Posted: 7/5/2009 1:39:37 AM EDT
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Stemming from this thread:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=17&t=623497 I live downwind of a moderate sized city, and just a few minutes from a nuclear power plant. I'm not greatly concerned that either will blow up any time soon, but I do believe in being prepared. I've been reluctant to trust in automotive technology in such a situation, because who knows what'll keep working and what won't. And, I'm way too far from any decent shelter to just trust in feet. At the same time, I'd been looking into bikes, so as to get back into the fun of riding around towns and woods and parks and stuff up here. So, I started that above thread, and then unsubscribed from it after the first two smartass replies. Looking at it just now, that's annoying, because it suddenly got pretty good, and a lot of folks, like mcooper, recommended almost exactly what I ended up with. Striking out on my own, I found a great deal on a new 21" Specialized Rockhopper. I outfitted it with the basic accessories (lights, locks, spare tube, etc.), and threw a storage rack on it in case I wanted to take a shot at making it emergency-ready. Then I dumped around about panniers for a few weeks, before settling on a pair of nice Avenir Excursions. The other day, on a whim, I took an old BOB that was sort of redundant now, and transferred everything in it to the panniers. Strangely enough, everything fit. With a little adjustment (had to move them back a bit on the rack, and replace the hooks, and such), it rode perfectly with them that way. That left my tent and sleeping bag, which I wasn't quite sure how to attach. I came up with the notion of strapping the heavy tent under the handlebars. I took at shot at that, and it turned out perfectly. I then unpacked and repacked the bags, adjusting the contents for the new conditions, and took some pics during the process. So, in celebration of Independence Day: 
(Sorry about the reflector glare, the nonflash pics were unusable) 
Tent is top left, sleeping bag is top right. You can tell which pannier goes on which side by the pocket reflector; it goes toward the back of the bike on each pannier. 
Underseat bag 
Sleeping bag is normally elsewhere, uncompressed in its sack: 
Left pannier: 
Right pannier: 
Equipment list (.xls) Contents (pasted from the Excel file), badly formatted here: 1 Bike (Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc) 1 Cable Lock 1 Computer 1 Headlight 1 Taillight 1 Water bottle (filled) 1 Tire pump 1 Helmet 4 Bungee cords 1 N95 Mask 1 Sleeping Bag (Big Cat +20F) 1 Tent (2 person, 4 season) 1 Yaesu FT-60R 2m/70cm 1 Under seat bag 2 Tire lever 1 Inner tube 1 Tire pump instructions 1 Set of metric allen wrenches 1 Avenir Excursion Pannier (large) (left) 2 17 oz water bottle 2 2xAA solar charger 1 D cell battery (spare for survey meter) 1 Pentagon MOLLE LED flashlight (1xAA) 1 Inova X1 LED flashlight (1xAA) 1 Stereo earphones with monaural adapter (for FT-60R) 8 2500mAh NiMH AA cell 12 Alkaline AA cell 1 Survival fishing kit 3 Speedhook fishing snare 1 Snare wire (spool) 2 Pairs underwear 4 Pairs socks 1 Spare eyeglasses (older prescription, but close) 1 Paracord (50' length) 1 Wilderness first aid kit w/ assorted bandages, tools, and medicine 1 Whistle 1 Snake bite kit 1 Toothbrush 1 Toothpaste 1 Afterbite 1 Excedrin Migraine (bottle) 1 Moleskin package 1 Eyeglass repair kit 2 Chapstick 1 Fingernail clippers 1 Large poncho 1 Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter 1 Benadryl (24 pills) 1 Dulcolax (25 caplets) 1 Immodium (12 pills) 2 Halls cough drops (small container) 3 Tums (small containers) 2 Advil (10 pills each) 1 Cutter bug repellent 6 Spare ziploc bags 1 Wilderness first aid book 1 Notebook 1 US Map 1 NYS Map 1 Mechanical pencil 4 Pencil 1 Pencil sharpener 1 Survey meter instructions 1 Signal mirror 1 Stormproof matches (pack) 1 Stormproof matches (bottle) 1 Waterproof match holder with non-stormproof matches 5 Butane lighter 10 Fire starter (cotton) 1 Flint and steel 1 Pocket magnifying lens (for fire starting) 1 Lensatic compass 24 Water treatment pill 1 Water treatment pill (bottle) 2 Paracord (50' length) 2 Pocket knife 1 Knife sharpener 1 Spare shoelaces 3 P95 can opener 1 Whistle 3 N95 mask (spare) 14 IOSAT potassium iodide pill 1 Comb 1 Avenir Excursion Pannier (large) (right) 2 17 oz water bottle 2 Israeli bandage 1 Asherman chest seal 1 Camping towel 1 Signal mirror 2 Heatsheet blanket 1 Mylar blanket 5 MRE entrée (average 240 calories) 6 MRE snack (average 140 calories) 13 MRE dairy drink mix (average 420 calories) 4 Mainstay emergency ration bar (average 3600 calories) 1 Camping mess kit 1 Camping utensil kit 2 Toilet paper (roll) 1 U-Dig-It hand shovel 1 96 oz nalgene cantene 1 202 oz MSR dromedary bag 6 MRE heater 8 Tabasco sauce packet As the excel file notes, total weight of the bike, loaded, without a rider, is roughly 83 pounds, with a total caloric value of 21,900, not counting the tabasco packets (3 calories each, I think). Except, I lied, because I shoved in some more mainstays at the end. I think they're a pound or three each, so it's probably closer to 90 pounds now, with those pounds being added equally between the two panniers. Otherwise, all the info's exact. Three notes are that I need a better flint and steel and a map of Canada (just in case), and a spare compass wouldn't hurt. Rides great with that load. I need to verify the tire pressure, but I'm not too worried about it. |
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This is really outstanding. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. This is about what it would take to get me home from work if the cars aren't running because I'm 50+ miles away.
Have you thought about how to remove/cover the reflectors in a hurry should the need arise? |
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Looks Good,
But your a very Easy target on a bicycle/motor cycle, alot less stable and protected than say a car/truck. Some one throws a rock at ya, swings a stick, ect. you more than likely will go down and now said people own what you used to. Yes its better than walking, but if your down town and the streets are packed with cars amd its all jammed up, the side walk will be packed with people also. Lets say for example looter/theifs are standing in the raod to try to get people to stop, so him and his buddies can rob/rape/kidnap/ ect. People will move for a Car/Truck speeding up insted of slowing down (dont stop for any one, call for help for them, but keep going) , but on a bike there gonna stand there and if (more than likely will have.) they have a wepon your going down. Plastic backed glass in your home/car/truck will stop a healthy rock and in some cases smaller caliber hand gun ammo from coming in, But There again on a bike or motor cycle there's "bobbing and weavin J/K", but no real protection from any of that. Off road you will get tired super fast, With a mid sized 4X4 your limited to the gas you have. Just my .02 |
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Looks Good, But your a very Easy target on a bicycle/motor cycle, alot less stable and protected than say a car/truck. Some one throws a rock at ya, swings a stick, ect. you more than likely will go down and now said people own what you used to. Yes its better than walking, but if your down town and the streets are packed with cars amd its all jammed up, the side walk will be packed with people also. Lets say for example looter/theifs are standing in the raod to try to get people to stop, so him and his buddies can rob/rape/kidnap/ ect. People will move for a Car/Truck speeding up insted of slowing down (dont stop for any one, call for help for them, but keep going) , but on a bike there gonna stand there and if (more than likely will have.) they have a wepon your going down. Plastic backed glass in your home/car/truck will stop a healthy rock and in some cases smaller caliber hand gun ammo from coming in, But There again on a bike or motor cycle there's "bobbing and weavin J/K", but no real protection from any of that. Off road you will get tired super fast, With a mid sized 4X4 your limited to the gas you have. Just my .02  I cant disagree with this more.
If a city street is so packed that a bicycle can't get through, a car or truck shure as hell can't. To the OP: Very nice, well though out set-up. I am working on something similar right now too and this will be helpful. |
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Looks Good, But your a very Easy target on a bicycle/motor cycle, alot less stable and protected than say a car/truck. Some one throws a rock at ya, swings a stick, ect. you more than likely will go down and now said people own what you used to. Yes its better than walking, but if your down town and the streets are packed with cars amd its all jammed up, the side walk will be packed with people also. Lets say for example looter/theifs are standing in the raod to try to get people to stop, so him and his buddies can rob/rape/kidnap/ ect. People will move for a Car/Truck speeding up insted of slowing down (dont stop for any one, call for help for them, but keep going) , but on a bike there gonna stand there and if (more than likely will have.) they have a wepon your going down. Plastic backed glass in your home/car/truck will stop a healthy rock and in some cases smaller caliber hand gun ammo from coming in, But There again on a bike or motor cycle there's "bobbing and weavin J/K", but no real protection from any of that. Off road you will get tired super fast, With a mid sized 4X4 your limited to the gas you have. Just my .02 I cant disagree with this more.
If a city street is so packed that a bicycle can't get through, a car or truck shure as hell can't. To the OP: Very nice, well though out set-up. I am working on something similar right now too and this will be helpful. Agreed ,Nice setup Plus most SHTF isnt going to be diehard meets reddawn . Economic SHTF he has a nice rig to cover some ground with out burning gas , maybe to check on family in the next town over . Need to get out of town SHTF and the road has become a parking lot , he can abandon his vehicle and continue on . Might have something as small as a vehicle down and needs a way to pick up some milk and a 6 pack 
Ect... |
| That is a very nice rig that you put together. Now, the important thing is that you need to get your bottom out on the trails and on the roads. If you don't, you'll learn about muscles you didn't know you have- and when you want to get out dodge is not the time to learn about those. |
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Great idea and great job putting it together. As someone who has ridden long, long distances on a bike I might suggest that you might want to lighten your load though. Weight is always a compromise with this stuff. Since it's not a touring setup, per se, I opted for a heavier load. On the other hand, I'm personally a light guy, under 150 lbs, so that really boosts the cargo limit by 20 or 30 lbs. The weight is also well distributed with the 10 lb tent up front. I'm considering shoving a couple of the mainstay packs into the tent's compression sack on either end, as well. That would move an additional 4 lbs. to the front. It's not the lightest load ever, but it ran fine on relatively flat surfaces in my 1/2 mile test and beats the hell out of walking. Up a hill or something, I could always get off and walk it. I hadn't considered the reflectors being a disadvantage. I guess, in the situations I'm concerned about, I don't envision people running around shining lights everywhere. I'll give it some thought, though. As to it being worse than an automobile, there's no question of that. If trucks run, I'd throw it in the back of mine and maybe lock it in, and thus have sort of a lifeboat option in case gas runs out. If they don't, it certainly beats walking. Now I'm scratching my head a little about how to carry a rifle and magazines on it. Options are, mostly, "slung", "scabbard", or "soft guitar case". Magazines are easy with a windbreaker. (This would also add 15-20 lbs.) I'm also still a little concerned about how to tell if I'm overburdening the tires. The whole load, including me, is still lower than that of a typical fat guy, but I do worry. As to practicing, I do ride the bike quite a bit, just never this heavily loaded. I'm already considering some camping trips with it, if only to test everything again, although most of it's already been tested extensively off the bike. My anticipated range in an emergency would be 15 to 30 miles. Just enough to get out from under the whatever, and to adequate shelter. Beyond that, there's a 65 mile destination that would be appropriate, and another 25 mile one. I think both are well within a couple days' ride, even with a heavily loaded bike in bad weather. I can probably average 8 mph on this rig without breaking a sweat, including hills. 16 in sprints. That makes the hardest ride out to be 8-10 hours, under bad conditions. |
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I might drop the tire pump instructions (just learn to use the thing), all the notebooks and get a smaller one, chop two pencils in half, drop the sharpener (you got a knife don't ya? heck, even pavement or a rock will work), drop one knife and pick up a multi-tool and drop the magnifying glass for a magnesium fire starter block (or just drop it).
Why a US map? Those can be purchased (or just looked at) at rest stops, gas stations, and pretty much everywhere. Make some print outs with a laser printer of the areas you are likely to be. Unless you are a pilot or OTR driver the US map is going to have poor resolution and pretty much not be needed. A cross country trip will take weeks, require you to scavenge or purchase stuff so getting a local map with back roads can be done then. I like fire a bunch too, but you may want to stick with the MRE heaters to keep stealthy and not light a fire at all and maybe drop down to two methods of starting fires not four or five like you have. Swap out for a candle maybe. Nail clippers can be improvised with a knife, multi-tool or abrasive rock. Replace the Halls with equivalent weight in food bar or gorp. They will "clear out" your breathing, but are little use as energy above hard candy. I strongly advise NOT using hard candy, gum, or any other thing held in the mouth on a bike it's too easy to choke on it during heavy breathing or can trip you into biting your tongue going over bumps. Stop to eat, it's safer. If you want something to handle breath/feeling of "clean" in the mouth I suggest Listerine strips, they are very light and serve more or less the same purpose. No sunglasses? Sunscreen? I might suggest a cut down or plastic universal hose valve tool as well, you are going to basically quadruple your water needs traveling all day and it would save time over filtering a stream somewhere. |
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I might drop the tire pump instructions (just learn to use the thing), all the notebooks and get a smaller one, chop two pencils in half, drop the sharpener (you got a knife don't ya? heck, even pavement or a rock will work), drop one knife and pick up a multi-tool and drop the magnifying glass for a magnesium fire starter block (or just drop it). Haha, I don't know why I left the pump instructions in there, but they weigh nothing and take up no room, and over the years I've learned that instructions are more reliable under pressure than memory. (Actually, I do know; beyond the general preference toward instructions, the pump supports two different valve types, and I can only practice one of them. Dunno why I'd need to use the other, but life is full of surprises, and the conversion of the valve adapter is intricate.) The notebooks and pencils have negligible weight and significant utility. The sharpener weighs, literally, nothing. Doesn't even register on a postal scale. I'm a fiend for lightweight stuff, but even I'm not of a mind to discard useful items that weigh nothing. Both knives are technically spares, I carry a buck x-tract everywhere. But I've lost knives before. x-tract is a multitool. The flint and steel does use magnesium. The magnifying thing (of dubious value, but free to me) weighs literally nothing, and takes up no room. Why a US map? Those can be purchased (or just looked at) at rest stops, gas stations, and pretty much everywhere. Make some print outs with a laser printer of the areas you are likely to be. Unless you are a pilot or OTR driver the US map is going to have poor resolution and pretty much not be needed. A cross country trip will take weeks, require you to scavenge or purchase stuff so getting a local map with back roads can be done then. Why on earth would I trust my ability to scavenge or write a map on the fly, when I can just pack one? Maps are important, and can be tough to find. The national one is low res, of course, but that's why I also have a state one. My truck has better maps, but they come in relatively heavy and bulky books. Everything's a compromise. I like fire a bunch too, but you may want to stick with the MRE heaters to keep stealthy and not light a fire at all and maybe drop down to two methods of starting fires not four or five like you have. Swap out for a candle maybe. MRE heaters only help with the five or six entrees in the kit. They help with nothing else, including gathered food preparation, drying of clothes, morale, signal, or maintenance of body temperature. Candle's a good idea, but doesn't really add any capability that the LED lights or larger fires don't. Nail clippers can be improvised with a knife, multi-tool or abrasive rock. Not as effectively, for me. Little things matter. Replace the Halls with equivalent weight in food bar or gorp. They will "clear out" your breathing, but are little use as energy above hard candy. I strongly advise NOT using hard candy, gum, or any other thing held in the mouth on a bike it's too easy to choke on it during heavy breathing or can trip you into biting your tongue going over bumps. Stop to eat, it's safer. If you want something to handle breath/feeling of "clean" in the mouth I suggest Listerine strips, they are very light and serve more or less the same purpose. Halls are cough drops. Stress and exposure tend to contribute to colds. Colds breed dry coughs. Dry coughs are noisy. The cough drops aren't entirely for comfort, they're for noise suppression. No sunglasses? Sunscreen? I have transitions. Sunscreen's in the first aid kit. I might suggest a cut down or plastic universal hose valve tool as well, you are going to basically quadruple your water needs traveling all day and it would save time over filtering a stream somewhere. Not sure what you mean by this. |
This will open most valves (on the side of the building where the hose is attached) to turn on the water. This water is typically used for gardening or lawn purposes but often the handle is removed to keep kids and bums from using them. Schools, houses, or any other building that might have use of an outside water supply might have a hookup. The tool, will let you get water out of most of them without whatever tool the owner has squirreled away. On the map thing, I have done bike touring before and found that general road maps and compass were important, and complicated areas (like through small towns) minimized backtracking. The larger the resolution the less use the map was while traveling by bike. Heck, even in a car I want to know what exit I need and don't really need to know what major cities i80 goes through. |
| Why such a heavy tent? Regarding the weight that the tires are rated for....that may not be as big a concern as the weight that the wheels are rated for. If you are running heavy duty tubes you can always increase your air pressure, if your wheels fail you are SOL. There may be places to save more weight here and there, but it is a very nice execution of the Bug out Bike concept. One other idea would be to cache some spare parts along your likely route. This may give you a certain level of redundancy regarding tubes, chains, tires and wheels. However if you break down within walking distance of a cache you may be able to keep on going after the repair instead of having to hoof it all the way out. |
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Great post, thanks for the pictures. Is there a rack that will allow you to carry a rucksack on the back? Thanks John John try this http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailer_specs.php?product_id=11 Great start Think I'd ditch the 10lb tent,,,get a Golite ..http://www.golite.com/product/proddetail.aspx?p=SH6117&s=2 or http://www.golite.com/product/proddetail.aspx?p=SH6128&s=2 or better a good bivy,,think about packing this on your back,,or pushing the bike up trails offroad. You already have both 2 heatsheet blankets and a mylar {thin film survival?} |
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Awesome BOBike! Two suggestions though.
- I might put the sleeping bag inside a garbage bag. If the sheeple/thugs see a garbage bag instead of a sleeping bag, you might look less "prepared" and less "well off". - Put some type of small handbag on top of handlebars so you can easily access a pistol (or a map/food for convenience). Thanks for sharing. |
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Thanks!
Regarding the heavy tent, it's unfortunately necessary. Temperatures around here can get subzero fast, with correspondingly bad conditions. A 4 season tent is essential. I could go more expensive, like that $375 one you link to, but, frankly, the few pounds difference isn't worth $150 to me over the current tent. Everything's a compromise. (I did notice that I have no AM/FM radio in that kit. I'll put one of my great $20 2xAA grundigs in.) |
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As a bike geek/wrench/long distance rider in a former life I'd make an important suggestion or two.
Look at getting a better set of wheels. Talk to you local bike shop, let them know you are doing long distance loaded touring. Look to either a 36 spoke wheel, (you probably have 32 spoke wheels), you might also ask about wheels specifically built for a tandem, (40 spoke or so). These will be more durable and stand the stress of the load you are carrying much better. Having spent a lot of time wrenching on wheels they are the main point of failure on any type of loaded touring/cargo carrying ride. I'd also suggest investing some time and equipment in learning how to wrench on your bike, (including truing your own wheels). Semper Fi |
| Not sure if you have one packed in your bike kit but definitely pick up a chain tool and some extra links. It sucks being 20 miles from anywhere and snapping a link but it would suck even more not to have the ability to repair it. In a bugout situation at best it would leave you on foot pushing your bike or at worst, fatal. |
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montague paratrooper bike video
Thanks for your post, your pics, and plenty of good ideas to think about. I have been looking at a similar concept based on where I live. I need to commute about 7 miles to and from the military base where I work. If you have ever suffered through Honolulu commuter traffic during gridlock especially with Hawaii's poorly designed road network (nonexistent bypasses), you would know why... I am in the process of purchasing a folding mountain bike, the Montague Paratrooper model to suit my needs I especially like the folding aspect as I am needing a bike that I can fly with back to CONUS when I visit my wife who is in Nursing School in a major urban area. I didn't want one of those dinky little folders though... The montague and swiss bike brands fit the bill nicely. Unfortunately, I was wanting a model with dual disc brakes, but the swiss bike model with that option is WAAY out of my price range. The paint scheme and military development origins of the Paratrooper might be too cheesy for some but they appeal to me being career .mil... I am a sucker for anything advertised as "airdroppable" and olive drab will always be a favorite color for me I guess... 
Anyway, WRT to your question of how to possibly mount a rifle: take a look at the attached you tube video closely. Its blurry and hard to see, but it looks as if the Marine rider mounts it muzzle down at the front of the handlebars using some sort of friction/cam lock system. Might give you some ideas to consider, though not sure where you find parts. As for me, I would probably go with the concealed pistol option in the handlebar bag and store the rifle some way in which you could get to it fairly quickly if needed. FWIW, I too am looking at the BOB Ibex trailer as I need something to run to the supermarket with... I am tired of trying to park my 4x4 truck in parking spaces made for honda civics during routine local errands...  When I finally get all my stuff delivered here (shipping costs to HI is the bane of any good project unfortunately), get my setup all worked up, I will post some photos in the future.
Cheers, Copperhead |
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Yet another bike thread to push me closer to buying. My local dealers offer Haro, Cannondale, Trek, and some high end brands. It seems that Trek offers far more for the money than Cannondale or Haro in the entry level bikes. All the shops are closed today, but I plan to test ride the Trek 4300 series and 4500 as soon as I can. They are the top contenders at this point, unless it is worth driving 60 miles one way to test a Giant.
Neat bike. I have ridden folding road bikes which were not very solid, but that looks like a very different animal. I also noticed how the weapon was attached. It seems like a very streamlined/light/KISS weapon would be the easiest to manage in this case. |
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Yet another bike thread to push me closer to buying. My local dealers offer Haro, Cannondale, Trek, and some high end brands. It seems that Trek offers far more for the money than Cannondale or Haro in the entry level bikes. All the shops are closed today, but I plan to test ride the Trek 4300 series and 4500 as soon as I can. They are the top contenders at this point, unless it is worth driving 60 miles one way to test a Giant. Neat bike. I have ridden folding road bikes which were not very solid, but that looks like a very different animal. I also noticed how the weapon was attached. It seems like a very streamlined/light/KISS weapon would be the easiest to manage in this case. I know what you mean. Something with a ton of accessories is probably not going to work in that setup. Seems like a somewhat precarious position to hang your battlerifle in, but doesnt seem like a lot of options for mounting to a bike. I had an entry level trek (hard tail, front shock) setup years ago and really liked it. I later upgraded to a front and rear suspension Schwinn and I hated it. My father used to work for Cannondale a long long time ago before they made bikes - they started with camping and bike touring gear first - their bikes seem really well made, but very pricey. Good luck with your search. |
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As to practicing, I do ride the bike quite a bit, just never this heavily loaded. I'm already considering some camping trips with it, if only to test everything again, although most of it's already been tested extensively off the bike. Find a tour in your area that includes an overnight stay. IME, there is usually a group of fanatics who like to do the entire ride without resupply. It gives you a chance to test out your equipment around, and learn from, folks who are riding Bug Out Bicycles too. Just don't tell them
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Looks Good, But your a very Easy target on a bicycle/motor cycle, alot less stable and protected than say a car/truck. Some one throws a rock at ya, swings a stick, ect. you more than likely will go down and now said people own what you used to. Yes its better than walking, but if your down town and the streets are packed with cars amd its all jammed up, the side walk will be packed with people also. Lets say for example looter/theifs are standing in the raod to try to get people to stop, so him and his buddies can rob/rape/kidnap/ ect. People will move for a Car/Truck speeding up insted of slowing down (dont stop for any one, call for help for them, but keep going) , but on a bike there gonna stand there and if (more than likely will have.) they have a wepon your going down. Plastic backed glass in your home/car/truck will stop a healthy rock and in some cases smaller caliber hand gun ammo from coming in, But There again on a bike or motor cycle there's "bobbing and weavin J/K", but no real protection from any of that. Off road you will get tired super fast, With a mid sized 4X4 your limited to the gas you have. Just my .02 I cant disagree with this more.
If a city street is so packed that a bicycle can't get through, a car or truck shure as hell can't. To the OP: Very nice, well though out set-up. I am working on something similar right now too and this will be helpful. Agreed ,Nice setup Plus most SHTF isnt going to be diehard meets reddawn . Economic SHTF he has a nice rig to cover some ground with out burning gas , maybe to check on family in the next town over . Need to get out of town SHTF and the road has become a parking lot , he can abandon his vehicle and continue on . Might have something as small as a vehicle down and needs a way to pick up some milk and a 6 pack
Ect... Yes just think about all the awesome protection the bike provides, from rocks, sticks or just a grab. |
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I won't gripe at you too much. I do think you under did the water side of things.
I am not someone with any experience at real long distance bike rides. I used to ride my bike 7 or 8 miles one way to school way back when. With backpack full of school books and stuff. Its substantially easier than walking, and a whole lot faster, if there is any kind of pavement. Of course weather can make it not real suitable. |
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montague paratrooper bike video Thanks for your post, your pics, and plenty of good ideas to think about. I have been looking at a similar concept based on where I live. I need to commute about 7 miles to and from the military base where I work. If you have ever suffered through Honolulu commuter traffic during gridlock especially with Hawaii's poorly designed road network (nonexistent bypasses), you would know why... I am in the process of purchasing a folding mountain bike, the Montague Paratrooper model to suit my needs I especially like the folding aspect as I am needing a bike that I can fly with back to CONUS when I visit my wife who is in Nursing School in a major urban area. I didn't want one of those dinky little folders though... The montague and swiss bike brands fit the bill nicely. Unfortunately, I was wanting a model with dual disc brakes, but the swiss bike model with that option is WAAY out of my price range. The paint scheme and military development origins of the Paratrooper might be too cheesy for some but they appeal to me being career .mil... I am a sucker for anything advertised as "airdroppable" and olive drab will always be a favorite color for me I guess...
Anyway, WRT to your question of how to possibly mount a rifle: take a look at the attached you tube video closely. Its blurry and hard to see, but it looks as if the Marine rider mounts it muzzle down at the front of the handlebars using some sort of friction/cam lock system. Might give you some ideas to consider, though not sure where you find parts. As for me, I would probably go with the concealed pistol option in the handlebar bag and store the rifle some way in which you could get to it fairly quickly if needed. FWIW, I too am looking at the BOB Ibex trailer as I need something to run to the supermarket with... I am tired of trying to park my 4x4 truck in parking spaces made for honda civics during routine local errands... When I finally get all my stuff delivered here (shipping costs to HI is the bane of any good project unfortunately), get my setup all worked up, I will post some photos in the future.
Cheers, Copperhead The Montague has been sold under many names; Hummer, maybe some other GM names, etc... Montague has been sold by Sam's. The "Marines" in that video were wearing woodland BDU, which I think had been retired by the time the bike was marketed = airsoft & photochop advert. What I'm saying is that the Montague is a wallmart bike with green paint that and a tacticool youtube add. I too looked at that bike when I was shopping, but compared to the Trek 4300 with dual disk brakes that I bought the Montague is poor quality. A way to meet your requirements of bike with disk brakes that is airline portable would be to get a good bike and a bike box. Travel boxes are made by companies like Thule, and Performance that will hold most any bike. Like this box When you visit your wife will the two of you be biking places together? If so are you really needing 2 bikes and a way to transport one via airline? |
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I have been bike touring off and on for about 35 years. I think I am getting the hang of it. I like to go out for two to three week trips self contained. I typically pick up some food during the day and do simple preparation at night. I carry a liquid gas stove that can burn anything. I usually carry about 1.5 liters of gas for the stove in a couple of metal bottles. I have not yet had to use this setup as a get away vehicle, but looking at what people were doing with their cars in getting away from the hurricane that hit Texas a couple of years ago, a bike might have been a pretty good way to get away from the coast.
I usually plan on 50 to 80 mi. each day. My bike is usually a road touring bike, but I also have a wide tired mountain bike which has similar front and rear racks that can be used on rough terrain. As a Bug out vehicle, I would probably use it as a life boat in the back of my truck and only use it when I had too. As you do this, you can expect to modify your list to optimize it for your use. You will probably be able to decrease the weight of your gear. For instance, you said your tent weighed 10 lbs. My pretty good sized two man Eureka Backcountry tent weighs about 6 lbs. It is roomy enough for me and my wife, and great for me by myself. There will be other areas where you will find you can save weight. I like to get Backpacker Magazine just for the articles on equipment. They have a lot of good ideas. Clothing cycling gloves gloves* cycling shoes cycling shirts, long sleeve cycling shirts, short sleeve cycling shorts hat head band helmet socks T-shirt, colored underwear shorts sweater pants walking shoes wind/rain jacket Tools/Spare Parts 15 mm socket wrench 32 mm headset wrench adapter 6-inch crescent wrench 8, 9, 10 mm socket “Y” wrench* air gauge Allen wrenches (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/32) chain lube chain rivet extractor crank extractor* Cleat for Side Mtn shoes Cleat screws grease in 35 mm film canister foldable spare tire Freewheel/cluster remover rack mounting bolts pedal wrench* pliers w/ wire cutters screwdriver, dual flat/Phillips screwdriver, dual flat/Phillips (small) spare brake pads spare chain links spare crank bolts spare rear brake cable spare rear derailleur cable spare seat binder bolt spare spokes spare toe clip strap spare tubes spoke wrench tire irons tire patch kit tire pump tire valve adapter zip ties Camping Gear bike cover cloth ground cloth table cloth tent - Eureka Backcountry sleeping bag & stuff sack sleeping bag liner sleeping pad - Therm-a-Rest Ultralite long Cooking Gear 1 gal water bottle - MSR Dromedary 4/6 liter bag freeze dried meals/salt/instant oatmeal/brown sugar can opener salt shaker knife - LL Bean Camp Knife fork spoon spatula cooking spoon cup bowl plate cook pot (1.5 L for 1, 2.0 L for 2) pot lifter Matches pot scrubber stove - Optimus Nova fuel bottle spare fuel bottle water filter* - Katadyn Vario Microfilter (13 oz.) Hygiene/First Aid comb detergent (clothes & dishes) ear plugs First Aid Kit insect repellent razor shampoo soap & soap container sun tan lotion toilet paper toothbrush toothpaste towel wash cloth Recreation camera & film padded camera bag Miscellaneous 24 & 36-inch straps backup - S&W 360SC bungee cords compass* credit cards electrical tape flashlight maps money notebook & pen nylon close line nylon mesh bag Quarters for laundramat safety pins sewing kit sunglasses ziplock bags Bike Mounted Equipment front panniers rear panniers seat bag water bottles bottle cage lock & cable front rack rear rack |
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PA-22,
Thanks for the comments/suggestions and the link to the bike box. It does present another option. I appreciate the heads up, but I actually have read quite a few of the reviews that speak about the name changes and the lower end components so I am not necessarily jumping into the decision uninformed. They do have a 30-day trial period to help me make my decision and I will be taking them up on it. Unfortunately, until I can actually touch one (I tried to see/look at one in HI but there is only one distributor and no Paratroopers on hand), it will be hard for me to judge for myself. Ultimately, more than overall craftsmanship or higher end components, its mainly about the foldability and full size that is why I am attracted to it - all the other cheesy marketing stuff just appeals to me because I am your typical meathead. Even with the pre-digicam Youtube Marine maketing... If I really had the money to burn, I would be looking at the more expensive swiss bike model with its better components. The rear disc brake comment was really more about me never being all that good at servicing the standard v-brakes. I was good at disc/drum brake maintenance on my motocross bikes growing up, but those simple looking v-brakes have always been a finicky PITA to me. Even so, a rear disc is not necessarily a deal breaker for me.
The rest of the story is that my Frau recently moved to nursing school and we bought her a 1BR condo there, while I downsized from a 3 BR house into renting a 120 sq ft bedroom in someone else's house. Very little room for storage in a small Hawaii house is what I face now so the ability to fold the bike and store compactly makes it appealing. As for both of us riding, the bike requirement is really just for me. My truck stays in HI and she needs her car to commute to and from classes at school, so I am without any transportation during the day when I visit her (except for my LPCs). A foldable bike helps with limited storage in her small condo in the downtown area. Don't want to hijack the OP too much, but when you were looking at the bike, did you actually get to touch the actual folding mechanisms? Do you think it is a sturdy design? Any additional feedback would be appreciated. Copperhead edited for my horrible typos. 
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Quoted:
PA-22, snip... Don't want to hijack the OP too much, but when you were looking at the bike, did you actually get to touch the actual folding mechanisms? Do you think it is a sturdy design? Any additional feedback would be appreciated. Copperhead edited for my horrible typos. 
The model I looked at was a Hummer. Looking at the websites for Montague and Swiss, I'd say I was looking at what is now the paratrooper model. At the time the bike was under $500 at our local Sam's Club; this was 1st quarter '05. The things that concerned me were: 1 the seat stem looked nonstandard and of limited adjustment. 2 the shifters were poor quality 3 front disk rear rim brakes and I don't know who made the brakes. 4 the hubs on all my wallmart market bikes and bike trailers have been quick to wear out: I mean that the hubs and bearings have been worn out before the tires go flat. 5 the bottom bracket did not appear very stout; probably shot by the time I have to add air to the tires. I got the Trek on clearance it is a 4300 Disk. Here it is road testing my roof rack 
Then later I was blessed by being able to get this bike; clearance again, but they got full price out of me on Jr's bike. You see the reason that I put a premium brakes; I've towed a train of 2 trailers loaded with 3 kids, 1 bike and groceries with my blue bike. 
ETA: For the $800 that Montague is charging you could buy a tactical bike and a hard bike case from craigslist and have change for a weeks worth of ice cream. I found the cases scattered about the continental 48 at prices of $50 to $210. The tactical bike is of much better quality and has a made in USA badge. |
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This company makes a disassembling frame called the Traveler's Check. Also of interest is their Big Dummy frame.
And this company makes a powerful electric assist motor which is designed to work on the Big Dummy frame, on top of the rear storage options of the frame itself. I'm hoping that will be my next project. |
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Quoted:
Then later I was blessed by being able to get this bike; clearance again, but they got full price out of me on Jr's bike. You see the reason that I put a premium brakes; I've towed a train of 2 trailers loaded with 3 kids, 1 bike and groceries with my blue bike. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u142/PA22-400/CIMG0199.jpg ETA: For the $800 that Montague is charging you could buy a tactical bike and a hard bike case from craigslist and have change for a weeks worth of ice cream. I found the cases scattered about the continental 48 at prices of $50 to $210. The tactical bike is of much better quality and has a made in USA badge. LOL...OK PA-22, you have convinced me to at least give the Cannondale a look! It was the "tactical" description that convinced me! I sent the guy in the ad an email and asked to go look at it after I get back on island tomorrow if he still had it for sale. Waipio is right up the road a little ways from me.
I appreciate the CL hookup and that price is great with no shipping either. Though my heart was set on a folder, I will take an honest and objective look at it and maybe see if I can eke some additional storage space for it. Definitely an interesting design and as my Dad has history with Cannondale, its worth a look. Hopefully, he still has it. GTLandser, The Hurly model is an interesting design too. Reminds me of the Navy's SH-60 helicopters with tailrotor driveshafts that couple together using teeth in order to allow for folding the tail and storing it in a ship's small hangar. Seems like I would need some more extensive bike building skills though to put that model into action after traveling though... |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Then later I was blessed by being able to get this bike; clearance again, but they got full price out of me on Jr's bike. You see the reason that I put a premium brakes; I've towed a train of 2 trailers loaded with 3 kids, 1 bike and groceries with my blue bike. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u142/PA22-400/CIMG0199.jpg ETA: For the $800 that Montague is charging you could buy a tactical bike and a hard bike case from craigslist and have change for a weeks worth of ice cream. I found the cases scattered about the continental 48 at prices of $50 to $210. The tactical bike is of much better quality and has a made in USA badge. LOL...OK PA-22, you have convinced me to at least give the Cannondale a look! It was the "tactical" description that convinced me! I sent the guy in the ad an email and asked to go look at it after I get back on island tomorrow if he still had it for sale. Waipio is right up the road a little ways from me.
I appreciate the CL hookup and that price is great with no shipping either. Though my heart was set on a folder, I will take an honest and objective look at it and maybe see if I can eke some additional storage space for it. Definitely an interesting design and as my Dad has history with Cannondale, its worth a look. Hopefully, he still has it. GTLandser, The Hurly model is an interesting design too. Reminds me of the Navy's SH-60 helicopters with tailrotor driveshafts that couple together using teeth in order to allow for folding the tail and storing it in a ship's small hangar. Seems like I would need some more extensive bike building skills though to put that model into action after traveling though... That bike wont look like mine but the frame is the same. I bought the front fork for medical reasons; the rest of the bike was free , really I checked epay before putting my money on the blue bike. You can find the specs for the bike on Cannondale's site under the bike/archives, 2007, prophet 6 (IIRC) ETA If you got the cash offer the guy shoot to buy under $600; make more room in the $800 budget for a box. IMHO lower if you are a good bagainer. I do sympathize about storage there is MA, me, Jr1, Jr2, Jr3, & Jr4 in just over 800 sq ft. Since you are by yourself til your bride gets there you might hang a bike from a wall or ceiling. |
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Why such a heavy tent? Regarding the weight that the tires are rated for....that may not be as big a concern as the weight that the wheels are rated for. If you are running heavy duty tubes you can always increase your air pressure, if your wheels fail you are SOL. There may be places to save more weight here and there, but it is a very nice execution of the Bug out Bike concept. One other idea would be to cache some spare parts along your likely route. This may give you a certain level of redundancy regarding tubes, chains, tires and wheels. However if you break down within walking distance of a cache you may be able to keep on going after the repair instead of having to hoof it all the way out. You and dave5339 made the same interesting comment about wheel strength. Is there a way I can find out the load rating of my wheels? And, how easy is it to replace them with heavier duty ones, given that they have disc brakes? Quoted:
I won't gripe at you too much. I do think you under did the water side of things. I dunno. I've got 88 ounces before a camelbak or anything, and with the dromedary bags empty. With them full, the weight load goes up considerably, but add a gallon and a half of water. Problem with water is that it's so damned heavy. The water filter and treatment pills help lower the requirements, particularly given how common natural water is around here. We're not talking, like, Phoenix. You can't walk a quarter of a mile without hitting a creek that's carrying more water than the trinity river does most of the year. Never mind the great lakes and the finger lakes and the bays and ponds and rivers and gorges and whatever else... It's really very beautiful. |
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A couple of observations that may be of use:
I'm a BIG (300'+) guy who beats the hell out of bikes off road and on. Wheel strength is paramount. The cheapest way to get strong wheels is to get your stockers rebuilt by hand by a good shop. Use heavy straight guage stainless steel spokes. I used to break spokes all the time, but after I got them handbuilt by a pro, my wheels hae never even needed to be trued. A couple of broken spokes and you're stranded. Pay special attention to the front suspension fork. With that much extra weight, you may have to adjust it. Make sure it is in good shape all the time. Blow a seal and you're screwed. Take some classes on bike maintenance. Bikes can be amazingly fragile and tough at the same time. I've done stuff that will violate a warranty and nothing happened, and I've busted frames on a smooth dirt path. Learn how to gerry-rig your shifters and drivetrain to get you home if they break. Tire are the weak link. Buy tires built for commuting or touring. Use Mr. Tuffy tire liners and thick tubes. Carry patches AND spare tubes. Consider a bike trailer. I use a Chariot trailer for my kid. I've ridden with it off road and it rides amazingly nice. It converts to a stroller too, so if your bike goes TU you can push it. It comes with a rain cover to keep stuff dry and you could fit a AR carbine in it. |
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You and dave5339 made the same interesting comment about wheel strength. Is there a way I can find out the load rating of my wheels? And, how easy is it to replace them with heavier duty ones, given that they have disc brakes? There is no real "load rating" for wheels. The wheels that you have on there were designed and made to his a specific price point for the bike. They will stand up to the average rider while riding on average terrain. By carrying the load you are, you are stepping out of the realm of average. Now the $100 question is when will they fail. Odds are they will probably stand up to normal riding and maybe some aggressive terrain without the load for quite some time, Specialized builds nice bikes. If however you are doing a lot of riding carrying your load, and riding over anything but reasonably smooth pavement, you will run into issues with your wheels. If you were to find a quality bike shop in your area, (defined by folks who know what they are talking about and listen to you) ask them how many tandem wheels they have built, ask for referrals from tandem cyclists or folks who have done some loaded touring. A tandem bike will generally be able to handle 400# or so with little problem. The folks I used to know doing loaded touring routinely carried 80-100# of gear. Talk to them more about the durability and strength of the wheels rather than light weight. Feel free to PM me if you've more questions. I've been out of the bike business for a while but having grown up in it and spent many a hour with a greasy wrench in my hand I am more than happy to answer any questions. Semper Fi |
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The cost of a set of good wheels really depends. Sometimes you may catch a shop with old stock on older tandem rims, hubs, and heavy duty spokes that they want to unload and they can be had for cheap.
When I was building up the wheelset for my tandem I scavenged the net and flea bay till I found what I wanted at the price I wanted. Be prepared though to pay around $100 per set of wheels just for the labor, material, (rims, spokes, hubs) of course will be extra. Do some reading over HERE for where I get my ideas on how wheels SHOULD be built. Semper Fi |
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PA22-400,
no good news update for you, unfortunately... After a couple of emails to the seller right after you recommended it to me, he never contacted me back. Guess he sold it. 
As soon as I get through the conference I have been working this week, I will look around more before I consider the Montague option again. You have me scared about their component quality. I hope to find something decent soon as I really want to start biking into Honolulu and drive my truck a lot less. Gas is on the rise and I want to save the frivolous miles on the BOT. |