Bicycles
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Where to Get a Bike
If you're flying in, you want to find a cheap bike in and around Reno
In & Around Reno
- Kiwanis Bikes (Reno)
- Black Rock Bicycles
- K-Mart
- Target
- There are usually a number of people selling bikes on the road between Lovelock and Gerlach
Other Cities
- Re-Cyclery (San Rafael)
- Pedal Revolution (San Francisco)
- The Bent Spoke (Oakland & Berkley)
Online
How Not to Lose Your Bike
Bikes are easy to lose. At any given time, there are easily 1000 bikes parked around center camp, and at night, there are hundreds parked around a popular club or destination. The danger isn't always you losing track of where you parked your bike, but of someone else thinking it is theirs.
- Decorate your bike and make it easier for you to identify, and more difficult for someone else to misidentify.
- Put something blinky or glowy on your bike. This makes it easier to find at night.
- Get a CHEAP lock to put on it. Even a luggage lock or a rope tied through the frame will do. If someone tries to pick it up, this help to indicate that it is not theirs.
- There are rumors of opportunists who cruise the playa to take nicer bikes to re-sell for a profit. If you're genuinely concerned about this, get a better lock - preferably a combination lock with no keys to lose. (On the other hand, some combo locks can be hard to turn, or can get gunked up with playa dust.) Word locks (using letters rather than numbers) have combinations that are easier to remember. But regardless, you can often surreptitiously write the combination somewhere on your bike. For example, if your combo is 11-22-33, tape on something that looks like a bike registration number (required in many cities) that reads "A11-2233"
Make Your Ride More Comfortable
- Pad your bike seat by duct taping on foam, an airline pillow, or anything handy. You're ass will appreciate it.
- For a little cash, you can buy a gel seat that slips on over a regular bike seat.
Bike Safety
- Make sure you have plenty of lights at night so that other people can see you.
- Don't ride too fast and don't ride through camps (for your own safety and the safety of others).
- Avoid riding behind a water truck or on any wet ground. Wet playa is extremely slick making falling easy. Wet playa will also build up on your tires until they won't turn any more.
Getting Rid of a Bike
First off, DON'T LEAVE YOUR BIKE BEHIND. There are lots of rumors about people who go around after Burning Man to pick up bikes and sell them for a good cause. That happens in a way, but the good cause is leaving the playa MOOP free and if you leave your bike behind, your ass is part of the problem. There are many better ways to get rid of your bike:
- Several groups have started collecting bikes on the playa. However, they don't stay late, so you need to find them on Sunday or early Monday at the latest.
- In Gerlach, there's usually a bike donation spot run by the local highschool (not 100% sure about the high school bit - this could use verification)
- Along the road back to Reno, and particularly in Winnemucca there are a number of "bike donation stations." With these, it's not clear to whom the bikes are being donated.
- Save-Mart in Reno (formerly Albertson's) sets up recycling stations and bike collection points in its parking lots.
Bike Maintenance and Repair for the Playa
- Bring a tire patch kit. Flats are rare, but slow leaks are common on used bikes.
- Bring a couple basic bike tools in your toolbox - namely an adjustable wrench and allen wrenches to tighten loose parts, which are also common on used bikes.
- Playa dust collects everywhere, particularly on oily or greasy bike chains and hubs. To avoid this buildup, you can use a few tricks:
- Use a silicon based lubricant rather than WD-40 or something oily. These tend to be more expensive, but can be worthwhile.
- Wax your bike chain. This eliminates all oil and grease on the chain. It's somewhat involved, so it's probably not appropriate for a bike that you're going to get rid of after leaving the playa.
If you can't handle something yourself, there are several bike repair shops on the playa. They're usually friendly, but you may need to wait a while for service and/or barter for maintenance and repairs.
Links for More Info
- Bikes at Burning Man from the official survival guide
- Burning Bikes group on Tribe.net. Dedicated to art bikes.
