FAQ

  • That’s right, there are commonly asked questions about BYOBW, so if you’re curious about an answer, you’ll most likely find it here.

    Where/When does BYOBW take place?

    (Permit approval providing) The race takes place at 20th and Vermont Streets in San Francisco, California at 4pm on Easter Sunday. Are we doing it this year? Probably. If all the paperwork goes through and there are no issues, then yes. If we get shut down, then no. Plan accordingly :)

    Is there an registration fee?

    BYOBW is brought to you completely free, but we do recommend a $5 donation that you can make on site or online at this link. The awesome BYOBW crew tends to front some cash at the beginning, but in the end it’s the racers and audience that so generously give. Think of us like a very poor version of NPR. If we got $5 from every person that raced, we’ve probably be able to not have to balance things on our credit cards. (yeah!)

    You can register for the event by signing up and accepting our digital release form. If you want a hard copy of it, you know, to remember us by you can also download that. And yes, we do have a way of making sure you filled it out, so please just take the 2 minutes it requires to fill the thing out so that we are covered by our insurance and can keep the fun up for years to come!

    Is there an age limit?
    Not specifically. Everyone is required to sign a waiver for insurance purposes. Our first “heat” is just for kids about 12 and under. After that, if you are under 18 you need your parents to sign one of our registration forms and then it’s really up to them if they feel comfortable letting you race down the hill. We’ve seen some kids as young as ten-years old bumping arms with the adults, but bare in mind it can be pretty dangerous. Wearing atleast a helmet is recommended.

    Are there any rules?

    We do have a Code of Conduct that you should check out here, but we’re not big on rules beyond that you should please only bring actual big wheels that are made of plastic with plastic wheels. Why? In the words of our founder, John Brumit, “IT SOUNDS WAY COOLER and control is overrated anyway.”

    And please, No Metal Frames. Kids toys made of plastic is the point guys and honestly, some people are getting a little banged up with you tear into them at 20mph with a metal trike, bike, or tricked-our bigwheel.

    Should I drive to get there or is public transit best?

    This IS San Francisco and parking is INSANELY limited. We suggest that you take public transit if possible to get here or even take a cab over.

    Is there any safety gear I should bring?

    We’ve actually clocked big wheels going pretty close to 25 miles an hour on the last stretch of road before the finish line, so yeah, we recommend the following:

    • A helmet (very recommended, for anti-concussion reasons)
    • Leather work gloves (they help to prevent your hands from getting cut up)
    • Elbow pads (even more optional)
    • Knee pads (some people wear them, but we never have so very optional)

    Here’s a delightfully illustrative video as to why you might want to wear safety gear from BYOBW10, where a gentleman tries to stand when he is going very, very fast.

    Will there be port-a-potties?

    Most def. Please bring the recommended $5 donation so we can keep paying for them. :)

    Is there cool apparel I can buy?

    No. Sorry. Despite what this website might have you think, we actually try not to promote the event so that it stays a manageable size. Selling apparel would elevate us to a status we don’t want. Like Lollapalooza or whatever the cool thing is the kids like to do these days outside of reading Charlie Sheen rants. (Topical!)