Post Burn Maintenance

First and foremost the most important thing to do with your bicycle post burn is to take it away from Black Rock City.  Be a responsible citizen and do the right thing…

Do Not Leave Your Bike at Burning Man!!

If you leave your bike behind at Burning Man you are gifting MOOP or BOOP (Bicyles Out Of Place) and nobody wants that.  Especially the hard working people at Black Rock Community Transit.

Post Burn 2017 there was an unacceptable number of bikes left behind within the city limits.  Read about it here…2017 BOOP

From BRCT Facebook Page…..
Handling Bikes at the End of the Event
  • Personal Bikes Just like everything else at Burning Man, if you pack it in then pack it out! This is no different for your bike. Please make plans for transporting your bike, just as you transported it here. Leaving your bicycle at Burning Man is MOOP or BOOP (Bicycles Out Of Place) and a huge burden on the event clean up efforts. If you would like to donate a bike at the end of the event, here are a few options:
    • Reno Bike Project, 541 E. 4th St., Reno, (775) 323-4488
    • Until our storage is at capacity, the Yellow Bike Program will accept donations of Huffy Cranbrook 26” bikes that are undecorated and without additional spray paint. These will be added to our fleet the following year. Please bring Huffy Cranbrook donations to the Yellow Bike Shop at 5:30 & A during daylight hours.
  • Stolen Bicycles We cannot emphasize enough the importance of locking and labeling your personal bikes! Bring a lock every time you take your bike out and label it with your camp address and playa name on your first day here. You should also consider labeling your bike with your phone # or email address so it can be returned to you post-event if it goes missing.
If your bike is stolen, you can report it in person at the Yellow Bike Shop (5:30 & A). Post-event Monday-Wednesday, you can be reunited with your bike at the shop if it is recovered. Note: we do not have the capacity or funds to deliver recovered stolen bikes to you off playa, so if your bike is recovered, we’ll work with you to pick it up on site.
  • Abandoned Bicycles During the last few days of the event, we could use everyone’s help educating people about taking their bikes with them. Large theme camps, especially those placed on the Esplanade, 2:00, and 10:00 can help by stopping people from forming those large abandoned piles that we see every year. If bikes are abandoned at your camp, here’s how you can help us:
    • See if bikes are labeled, and if so, try to return them to the owner.
    • Do not take abandoned bikes with you! It is considered theft and prohibits us from running lost and found. You can deliver abandoned bikes to the Yellow Bike Shop at 5:30 & A.
  • Yellow Bikes If you are around post-event and you want to help us out in a big way, bring Yellow Bikes to the bike shop at 5:30 & A. This saves us time collecting the 1,000 Yellow Bikes we lovingly provide each year.

Return to the Burn?  Clean & Lube That Bike!

Assuming you want to save your bike to Return to the Burn you must clean and lube it ASAP.

  1. Remove the wheels and Art accessories for access to the frame.
  2. Use a solution of 50% Vinegar and 50% water to clean the Playa Dust.
  3. Use lots of cotton rags and clean more than once.
  4. Use chain tool and remove chain from the bike.Soak chain in gasoline or Isopropyl Alcohol to completely remove Playa Dust.If chain looks like a lost cause replace with a new one.
  5. Use wire brush around the sprockets, crank, and hubs to remove all gunky build up.
  6. Store in a dry area out of the Sun and weather.
  7. Several weeks before the next Burn pull it out and do a Maintenance Check.