Cranky and Sons Bicycle Repair

[Cranky]

I’m pleased (excited, ecstatic!) to announce that Cranky and Sons Bicycle Repair will be back on the playa in 2014. We missed 2013, as BM got preempted by NotJoe’s wedding in August. But we’ll be returning this year, with an expanded family.

Typically located near 4:30, we’re a small, family operation. Since I’m a morning person, we’ll officially be open from around 9am until 1pm. This should dovetail nicely with Elliot’s Oasis, which I believe will be open from 1 until 5. Other hours, we’ll have tools and tubes available for the semi-self sufficient. NotJoe is planning on making some instructional posters to help with our educational mission when we’re not in camp. We’d be delighted if any free-lance bike mechanics dropped by to help out, mornings or other times. Extra hands would be particularly appreciated early in the week (especially Tuesday) when all the bikes that were quietly rusting away in basements for the past 12 months return to the playa.

More to follow as we gear up for 2014.

Cranky

Cranky and Sons (NotJoe and JJ)

Cranky and Sons -.jpg (73.41 KiB) Viewed 4581 times

[Elliot]

.
Sounds great!

All my best,
-Spokey
Spokey and Mother Bicycle Service

[Ratty]

Cranky, Can't wait to stop by and meetcha. Your avatar is scary, intriguing and hilarious. Makes for a bumpy ride doesn't it?

[Cranky]

Actually, the ride is dead smooth. Google "burning man 2012 triangle bicycle" for a Youtube video of it in action. ( Notice that, while the wheels tumble, the frame doesn't bounce at all.

[Geek alert] The wheels are in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. While it doesn't have a constant radius like a circle, it is a curve of constant width. (See http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ReuleauxTriangle.html). That means the highest point of the wheel is always 26 inches off the ground, regardless of angular orientation. The bike, rather than being supported by the axle, sits on top of the wheels (on rollers hidden in the fenders). Voila - the frame and rider remain a fixed distance above the ground, while only the axles bounce up and down.

Cranky

[Captain Goddammit]

Ok now I'm impressed, that's extremely cool!

[Elliot]

Suspension at both ends, but with springs removed? The avatar is kind'a small.

[Captain Goddammit]

Well it doesn't appear to have suspension at all… it rides on rollers atop the wheels and if you look at it, you'll see that as the point of the triangle is toward the ground, the rollers on top (that the bike actually rides on) are at their low point between the triangle peaks, so it ends up always at the same height.
I saw a video once of a vehicle with square wheels that rode on a specially mathematically curved track that rode perfectly smooth but this bike is way cooler because it isn't tied to a track.

[Elliot]

The video shows it.

[Cranky]

Elliot got it right. All springs and dampers removed from the suspension bits, as they're not needed to support the bike. The suspension only serves to keep the wheels located underneath the fenders.

[Elliot]

... Extra hands would be particularly appreciated early in the week (especially Tuesday) when all the bikes that were quietly rusting away in basements for the past 12 months return to the playa.

Cranky, I feel quite opposite about "Tuesday Bikes". I may decline to work on them this year. To me, time on Playa is too precious to waste on somebody's neglected preparation.
And besides the immediate waste of time, it sets a bad precedent -- encouraging the problem for future years.

Other than that, I'm delighted to have you as a colleague, and quite nearby also.

I have a friend who builds eccentric wheels. Absolutely nuts to ride!

[Cranky]

I have to admit to being ambivalent re. Tuesday Bikes. I feel driven to help burners in distress get back onto the playa, but likewise hate to reward unpreparedness. We need to somehow reinforce the message - before people arrive - that bike maintenance needs to be a priority. Maybe a post in JRS? The mandate in the Preparations/Bikes section of the BM website ("Bring your own tools, an extra inner tube or two, some wheel nuts, and be prepared to take care of any problems yourself") doesn't seem to be enough.

[Captain Goddammit]

Cranky you're a super great and nice guy to fix those "Tuesday" bikes, but Elliot's take on it is also mine; on-playa bike repair is usually supposed to be for shit that happens, not to fix up a bike for someone who didn't even bother to bring it in good shape to start with.
The more people learn they can ignore simple maintenance or general give-a-shitness and bring any broken shell of a bike, the more they will. Fuck it, Cranky will fix it up for me when I get there, right? There's a blurry line somewhere between burner who got a flat or whatever, and lazy freeloader.

Edit: OK never mind you just said about the same thing!

[Elliot]

I have to admit to being ambivalent re. Tuesday Bikes. I feel driven to help burners in distress get back onto the playa, but likewise hate to reward unpreparedness. We need to somehow reinforce the message - before people arrive - that bike maintenance needs to be a priority. Maybe a post in JRS? The mandate in the Preparations/Bikes section of the BM website ("Bring your own tools, an extra inner tube or two, some wheel nuts, and be prepared to take care of any problems yourself") doesn't seem to be enough.

Alas, my guesstimate is that few participants ever read any of the published materials. And you and me turning away a couple dozen people won't make a statistical difference either, but I like to operate on principles. Plus the actual time saving, of course. (And cost of parts too.)

[9ah]

Are either of your camps going to do a 'basic bike care/fix' event.... even unofficially. I know I'd attend. I have a bike at hkme that I haven't put much into and my playa bike is rusting up as we speak.

When I get back to Reno what should folks like me do tk get it playa ready? Wd40?

[Elliot]

.
Educational seminars? I just might run with that.
How about you cranky fellows?

[Cranky]

It's something we've talked about doing - perhaps we could collaborate. What's the process/deadline for getting something into the published schedule?

I was also thinking of starting a thread somewhere on ePlaya for exchanging tips and tricks for playa bike repair. I've discovered a few I could share, and I'm sure you real veterans have a bunch,

[Elliot]

We also have a bunch of threads on the subject! Now I'm concentrating on using my "camp thread" here in the Theme Camp department. I fact, I'm already talking about potential seminars over there.

I have forgotten the program process. And I fear it would draw too many for my taste. A banner at camp should draw in plenty for me. Would be interesting to seen the turnout if you publish it.

We could share some props, since you work mornings and I afternoons.

[FIGJAM]

I wouldn't put it in the WWW!

You'll get swamped, and it won't be for seminars.

[Elliot]

Figjam makes a good point. In 2007 I had half dozen skilled mechanics, and we were completely overrun with repairs. Of course... ...I had listed us as a bicycle repair camp on the resources chalkboard in Center Camp. Once I wiped that off, we were able to handle what came our way naturally. You guys might want to heed that lesson!

[9ah]

If there was a top 5 issues of playa bikes or something like that could be quick fixed I'd love to hear. If I saw the answer on a printout awesone or via word of mouth.

Don't want to add work, just remove easy fixes.
.

[Cranky]

9ah,

Good idea. We'll start thinking about that.

[Cranky]

Figjam makes a good point. In 2007 I had half dozen skilled mechanics, and we were completely overrun with repairs. Of course... ...I had listed us as a bicycle repair camp on the resources chalkboard in Center Camp. Once I wiped that off, we were able to handle what came our way naturally. You guys might want to heed that lesson!

Ironically, our first year we had a paucity of patrons until I listed us in Center Camp. After that, we had a steady but manageable stream. However, someone always wandered in just as I was about to head out of camp. Eventually my wife would bodily drag me out. I finally learned to hang up a "closed' sign to maintain some balance. Posting a list of all the other bike shops in BRC assuaged my guilt at not being around 24/7 to help people out. This year, I'll keep the shop open for posted hours - that should match supply and demand (at least temporally) making life a whole lot easier.

[Elliot]

Yes, office hours must be enforced. Last year I did not, and hardly ever got out of camp. It will probably be 1 - 5.

[Captain Goddammit]

Back in 2000 to 2004 my old bike repair camp was listed in the guide and appeared on the city map as the official 9:00 bike repair camp.
We were swamped. So swamped we finally hung it up and quit the biz.

[Elliot]

Back in 2000 to 2004 my old bike repair camp was listed in the guide and appeared on the city map as the official 9:00 bike repair camp.
We were swamped. So swamped we finally hung it up and quit the biz.

Borrachos y Bicicletas, on the 3 Plaza, gave up around 2007. They had a lot of trouble with "entitlement issues". That's happened to me too, but then I just put my stern face on, and they go away. You should have seen the line when they opened for the day; half way across the Plaza!
So it is probably best to keep it small.

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh yeah, the good old days… Borrachos y Bicicletas was the 3:00 shop, we (Johnny & the Playa Cruizers Chassis Lube and Body Shop) were the 9:00. There was a guy named Nigel who had the Center Camp bike shop, I've forgotten what he called it.
We started out our first year at Burning Man in a big way, putting on one of the big bike shops. It's funny, most people start small and ramp up their Burning Man involvement. I started huge and have steadily scaled it back!
My introduction to Burning Man was working non-stop, for nothing… then finally going out on the town later in the week, where no bars would pour me a drink. They used to call it "Barter Town" back then, and though I'd fixed bikes all day every day for free, no one would spot me a fucking beer because when I went out, I had nothing to barter. I soured on the whole deal quickly and became the camp's figurehead and logistics guy but never fixed another god damn bike.

[Elliot]

Sometimes I receive a bottle of wine or whiskey after a bike repair, and that is of course very welcome. And I gain friendships, which is even more valuable. It's all good!

[Captain Goddammit]

I was working all day fixing bikes for nothing, it's not that I expected payment.
I was just pissed that I did that then found out everyone else wanted some sort of payment.
It's different now, newer burners have probably never heard the term "bartertown", now it's Black Rock City and the gift economy is emphasized much more.

[Elliot]

I was working all day fixing bikes for nothing, it's not that I expected payment.
I was just pissed that I did that then found out everyone else wanted some sort of payment.
It's different now, newer burners have probably never heard the term "bartertown", now it's Black Rock City and the gift economy is emphasized much more.

...Which is one more reason why you "need" to be there.

I have my own philosophy about living in BRC for that precious short time: I simply love being there, no matter what happens around town and in the bars. The fact that I hardly got out of camp last year was less than ideal, but not any kind of disaster. I enjoy living that very different lifestyle -- being a successful shopkeeper with many smiling customers, and simply "feeling" the festive atmosphere of the community. That's all so different from my default life, where I spent much of my working life in a decidedly anti-social line of work, and now I live in a dowright culturally challenged community, that simply being in BRC is a treat, and all the art and bonfires and chocolate martinis are gravy.

[Cranky]

During my first year (2011), knowing it to be a gift economy, I initially felt awkward when someone dropped off a bottle of wine after I fixed their bike. It seemed as though they were trying to pay for something I was gladly doing for free. After a while, I recognized it as a token of appreciation (a gift, if you will) and learned to accept it gracefully. The real reward, of course, was witnessing their delight at being able to get back out onto the playa. In one week of fixing bikes I received more sincere appreciation for my efforts than in the last 10 years at my default job. (From which, incidentally, I had been laid off two days earlier, after 38 years. Turned out that wrenching bikes at BM was the perfect place to process the transition to involuntary consultant. After all, the theme that year was "Rites of Passage".)