The JRS: 🚲 Bikes Special Edition » BRC 2025

Volume 29, Issue #26 | August 9, 2025

Today’s topic is… BIKES! Burning Man is a bike-oriented culture. Do not underestimate the importance of having a reliable, well-tuned bike on playa! Black Rock City is vast, and you will absolutely want to bike around and explore. Read on, dusty one, to learn essential information about bringing a bike to Black Rock City.

Heads up! The playa surface is extra loose this year, so get ready for a bumpy, dusty ride. This means fat tires are in season. No matter what you’re riding, the speed limit is 5 mph in Black Rock City. Take it slow, stay steady, and be prepared for less-than-smooth terrain. It’s all part of the adventure.

Do you ride an e-bike? Come a little closer. Black Rock City's speed limit is 5 mph and it applies to ALL vehicles — including e-bikes. Please operate your e-bike safely, especially in crowded or high-traffic areas. Keep reading for e-bike guidelines.

Now, friend — what do you do with your trusted, dusty bicycle at the end of Burn Week? That's right, you pack it up and put it on your vehicle or the Burner Express and you take it home. DO NOT abandon bikes on playa. There are also places to donate your bike in Reno... read on.

Hold your horses! It's now possible to buy a Vehicle Pass without also buying a ticket. Yes, you can invite your curious friend. Tickets are available starting at $950.

The Man Burns in 21 days! 

Key Things to Remember about Biking in BRC (the Four L's)

1. Light your bike. There will be 80,000 people out there, all moving at once. If you can’t be seen in the dark, people will run into you... or you’re going to run into things. Creative lighting also makes it easier for you to find your bike amid the hordes of parked bikes.
2. Lock your bike. Whether it happens by accident or intention, walking out of a theme camp to find your bike missing sucks, especially when your friends still have theirs, and you’re stuck walking.
3. Label your bike. Mark your bike with some identifying information, such as your camp name and address. Then if it does go missing, maaaybe a thoughtful participant will reunite you with your beloved wheels.
4. Limit your bike’s speed. (NO speeding!) The speed limit for ALL vehicles on the playa is 5 mph. That goes for electric bikes, too.

Ride an E-bike in BRC? Read This.

Planning to ride an e-bike in Black Rock City? Recent serious incidents on the playa tell us some e-bike riders need to slow down and ride responsibly. Here's what you need to know (and do):

• The speed limit in BRC is 5 mph. For everyone!
• For your e-bike to be allowed in BRC it must: be generally recognized as a bicycle, have 2-3 wheels, have an electric motor up to 750 watts, not be a moped, and have a top speed no more than 20 mph.
• If you are found speeding or riding an e-bike in an unsafe manner, or you leave the scene of an accident you were involved in, your bike could be confiscated and you could be evicted from the event.
• We must all look out for each other, be part of the solution, and support Burners being safe.

Read more about e-bikes on playa

(Photo by Kate Beale)

Bring What You Need to Repair Your Bike AND to Fix Your E-bike!

Make sure that you or someone in your camp has the proper tools to fix and adjust your bike. These include: Allen keys, wrenches, and tools to change a tire tube. If you have trouble repairing your bike yourself, there are many theme camps that gift bike repair in Black Rock City. Check the WhatWhereWhen guide, Playa Info, or public kiosks in plazas for information about where to find them. There's also a map of 2025 bike repair camps at the link below.

Do not expect bike repair camps to have the skills, capacity or tools to fix your e-bike! Arrive on playa equipped to troubleshoot your own e-bike issues.

Remember that bike repair theme camps are Burners gifting these services! Do not take them for granted and be sure to show your appreciation! It’s always a big help if you have spare tubes, parts, or equipment for your specific type of bike, since camps may not have exactly what you need. Know that most bike repair camps are on playa to help with basic issues; they may not be able to fix very specialized parts/needs (including the needs of e-bikes). 

Read more about bikes in BRC

Tips for Riding a Reliable Playa Bike All Week Long

After more than 10 years running a bike repair camp in Black Rock City, John Briant decided it was time to try a little preventative maintenance. Read on for his oh-so-practical and helpful playa bike tips — including playa bike do’s and don’ts, choosing an ideal bike, and his recipe for truly magical playa bike lube.

Read "Tips for Riding a Reliable Playa Bike"

(Photo by Mark Nixon)

What to Do with Your Bike after the Burn?

Please, please DO NOT leave your bike on playa at the end of the event. Abandoned bikes are MOOP. In 2024, more than 1,800 bikes were abandoned on playa by participants. Every year, hardworking humans have to pick up more than 1,000 abandoned bikes, load them onto trucks, and drive them off playa. Similarly, DO NOT abandon your bike anywhere outside BRC, including in Reno.

Visit the link below for organizations that accept donated bikes after the event, both in Reno and on playa.

Read more

What You Need to Know...

• What Kind of Bike Should You Bring?
• Can I Get a Bike Close to Burning Man?
• Community Bikes Program
• Light Your Bike, or DIE
• Lock and Decorate Your Bike!
• Was Your Bike Stolen on the Playa?
• Bikes and Mutant Vehicles Don’t Mix
• Somewhat Less Dramatic Tips for Improving Your Playa Bike
• Bike Repair on Playa
• Got a Big Theme Camp? Here are a Few Tips

The Department of “In Case You Missed This”

Art Special Edition
Law Enforcement Special Edition
Kids & Family Special Edition

We were listening to...

"Broken Bicycles" by Tom Waits, live at San Remo | Listen on YouTube

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Burners Without Borders: A network of civic engagement and resiliency project leaders
Burning Man Journal: The paper of record for Burning Man culture
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Credits:
Editor: Kirsten Weisenburger
Looking Over Shoulders: Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, Leslie Moyer
Design & Development: Silvia Stephenson
Original Jackrabbit (O.J.): Marian Goodell
Jackrabbit Emeriti: Jane Lyons, Andie Grace, Will Chase, Jon Mitchell, Leslie Moyer
Header image: Bicycle kiss
Header Photographer: Mattias Löw

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