Plant Trees SF Events 2024 Archive: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Event

 
Bike Bicycle inspection buy inspection purchase Test BM BurningMan Playa )’( 
V3.4 how to inspect a bike for sale. F1 speed 
Strategy: feel up a dozen bikes to find food one. 
No, this is not a double entendre. get thee to a Nunnery!
F1 Pit Stop speed Rx for you to browse multi bikes quickly. Let your fingers do the walking.
it safe to buy a bicycle in one of the big bike lots Highway 447 NV approaching Playa? 
How to test bike in default or Hwy 447 NV

You got this. you are prepared. you have been surfing marketplace on Facebook craigslist and Nextdoor 
You have ridden several bicycles for sale 
Or simply hop on a friends bike after you ask them to show you the ropes. Same with Cars. 

Simple smile brief friendly eye contact with vendor 
Simple nod (non verbal hi) as you would acknowledge any store clerk upon entry. 
Act normal. If seller engages you, you could express desire for reliable cruiser or MtnBike with Clean Crank no play. 

     Bike Height? V3.3 
Look for cruiser or mountain bike, appropriate for your seat, height body 
Must be Full Tires. Zero flat spot. Air Pressure!
V3.3
In default world on your hybrid or Citi bike, ok for  bike seat to rest in your crotch when you’re standing over bike frame. leg straight. soles of shoes flat on ground
A
Higher seat is better for your knees on long distance long road long trips deep playa 
A 
Shorter seats is OK downhill on mountain bike
Or short trip to get ice or 
For people who may tend to fall down. 
To 
Save your knees, you want 90° angle at heel when foot flat on pedal
Short bike bent knees, irritates knee, joint arthritis. 
Tall, bike, straight legs, better on knee joints
Trade-off with increased risk of falling ouch. 

     Bigger tires, better for 2024
2024 you want 26” X 2.5” tires at least for bumpy choppy Martian lunar surface playa. 
mountain bikes invented 1977 California. SAE “ system inches used in USA 

F1 pitstop lightning speed approach bike in question 
Eyeball Tires for CRACKS. CRACK IS WHACK! 
squeeze each both tire btwn thumb and index finger. 
Want firm tire stiff tire solid no spongy. Should be hard. 50-60 psi ok. No worries. 
Spin each wheel watch rim for true straight alignment not bent. 
jiggle both wheels to check play tolerance in wheel bearings. Left to Right. Side to side. 

          CRANKSHAFT IS KEY
Same with crankshaft, jiggle pedals to check PLAY in crankshaft main bearings in frame. 
Must be zero play L to R in crankshaft! ! ! 

     Mountain Bike 
Squeeze both brake handles to check gap and tolerance, movement action of cables, while you visually observe break slaves pads on wheels
Lift bike seat with one hand, while you pedal and shift gears with other hand slowly gently to check movement of slave, shifter derailer, front and back. A friend could help. 
Hold both handlebars with both hands while you roll back forward bike forward and backward while checking front break for play movement in fork and front tube steering column. (
Hold both hands on handle our rollback back-and-forth while you check play in rear wheel, gears hub bolts as you apply rear brake for check damage

Pedals 
turn each pedal with your fair hand
Should be free. Should have zero friction.
Pedals no problem. Easy to drop a few drops of oil into the pedal bearings from center bike while bike is on side. Rotating pedal as you drip 10-20 drops of motor oil. Do this annually. No problem 
Unlike crank, which must be free.

Crank shaft  between pedals 
Must be free. Zero friction. Any roughness irregularity lack of smoothness and free flow may freeze up and strand you deep Playa this year. Danger. Abort. 

Cruiser
See Mtn Bike below squeeze tires 
Jiggle wheels front back should be no loose. Play in bearings side to side.

Crankshaft between pedals must rotate smoothly effortlessly should not have friction should not make noise that sounds like little steel metal ball bearings, grinding, scuffing, chafing, scraping or tapping
See mountain bike, crankshaft details below
Smooth CrakShaft? Ok 

Ride bike 
Pedal forwards go. 
Pedal backwards is stop. Want smooth. Not Clunk. 

Turn wheel ride left circle ride, right circle
Do you like the bike? Does the bike like you?
OK give the man his money

Mountain bike 
Ride bike 
Start in first gear pedal  test brakes
shift gears while riding
Apply brakes 
Squeaking brakes no problem easy fix, adjust angle of brake pads touching wheel  Toe-IN

Listen carefully for crankshaft, grinding, clunking, clicking, or skipping noises 
Feel carefully with her feet for roughness as above

                    AfterCare 
         Critical! Unpack after Playa. 
Turn bike upside down.  garden hose, blast the crap out of the chain and gears while you hand crank the pedal
Let try in sun for a day. 
Oil chain, while you crank pedals
Add a dozen drops of oil to each pedal from center of bike, laying on side
MtnBike 
Small oil, bottle, drips, oil onto cables down sheaths as you check your messages or play with cat  nope nope wait do not encourage cat to touch any oil at bike
Oil drops all hinge joints of derailers, shifter slaves, and brakes MtnBike. 

More bike stuff PlantTrees.org

Today, tomorrow next week
V3.1 for the love of Velo take any chance you have today this week next week to window shop and hop on a bike at a store yard sale flea market
Just 
Hop on a bike and become familiar with the play and tolerances of crank wheels, pedals brakes 
To
Familiarize yourself with what could be
Un burdened by what has been ;) 

Get a feel for  $ prices locally and on marketplaces FB CL ND 
$50-$70-$90 easy in your hometown. Safe bet. 
Seek feedback. Unknown prices.HWY 447 NV
In 2023. Unknown inflation. HWY 447 NV 2024
Burningman Burning man 

RECON 
SEEK INFO. these bike lots were native run 200X-2014. Are they still?
Are $ prices fair? Reasonable? 

ADVANCED
you might be able to tell the vendor you want a cheap bike for one burn  ( not advised) 
Or a sturdy bike, for several burns  
But this all goes to advanced communication 
Gonna Delete this paragraph 



Top Shelf Best Bike Bikes 
Cannondale
A
Gary Fisher 
Scott
Specialized 
GT
Trek 
Giant
Fuji
Marin
Norco 
B 
Schwinn
Raleigh
C
Huffy
Murray
Next

D
Viribus China

F 
Bicycle Bicycles see also consumer reports 

Some of these were $3000 bikes in the 1980s and
This list is intended for your use at garage sales yard sales to find older excellent bikes cheap. 
FB CL nextdoor marketplace
Used specialized for dollar 50 – dollar 100
Will outlast most all of the C grade bikes, for years or a decades



For updates and info, contact scott at planttrees dot org.