(Information Current as of May 2025.)
Alas, the days of picking up your bike on the playa are gone. But Have No Fear. There are several local providers of playa-ready bikes you can rent. If you are not driving out yourself, the Burner Express take you and your steed out to the playa (A combo package. They won’t just take your bike, sadly, and there is a fee, of course.)
Behold, your Reno-based saviors:
Reno Bike Project (635 E 4th street, Reno NV): These do-gooders sell “playa-ready” recycled bikes starting at a mere $110. Translation: they’ve slapped some grease on a barely functional heap. They also offer accessories and last-minute repairs for the truly unprepared. You can even reserve your rust-bucket online. And hey, your bike-buying woes fund their community programs.
Black Rock Bicycles (7875 North Virginia Street, Reno NV): Run by actual Burners, they offer the novel concept of renting or buying. Plus, they’ve got all the shiny bits and bobs you’ll need to transform your ride into a rolling testament to questionable artistic choices, while staying visible to art cars and other obstacles in the deep (dark) playa. New this year: year-round bike storage! Buy a bike, decorate it, ride it, dump it back with them, and they’ll even clean off the playa grime.
Kiwanis Bike Program (5305 Mill Street Reno NV 89502): They peddle used bikes starting at $90, along with the usual bike accoutrements. First come, first served, so get your procrastinating posterior in gear. Donate your dusty steed back to them post-burn, and they’ll either fix it for some lucky kid or melt it down for scrap.
Community Bikes Program (BRC): DON’T DEPEND ON FINDING THESE! For the truly commitment-phobic (or just plain cheap), there’s Burning Man’s “Yellow Bike” program (Don’t let the name fool you, they are actually GREEN). Think of them as communal, one-way loaners painted a delightful shade of traffic cone. Grab one, ride it, ditch it. Don’t get attached; it’s not yours. Short trips only, and for the love of all that is playa, don’t lock it, decorate it, or try to smuggle it home. Pants are mandatory, you feral dust creature. Find one after the burn? Drag it back to the Yellow Bike Camp (5:30 & A).
Resources for the most up to date information:
https://survival.burningman.org/getting-around-brc/bicycles/ <- READ THIS!!
https://burningman.org/event/preparation/getting-around/bikes/
https://survival.burningman.org/getting-around-brc/vehicles-driving
Featured image courtesy of the Kiwanis Bike Program
