Posted: 8/15/2011 5:51:40 PM EDT
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Has anyone thought about bicycles for post apocalyptic transportation?
I have a lot of bicycles. Hybrid, hardtail mountain, full suspension mountain & 29er hardtail mountain I have all of these. I even have a cart to pull my daughter around in. Each person in my house has a couple bicycles. I stock some repair tools also. I was wondering if any of you have bicycles and what spare parts do you stock. Since I live in NE Ohio, I figured that with bicycles, we could pack what we need and move south until gasoline runs out. Beyond that, I'd have to divide stuff up between bicycles. What do you guys think? Hardwarz |
| We ride our bikes ALOT! I would say you definately need several Green Slime repair kits for the tires. I carry one with me when we ride a distance and am now on par with a nascar pit team in changing out a flat. I think it would really depend on the type of SHTF that I would think of using my bike. I knwo we can cover a long distance with little effort and alot faster than by walking. I would say its a good backup plan for sure, but store some fuel to get through the early stages |
| I think IF we ever get to a point where gas will be almost impossible to afford/find, etc., yes bicycles will be of great importance for transportation. My wife and I have two each. We each have a mountain bike and an urban style bike with spare inner tubes and tires...and we DO ride them. |
I bought a bicycle trailer (double stroller) wtf ever it is a few yrs ago if that counts
My original plan for it was not post apocalyptic use (but it was a secondary thought) I never did get a bicycle and use it for what i planed originally so i guess i'm waiting on the apocalypse now
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Has anyone thought about bicycles for post apocalyptic transportation? I have a lot of bicycles. Hybrid, hardtail mountain, full suspension mountain & 29er hardtail mountain I have all of these. I even have a cart to pull my daughter around in. Each person in my house has a couple bicycles. I stock some repair tools also. I was wondering if any of you have bicycles and what spare parts do you stock. Since I live in NE Ohio, I figured that with bicycles, we could pack what we need and move south until gasoline runs out. Beyond that, I'd have to divide stuff up between bicycles. What do you guys think? Hardwarz Bicycles are wonderful versatile machines. Where are you heading to after you run out of gas and how long can your family survive with what's carried on the bikes? How much gear and food? |
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My little one is too little to ride long distances. We don't ride as much as I'd like, working 2 jobs, school and family life has priority. We do have spare bikes and you guys are right, it's easy to cover a lot of land efficiently. I've been thinking about purchasing a couple of the pull behind trailers to bring supplies with us. Being able to put our tent, some supplies, etc would be great. Also, the ability to follow railroads means that we're not on the main roads where traffic could be a nightmare. Of course, I've also considered purchasing an old CSX pickup truck if it had the rail adapter on it. Being able to bypass all traffic when you need to bug out of the area would be a great advantage.
One thing that has been bothering me is hydraulic disc brakes. We have 2 bikes with hydraulic disc brakes, 3 with mechanical disc brakes and a couple bikes with rim brakes. If something happens with mechanical disc brakes, I can easily run a new cable. If hydraulic disc brakes go down and I'm away from my tools, I can't do anything. What do you guys think? What do you guys use? One last thing I've been thinking about is trying to make sure that everyone in the family knows the basics of driving a 5 speed car and a motorcycle. The motorcycle thing has been bugging me... I know how and even have my license endorsement, but haven't ridden in years. No one else in my immediate family knows how. |
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Bicycles are wonderful versatile machines. Where are you heading to after you run out of gas and how long can your family survive with what's carried on the bikes? How much gear and food? Enough supplies to get from the Lake Erie area to the Ohio River area. The winters SHOULD be a bit more mild. That trip would have to be right after spring. What brought me to this whole thing was 1) the show on the Discovery Channel about the worst case scenario after a pandemic flu. Water, power, gas, etc. stopped working because of the large loss of life and gangs were formed to scavenge. 2) the TV show Falling Skys. Granted, I'm not worried about fighting ET, but replace the aliens with wide spread civil unrest, a tyrannical government, an invading force, etc and you get my drift. Scavenging will need to be done, but will be less efficient without the assistance of bicycles. The advantage of the bicycle is that it's almost silent. |
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bikes bah http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/648081_Heat_________Bike_ride_AAR.html http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/648200_hippie_BOV_practice.html The bikes might not cost so much, but all the other items you end up with can really add up. Helmets. Spandex pants. Spandex shirts. CamelBacks Trailers Bike racks for the BOV Cargo box for the bike trailers. To answer the question about hydraulic brakes. Mine really have been maintenance free. I changed the fluid and bled mine one time because I thought I should, but it really was not needed. If you have disc brakes I think you will do other repairs much more. Tires and shifters would be my top concerns. |
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In a true TEOTWAWKI situation the bicycle will have lots of functions. You can rig one to turn a generator, turn a grain mill, washing machine etc. Lots of uses there and pretty crazy how much power you can generate with the proper gearing. You know, I've seen punkin chunking where a large air cylinder is pressurized using a bicycle. This pressurized air can actually be a storage for compresses air that can be used for a generator. There can be other applications too... Guess I should look into that as well as make an adapter now for JIC situation. |
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Look up the battle of Singapore and the way the Japanese used bicycles. I've only got two, and they're both cheap Walmart 15 speeds, but then again, I never claimed to be HSLD  The large diameter, fat tires are the best at off road. The best use of the bike is often as a hand cart to carry large loads without having to actually lift the crap. Also, it's good cardio  |
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One thing that most any SHTF scenario will have in common is a gas shortage, so bikes will be nice to have. You can also get by just about any obstacle with a bike by carrying it if necessary.
I have hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike. They've been reliable, but I have thought about going to the cable type disk brakes. I think a single speed hard tail mountain bike with fat tires would make an ideal SHTF bike. They're not great for pedaling up steep hills, but the simplicity would be a plus. |
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I think bikes should be in anyone's preps who are fit to use them. Even now with gas at $3.50 around these parts, I find my cheap ass hopping on my bike for quick runs to the CVS or grocery store rather than crank up one of the cars. Though I will admit we had a couple of weeks there that were just too damn hot and humid, so I back slid for the sake of the A/C.
In any kind of national crisis where gas may become scarce, a bike could go a long way in helping you conserve fuel. And one can carry a crap load of gear on a bike with the right racks and packs. The quiet factor is a plus as well. Back when I was in my teens, a buddy of mine and I really got into touring. You would not believe how much wildlife we came up on while riding. stasiman |
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Quoted: I was riding the other day, glad I noticed before something bad happened. It was ok before I started riding no crashes but the bike was handeling a little weird. http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3337/mtb666.png Brand? Age? Mileage? Looks like aluminum, am I correct? |
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I was riding the other day, glad I noticed before something bad happened. It was ok before I started riding no crashes but the bike was handeling a little weird. http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3337/mtb666.png Brand? Age? Mileage? Looks like aluminum, am I correct? loks like a Univega logo on the downtube. also looks like aluminum. but i've thrashed on some aluminum Cannondale frames and never had anytthing like that happen.. seen one come apart worse tho wen a guy on a test ride hit a parked car at the shop i worked at before i started there. the pieces of the frame were in the back room. i've seen a guy discover that his steel frames was cracked in the middle of 100 mile rides the thing was ancient and had already been repaired nce. a frame, like any other part can break . but it's not common |
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Quoted: In a true TEOTWAWKI situation the bicycle will have lots of functions. You can rig one to turn a generator, turn a grain mill, washing machine etc. Lots of uses there and pretty crazy how much power you can generate with the proper gearing. Have you made any efforts to do any of these projects. How did it go for you? I don't think you have done more than say "that is a great idea" If you had tried to do the generator, then you would be telling us how to build a generator from a bike that could light a 20 watt bulb reliably. If you had done the grain mill, then you would be telling us how you could grind the same amount of grain in just 3 hours that would normally be ground in one hour with a half horsepower grain mill. Lets just say I know a guy that spent some time trying to charge a cell phone with a bike and a generator. This was a class project with documented calculations and measured results etc., et al., and, on and on. When the final presentation was done this guy stood in front of class presented the results and reported that this does not work. Let me talk you through this >An average healthy adult can pedal at a sustainable rate of 200 to 300 watts Kids can deliver a steady 40 to 120 watts depending on size. >746 watts to one hp...so an adult can deliver about 2/5 of one hp. >it is very common to loose half of your hp in the generator head when generating electricity. >Sooo now we have only 100 watts of real potential available from an adult pedaler. >I've not yet begun to include any line losses, losses within batteries. >I've not counted any losses that happen between the pedal and the generator. >I've not included any losses that would be caused by malnutrition. If you build a pedal generator I think you would be thrilled to light a 20 watt bulb. |
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Here's mine. It goes like a raped ape. Scares the hell out of me. http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/pallymcgee/catrike.jpg Dang Kibby! Sweet ride you've got. My wife and I are also on 'bents. And yes, bicycles and a Burley trailer are a major part of our SHTF plan. I've known a lot of cross country cyclists who are able to carry 60-100 pounds of gear and go from one coast to the other. A bicycle gives you the advantage of being able to move quickly and quietly over distances while not burning any gas. Semper Fi |
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Quoted: Kibby, I'm happy that you can have a good bike.Quoted: Here's mine. It goes like a raped ape. Scares the hell out of me. http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/pallymcgee/catrike.jpg Dang Kibby! Sweet ride you've got. My wife and I are also on 'bents. And yes, bicycles and a Burley trailer are a major part of our SHTF plan. I've known a lot of cross country cyclists who are able to carry 60-100 pounds of gear and go from one coast to the other. A bicycle gives you the advantage of being able to move quickly and quietly over distances while not burning any gas. Semper Fi |
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Great topic. I'm a 21 year bike mechanic. Rebuilding my wifes Avid Juicy hydraulic brakes is sctually more envolved than rebuilding disk brakes on a car. For SHTF I do not recomend them. As far as parts go, I recomend the following:
Chain x2 cassette x2 chainrings x1 cables x10 (both derailuer and brake) cable housing x5 bottom bracket x1 brake pads x5 rotors x2 rear derailuer x1 headset x1 wheels x1 grips and tape x5 Tires x5 Specialized Armadillo with Mr Tuffy inserts. I hate slime. Spec arm tires are VERY good for flat prevention and are quite a bit lighter. Remember, rotational weight is much more significant than dead weight. Kinda like the old adage that 1 pound on your feet is like 10 on your back. Tubes x20 Park blue book of bike repair and the tools listed for maintenance. Unless you have a very high end full suspension mountain bike that the geometry accounts for pedal bob, I don't recomend them. Alot of energy can be lost here. IMHO a 29er hard tail with tires that can swap between slick and knobby, high end mechanical disks from Avid and a single speed conversion if everything breaks would be ideal. Trailers are easy. I made one from a game carrier to haul deer out of the back country. Craigslist is your friend right now. Cycletool |
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In a true TEOTWAWKI situation the bicycle will have lots of functions. You can rig one to turn a generator, turn a grain mill, washing machine etc. Lots of uses there and pretty crazy how much power you can generate with the proper gearing. Have you made any efforts to do any of these projects. How did it go for you? I don't think you have done more than say "that is a great idea" If you had tried to do the generator, then you would be telling us how to build a generator from a bike that could light a 20 watt bulb reliably. If you had done the grain mill, then you would be telling us how you could grind the same amount of grain in just 3 hours that would normally be ground in one hour with a half horsepower grain mill. Lets just say I know a guy that spent some time trying to charge a cell phone with a bike and a generator. This was a class project with documented calculations and measured results etc., et al., and, on and on. When the final presentation was done this guy stood in front of class presented the results and reported that this does not work. Let me talk you through this >An average healthy adult can pedal at a sustainable rate of 200 to 300 watts Kids can deliver a steady 40 to 120 watts depending on size. >746 watts to one hp...so an adult can deliver about 2/5 of one hp. >it is very common to loose half of your hp in the generator head when generating electricity. >Sooo now we have only 100 watts of real potential available from an adult pedaler. >I've not yet begun to include any line losses, losses within batteries. >I've not counted any losses that happen between the pedal and the generator. >I've not included any losses that would be caused by malnutrition. If you build a pedal generator I think you would be thrilled to light a 20 watt bulb. Ha, all I could think of with that, was the episode of Gilligan's Island where the professor made a bamboo bike into some kind of generator. Seems like that bike showed up in other episodes too.... 
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Bikes get discussed a fair bit, I used to have a vehicle list that was for ease of moving me and stuff. The jeep goes first, had a quad and it was next but it died, then comes the mountain bike. At the very end would be my feet for walking and my back for hauling. As mentioned the bike loaded with stuff can be pushed with heavy loads and as long as you have working brakes you can control it when going downhill with that heavy load. I have a mountain bike with front suspension only, it is nicer than what I grew up with but is not a big complicated mess of moving parts. The spare parts listed above outdo what I have on hand by a fair bit but I am in need of some new tires and will just be bulking up the order with some tubes and other do dads for the bike. The old tires are not really that bad and will hang around for spares. The folks here who have worked on hydraulic brakes may know how much applies to what can slide by on automobiles vs. what would or not work on a bike system. If the auto setup blows a line you still have the other half of the system working on newer systems, and they set the systems up these days so the right front and left rear are paired up so if you blow that line out you would still have the other front and back tires with a working brake system. Fluid will leak and I would not plan trips around a leaking brake system but I have driven older vehicles home and used just the parking brake that worked the full size drum brakes on the rear of the vehicle. Anyway, a little leaking fluid means you need to add some fluid. I doubt brake changes are that big a deal but have not had to change out the disc brakes on my bike, mine are cable actuated as well. The disc brakes on a car are self adjusting, I don't know if they self adjust on mountain bikes or not. I do know it took a bit to break in the disc brakes on my bike, it stopped decently to start with but once broken in it stops silly fast if I have lots of traction so the tires don't lock up. As a kid I had a basic schwinn mountain bike and I put a ton of miles on it, road it to school every day before I could drive and some of that included longer trips to high school for sports. I eventually had the rear axle break, I hopped curbs and stuff and never noticed it was broken until I found it super hard to pedal at all. A bike has parts that will wear. I don't have everything I need to rebuild my jeep. I do tend to have almost everything to rebuild my fal. With my trek mountain bike I would probably stock up on the basics listed above, and that is actually a heck of a list for keeping something working for a long time. But at some point I would probably find a used version of the bike I got on clearance at an actual bike shop. And even in today's economy the bike shop is still in business. |
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Cycletool, I like your list, but I have a question...
Would that list be per bike? I have a bunch of different bikes and I'm sure they all use different bottom brackets, front derailleur size, etc. In our family of 4 is: 2010 Access 29er 9.5 2010 Access 29er 9.7 2010 Diamondback Insight RS (hybrid) 2010 GT Transeo 2.0 (hybrid) 2007 GT iDrive 4 4.0 Performance mountain frame build Leader mountain frame build Bottom brackets vary from power spline to square. Additionally, they all have different derailleur hangers. I have all the tools except the derailleur hanger adjuster. We use all our bikes so consolidation is not an option. |
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Cycletool, I like your list, but I have a question... Would that list be per bike? I have a bunch of different bikes and I'm sure they all use different bottom brackets, front derailleur size, etc. In our family of 4 is: 2010 Access 29er 9.5 2010 Access 29er 9.7 2010 Diamondback Insight RS (hybrid) 2010 GT Transeo 2.0 (hybrid) 2007 GT iDrive 4 4.0 Performance mountain frame build Leader mountain frame build Bottom brackets vary from power spline to square. Additionally, they all have different derailleur hangers. I have all the tools except the derailleur hanger adjuster. We use all our bikes so consolidation is not an option. Sorry everyone, I should say that my list is an ideal. If you have everything else prepped and are looking for something extra, consider this. The biggest parts I have seen fail on Mtn bikes are the rear derailuer hanger, rear derailuer, chain, rear wheel and cassette. Hydrailic discs can fail from hanging front wheel up in the garage in 100 degree heat. IMHO they are not reliable. When they work, they work damn well, but give me a set of v-bakes if I have to rely on it in a survival situation. One of the things I listed was a single speed conversion. Lets say your deraileur grenades into you spokes and rips the der hanger off, destroys der, breaks teeth on cassette and bends a link in chain. This is not uncommon. remove cog from cassette, insert spacers for single speed on cassette body, shorten chain and eliminate rear der. You are moving. The derailuer hanger adjuster is mainly for precision bikes that people want shifting flawlessly. Just having the derailuer hanger parallell with the cassette will give you a decent shift. The key is not necessarily if the bikes use different bottom brackets, but do they use the same size? Go to the manufacturers web sites, download the spec sheets and compare. For example, a similar frame may upgrade components to sell a higher model, but both use comparable sizes. I think this would be the case on the Access 29ers and the hybrids, but I didn't look them up. Hope this helps. |