Our Playa Wedding: Transportation

There are a few modes of transportation on the playa. The two most reliable methods are walking and riding a bicycle. One that's an adventure (you don't know where you're going) and chancy (you don't know when you'll be to just hop aboard or for that matter jump off), is riding on an art car.

Last year we (I) walked. This year that's not possible with friends at each edge of the city. Imagine pouty face here. (I hate bicycles and the things seem to harbor animosity towards me as well. Bicycles being riden by commuters have routinely gone mad to rush their rider out into intersections against the light swerving to hit me. Other bicycles have decided they're just too tired to carry their rider across the street in the crosswalk and have toppled over on top of me.) Last year I had a melt down in Target when faced with the idea of getting a bike. Full on melt down where I started hyperventilating and felt the world closing in. This year just a pouty face.

One Saturday in July we decided to go in search of bikes. We were victorious. We found two bikes. They fit nicely along with other Burning Man supplies in the back of our CRV.

Here's my bike.

Avigo Open Force 20 inch BMX Bike $99

(Source)

As an aside, when you order a bike from the Toys R Us website you'll save $10 on the base price and get free or reduced shipping (standard shipping only, a $25 value, on orders over $49).

So why this bike? First I could comfortably stand over it. Second it had multiple gears and the shifter didn't look like it would break the first time I tried to use it. Third it wasn't pink.

Why not this bike? The spring that I thought was decoration is actually rear suspension. I was advised that roughly 30% of my energy would be expended bouncing up and down. Um that doesn't sound very pleasant. Back to the drawing board. (Huge thank you to Sofauxboho.)

Next bike? A 49 centimeter Single Speed Mixtie.

As to whether I enjoyed traversing the playa on my bike? Hopefully I'm out riding it now and enjoying myself. Otherwise my feet are going to be pretty sore walking to and from Syzygryd and Syzgryd Base Camp (Cairo and 5:00).