit. A spare chain sounds like overkill, but it would have saved me a five-mile hike in Holland last month! A spare link and some pliers woulda done.
I found some great blinkylights that cap right into the ends of your handlebars and are motion-activated like the "tireflies" for the valvestems. Lights are VERY IMPORTANT if you're going to be night riding, since there's all kinds of traffic in all kinds of conditions, everywhere. Even on foot you're better off lit. (Uh, LIT UP, I mean....)
A basket or backrack can be very handy for hauling ice, carrying water, or just picking up MOOP- We fitted one campmate's bike with a plastic Jack-O'-Lantern for butts and MOOP last year.
Happy Pedaling!

shitmouse · Post by **shitmouse** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 12:44 pm

man,
your bike shop guy needs to be poked in the eye.
a beach cruiser is PERFECT for the playa. it has a laid back geometry, and a nice and relaxed body position, as well as fat tires that soak up bumps.

it's great to take strolls on the playa with a cruiser, evening strolls along the aves, etc.-(i've been doing it for many years and have never had any probs with it what so ever).

since your bike experience is null, i'd probably suggest that night time along the streets that lead to the open playa are the busiest times, with lots of pedestrians, so you have to be really careful not to run people over or get into wrecks with peds. it gets dark.

also, please allow yourself time to adjust to your bike before going to BM.
if you don't, your ass will be pretty sore after days of "all of a sudden" riding. -(i've got pictures of all of my camp mates with purple asses from not riding their choppers before they brought them to BM.)

keep a sharp eye out for random street marker steaks. they stick up about 4 feet and can really gouge you if you run into one at night. -(get a light and point it down, or put a colored film over the light to melow it. you will stoke out a lot of people with your concious effort to athwart 'deer in the headlights').

get to know your bikey, and you'll have a blast!! it's a great way to get around to all that catches your eye on the playa at night.
--- and shame on you for not riding for all these years! jk.
(it's ok, i broke both bones in my arm skateboarding in the 70's, and never went back).
enjoy that cruiser!
-b

Stormy · Post by **Stormy** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 4:43 pm

Agreed on if it runs and is comfy, it's fine. I have borrowed the most horrendous of bikes from friends and have gotten where I need to go. I've even ridden on one that didn't have working breaks.

Also agreed on the intertube patch kit. Flat tires (which I've never) had are the only thing that will really inconpacitate a bike on the playa.

shitmouse · Post by **shitmouse** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:26 pm

one last note,
-(this prolly doesn't apply as your not a former bike rider) but it's important to keep "fresh" tire patch kits. ones that are a few years old that employ a tube of adhesive often goes dry and turns to dust.

2 years ago i hit up 3 people randomly for a patch kit, and all of them were dust.
-b

p.s. also if your bringing an older used bike out, just have it lubed well as stated above, and make sure your head-set is correctly tightened. --- you can burn through a contaminated head-set bearing in less than a week on the playa with the dust and bumps.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:44 pm

Tire width doesn't matter too much, but knobby tires drag. Buy new smooth or lightly grooved tires -- old tires with with cracked rubber will likely fail. Any bike that fits for frequent stops is fine. Lock it everywhere you leave it. Consider removing all brakes, cables & gearing for the dust, and just brake w/ a heel in the rear. Coaster brakes are better than cable brakes, in any case.

Sensei · Post by **Sensei** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:02 pm

Go with the new beach cruiser at less than $100. Mine's worked fine for years and it's not like you're doin' a 20K or anything. First year, I had a total piece of shit that I actually found abandoned in the shrubbery near work. Rear tire wobbled a bit, no discernable brakes. Worked like a charm.

Stormy wrote: Flat tires (which I've never) had are the only thing that will really inconpacitate a bike on the playa.

And mud. Don't forget the 6" of mud if/when it rains for awhile. You'll have to shoulder that sucker every foot of the way back home. Seriously. Walking is an option...

EB · Post by EB » Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:29 pm

My first burn in 2000, I had no bike. My playa foot looked like something out of the first two Aliens movies (Please... kill me...)

My second burn in Ought One, I flew into Reno from LAX. I rented a car and met a "fellow burner" I had e-mailed on the web who sold me a used ten-speed for $50. The tires were so thin, you could slice cucumbers with them. Stupid me. The bike sat next to the rental car for the next five days.

My third burn in '03, I bought a bike from CostCo. It's a Smoothie (?) Mountain bike with 30 (?!) gears. It's heavy but it was only $150. It worked like a charm and has now become my designated "playa bike" since no matter how hard I try, the playa dust just will NOT come off...

This year, '04, EL WIRE!!!

EB

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:42 pm

'd probably suggest that night time along the streets that lead to the open playa are the busiest times, with lots of pedestrians, so you have to be really careful not to run people over or get into wrecks with peds. it gets dark.

Yes, this is why you must have a light on your bike (and you!) so that you may see and be seen. (I like headlamps that use LEDs for this purpose, it can also double as your regular flashlight and should last most of the week on the same two batteries, in fact, mine has lasted 3 Burning Mans and numerous camping trips in between!).

Also, stick to the roads, riding your bike through camps is a receipe for disaster as you will most certainly run into guy wires, holes, wood with nails sticking up and all other kinds of nasties.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:27 pm

Yeah... you could poke your eye out...

wear a big helmet, too... a gigantic helmet... maybe two of them...

don't run with scissors, either...

Natalia Von Magpie · Post by **Natalia Von Magpie** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:53 am

thank you all for the excellent advice!

RingO'Fire · Post by **RingO'Fire** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:21 am

Bob wrote:Yeah... you could poke your eye out...

wear a big helmet, too... a gigantic helmet... maybe two of them...

don't run with scissors, either...

Don't shoot your eye out with your new Red Ryder BB Gun either!

Selkie · Post by **Selkie** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:12 am

I will be feeling your pain Natalia. I haven't ridden a bike since I was 12 due to some stupidity on my part and a parked truck (it's a not-so-long, but painful story).

A friend of mine (also playa bound) has offered me an old ten speed road bike (that's as specific as I can get, I'm not big on bikes) that she has sitting in her garage for the lovely price of Free! However, it does need some repairs (don't know what yet) and I'm unsure as to how it will do on the reportedly very dusty playa this year.

Since I have to get repairs on it anyway (at least the tubes replaces, probably more) would it be worth it to go scour garage sales and the classifieds for a decent mountain bike?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:11 am

Do the road bike, take off the front brake, take off the shifters & deraileurs, shorten the chain to a mid-range gearing, spray chickenshit paint on it, and get a lock.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:15 am

Selkie wrote:However, it does need some repairs (don't know what yet) and I'm unsure as to how it will do on the reportedly very dusty playa this year.

Since I have to get repairs on it anyway (at least the tubes replaces, probably more) would it be worth it to go scour garage sales and the classifieds for a decent mountain bike?

Any bike you get will need to be gone over and checked out for potential problems. A bike you buy at a garage sale could have been sitting the garage for every bit as long as the free one. What you need is a bike that fits your body and a friend or repairman who will go over it carefully and be sure that's its okay. Also there is at least one bike repair camp on the playa, and plenty of helpful people, so if something is missed you have a descent chance of being able to get it worked on.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:19 am

BTW, the bike shops on Valencia here will probably kick your ass out if you even mention Burning Man. Just leave it at the Goodwill when you're done douching it with playa dust.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:29 am

theCryptofishist wrote:Also there is at least one bike repair camp on the playa, and plenty of helpful people, so if something is missed you have a descent chance of being able to get it worked on.

My Bad

http://burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/bikes.html wrote: Recycling Does Not Mean Repair

Please don't bring your bike to Burning Man Recycling for repairs. They do not have the supplies, equipment or resources to service bikes. Bring your own tools, an extra inner tube or two, some wheel nuts, and be prepared to take care of any problems yourself.

I never meant to imply that you should bring a bike not in repair to the playa, just that if problems arose you weren't up the proverbial creek sans paddle.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:31 am

Bob wrote:BTW, the bike shops on Valencia here will probably kick your ass out if you even mention Burning Man. Just leave it at the Goodwill when you're done douching it with playa dust.

Unless a donnybrook with a bicycle repair person is your idea of a good old time.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:41 am

After loudly proclaiming my final post regarding GOOP adhesive, I will now contradict myself just long enough to say, "GOOP adhesive is great for patching innertubes! Apply several thin layers, allowing them to dry and cure in the sun between, (won't take long) instead of a big glob that'll take longer to cure and is more likely to blow up like Lisa's pancakes on Green Acres!"

okay, back to retirement.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 11:49 am

Could probably stick a condom on that patch, but be careful how you apply it.

honeyfire · Post by **honeyfire** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 3:57 pm

Write your name on a slip of paper, roll it up, and stick it down the hole where your bike seat goes. Or inside the handlebars. If your bike DOES go missing and (a miracle!) gets spotted later in the week, it'll lend weight to your claim.

Excellent idea! I wrote my name inside the pockets of my leather jacket, same concept. This also makes a good case for distinctive decoration.

write the combination down in two places....

Yeah, no lie. And remember where you wrote it...
At home, i have my bike lock combo faked as a phone number on my phone. Tres convenient (for those of us who dig having a phone handy all of the time. I love it!).

make sure your head-set is correctly tightened. --- you can burn through a contaminated head-set bearing

Shitmouse, i'm still pretty bike-ignorant (had mine less than 6 weeks- and the damn thing's already in for repairs!), please illuminate me as to the nature and purpose of a head-set in this context. Thank you!

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