Ideal bike

[Ugly Dougly]

Everyone comes in fur, with a little encouragement.

It's just hard to dry-clean after.

[Captain Goddammit]

I dunno... "furries" kinda creep me out.

[theCryptofishist]

Why do I even read these bike threads? Nothing but grief.

[Elorrum]

... I've seen a couple of kits that bolt to the back of a regular bike.

Training wheels?

no... in the build pictured the sprocket set up on the left side of the hub is for a small gas motor. You can get the kit with 1 - 5 speeds I think. internal gear hub. I'm thinking, 3 spd with coaster brake.


I would love to get one of these bikes. trike conversion, small motor, ramp and platform for Cryptofishist.

[Oldguy]

I saw 2 trikes on Sacramento Craigslist today. One was $175 regular, second was over $400 but had an electric motor on the front wheel as an assist. Only 15 miles on a full charge though. Damn, I wish I was rich.

[Ivory Bill]

We'll be flying inot Reno, so we're going to ship the bikes from Wisconsin.

Is there some place we can give them away afterwards? We will be hurtin' for time and don't want to ship them back.

[Captain Goddammit]

Something to remember about motorizing your bike: It will have to pass inspection as a mutant vehicle and (hopefully) get a license, if they decide it's mutated enough.
I had a mountain bike with an "assist" motor driving the front wheel and was chased down by the DMV.
So the moral is, if you motorize your bike, make sure it qualifies as a mutant vehicle, or is faster than a DMV golf cart.

[Elorrum]

[Elliot]

We'll be flying inot Reno, so we're going to ship the bikes from Wisconsin.

Is there some place we can give them away afterwards? We will be hurtin' for time and don't want to ship them back.

My little bicycle loan-and-repair camp is always happy to receive bikes. We'll be in Terminal Village in 2010 -- probably around 3:15 and A as usual. Near the Booby Bar. Donated bikes are added to the loaner fleet, sometimes gifted away, and sometimes parted out to repair other bikes or build Fun Stuff.

[Tiahaar]

Elorrum I love those scooters and yow awesome guys riding them, thanks!!

Today was a choppertrike work day...new chain, gear change, new brakes tested. Ready for playa 2010, riders welcome

Elliot where is that pic of you doing a wheelie in the latest HenryFord bike on playa last year? I can't remember where I saw it...its a great photo!

[Elliot]

Well, uh... yes... it is true... that if you donate a bike to my camp, and it is not worth keeping as a complete bike, then... parts of it may wind up being used for some nefarious purpose.





I finally put the body back on it recently -- but also cut it down to a two-seater:



Next year it will be something different again.

[teardropper]

Seriously though, I use a pair of Huffy cruisers. They have a little longer wheel base, fat 2 1/8 inch tires and gears on the back. Though I never changed gears. Use non oil base lube, get it your bike shop. I got these on Craigs List for $30 or $40, don't remember. And with a lock to keep from having a ride away, plenty of LED blinkies and you should be set.

[Elliot]

Sounds like you have it figured out, Teardropper!

[mudpuppy000]

Baskets are really handy if you want to carry ice. It's not that easy to balance a block of ice on your handlebars while riding in loose playa dust. ;)

[gaminwench]

much easier to sit ON the ice :)

[Fire_Moose]

Ewww! No one wants ass ice in their drink.


well maybe some people do...

Most people don't want ass ice in their drink!

[Ugly Dougly]

Then don't tell them, sily.

[mudpuppy000]

Hmm, I suppose it depends on who's ass it is, but generally I prefer ass-free ice. :)

[Elliot]

Every camp should have a trailer for hauling ice and such. Check garage sales, flee markets and thrift shops for the kind that is designed to haul a child; or just build one (...a trailer, not a child!).

[Fire_Moose]

if you build a child, cant you just make them get yer ice? should be even easier...

[teardropper]

[quote="mudpuppy000"]Baskets are really handy if you want to carry ice. It's not that easy to balance a block of ice on your handlebars while riding in loose playa dust. ;)[/quote]

Yes, baskets. Various kinds, I have a metal one, partner has a Dorothy in Kansas wicker one. Very handy. Get a basket.

[fountainpen6]

Where do you get those awesome huge tires? I'm looking to build my own bike (first attempt in my life) for 2010 and want to make it look just that cool! Any tips? Is making a quadricycle out of PVC a good thing? Anyone done the same?

[Elliot]

Where do you get those awesome huge tires?

What huge bike tires?





Oh… these.






They are from a type of dirt-track race-car called Sprint Cars. The size I use is mostly the size they use on the right rear wheel. I just pick them up at the tracks after the races. The wide rims I have to pay money for, but I buy the most beat-up rims I can find.

If you are not concerned with maximizing water buoyancy (as I am), you can get away with putting the tires on 10 inch wide regular car rims (15" diameter)

From Carmichael, your nearest tracks are Twin City Raceway Park in Marysville, and the Fairgrounds track in Placerville.

There are several "sprinkler pipe" quadricycles on the Playa every year. And I have seen them in Kinetic Sculpture Racing. An outfit called American Speedster sells a plan/kit. But the design of the chain drive is horrible, and most owners wind up having to improve on that.

[fountainpen6]

Thanks, Elliot. Good info. I am toying with the idea to go with the American Speedster, but have heard twice now about the shortcomings. Thanks for the head's up.

[yizzah]

I never understood the people that say "the playa will tear up a good bike". it seems to be an urban myth. Although I've never been there in the rain, maybe that's a different story. My first year, I was all paranoid about bringing my mountain bike, so I bought a used one on craigslist. It started to fall apart on day 2 and left me with a crappy ass, half working bike for the rest of the week. Last year I brought my specialized. I wrapped it in fabric to hide all logos and signs of it being a nice bike. I just lubed up first day and then again about halfway through. I had zero problems and a kick ass bike for long rides around the playa. A power wash at the car wash as I cleaned my truck and it was good as new.

[Elliot]

Yizzah, you fell in the common trap of bringing somebody else's discarded bike with all the reasons they sold it. Any and every bike should be ridden extensively and serviced as needed so it is ready for a troublefree week of use.

Perhaps you paid quite a bit for a Craigslist bike, while an other burner might have got one for $2,- at a thrift shop. But that makes little difference. Either way, it's an unfamiliar bike with unknown issues.

So THAT's one definition of the ideal Playa bike: one that you have ridden enough to have the bugs worked out of it.

Regarding the long term effects of the Playa dust... it seems that different people have very different experiences with that. A classic case of "Your Milage May Vary"! Perhaps most importantly, we all have our own standards for what we consider normal wear and tear, and for what we consider normal maintenance. To say nothing of how we use our bikes!

Bring a bike home straight from the Playa and just set it outside in the back yard until next year, and it will be unridable.
But clean it off, oil the bearings and the chain, and keep it out of rain and fog, and it will be fine.

See you on the Playa!

[phil]

This is the ideal bike:

from this article:
http://gizmodo.com/5449454/nipple-lasers-nple-lazrz

You need that windswept coping to deal with headwinds cycling back from the deep playa.

[epic_elite]

i like to think "clown car" when looking for bikes.

i get the tiny kids bikes for $60 at target. then i light it up.

i like the dexterity the small vehicle offers. and i feel cool when i plow through the loose sand and every one nearby cheers me on.

...cuz every one has fallen in one of those sink traps.

[teardropper]

I took my good bikes to the playa once, for Rendezvous, and decided not to bring them back. I bought a couple of Huffy beach cruisers on Craig's List for $40 dollars, ones with 2.125x26 tires and keep the chain dry lubed with stuff I got at my bike shop, rinse them off at home and reapply the dry lube and they look just fine. Though they look fine, I am not going to bring the street bikes back again. The cruisers work just fine and think with a minimum of care should be good for years.

[epic_elite]

if you live in the Portland area, you could grab one of the bikes off the zoobomber monument for free.

or look on craigs list for one.

they come pre-funked and playafied and custom made for the weekly trip to the zoo.