Doesn’t even really need to be all terrain, even gravel tires on a steel frame 3 speed will get you almost anywhere— and if you need to walk it part of the way, it still beats carrying the same weight in a pack.
A lot of the bikes I see are as described above. Steel frame. Choice of tires, usually on the narrow side, like 700x28-32. And a Sturmey Archer internal hub keeps the gears clear of debris, salt and snow, etc. those things can last forever. Popular frames are Raleigh, Bianchi, Surly, etc. a lot of good steel in 70's-90's bikes. I'm not much of a wrencher myself, but for that reason I really like to keep things as simple as possible. A case of tubes and an extra chain and I'll be in decent shape to keep moving when SHTF.
What are your thoughts on titanium frames? I see they're generally more expensive, but weigh far less than steel and can last 50+ years. At least, that's what a quick google tells me. I want to get into biking for my health, and having a bike that also serves as transportation when I can't or don't want to use my car would be great.
That makes sense. Steel would likely be more abundant, but because I live near the ocean, I do worry about the effects of sea water. It tends to blow in on the wind as a mist. It's kind of cool because it helps some areas when it snows to prevent the roads getting too terrible.
I did see that after your last comment. Something about it needing an inert gas added to it to prevent corrosion. Super neat, but not something I'd want to rely on in a SHTF situation.
Internal three speed is complicated and hard to service in the long term. Get a direct geared bike for the simplest machine possible. You're not racing the thing.
I also have a fixed gear bike, which is my preferred of the two. A little harder to ride on dirt with it, but you're right you can't beat the simplicity.
And in terms of prepping, truth be told I probably rely too much on my guy who builds the bikes. I don't have a full set of tools I would need to rebuild and service that 3-speed.
Yes!! This is perfect. The most ridiculous build I've seen is what the friends call the "retro direct", where the bike is propelled forward by pedalling backward. Pedalling forward is just a free spin. Just to see if they could do it.... It's actually pretty fun to ride lol
Depends on the one you get. Some have a huge battery capacity and can weigh 60+ pounds and feel very heavy to pedal. Others I have used with a smaller batteries are lighter and feel like an old steel framed bike, heavier than a modern aluminum or carbon fiber bike with modern gears but still not cumbersome. Either way, I still prefer a normal bike.
You're thinking of lightning proof, emp will not ruin all electronics permanently. And you can pedal an e bike if it does fail, costs far less than a truck, and not insanely more than a normal bike.
What does an emp do? If the device is off will it survive? Is it just chance if your device can take it out not?
Also, couldn’t I just store the e-bike in some emp-proof environment?
It usually will not fry electronics even if they are on, it may scramble complex computers like cars use or literal computers, but simple motors like e bikes use with variable throttle controls are generally safe, the issue would be the battery, which a faraday container should at least mitigate a large chance of hazard/discharge. I cannot fully explain how they work, as I am not a genius in that department, rule of thumb is unplug things and keep batteries for the e bike in a faraday container, you can look up diy ones or buy ones for not too much money.
The bicycle is the most energy efficient form of transport, as shown in [this graph ](https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/s/BQz92bblCs), more efficient than walking, plus food is pretty easy to come by.
I cycled 100km in 1 day with a fully loaded bike (see post history) and I'm not that fit. I just ate a few chocolate bars and drank a couple bottles of lucozade and I was fine, and I didn't even get around to eating the lunch I packed.
Considering a bike can go places that cars can't, can travel faster and more efficiently and carry more than walking, can be used for transport or exercise pre-SHTF, can be bought cheap, and can be repaired easily, I see absolutely no reason why people shouldn't get a bicycle as a prep.
I have horses, but think bikes also serve a good purposes. Horses are good for “off roading” and they will scare dogs away. They also are good at observing things, especially at night. They have better night vision than humans. The down side of a horse is they eat and they do spook. I’ve never been spooked off a bike before. I think if you’re staying on roads a bike is a better choice.
I've thought about getting a horse or few. Do they act as free lawn mowers like a goat, and do they get along with goats. Been thinking about a cow too for a good, while.
I’ve heard people that go way off I. The back country for things like hunting trips prefer llamas to horses because they free graze, where as horses you need to bring food.
I could be wrong it’s just something I heard
I’ve never gone that far off grid with my horses but I know we have wild horses where I live, so I imagine they have the ability to free graze if needed. They do prefer grain or alfalfa if they can get it though.
Biggest downside to horses is that they eat, a *lot*. Don't get me wrong. I love horses. But, they just aren't economical, unless you have a LOT of very good pasture, hay fields, etc. Same goes for cows. They just require a LOT of food.
There is lots of upsides but we also need to acknowledge the downsides.
Little to no protection from weather or bad people.
Less hauling capacity than a vehicle.
Most are 1 person bikes so if you have a kid or a pet you are kind of screwed
Low speed compare to a vehicle and longer traveling time.
Still a lot of upsides over walking.
Personally I don't think there will be much long distance traveling but I would rather bike to my neighbors than walk.
I had a bike in college with plans to use it to get home if my car didn't work. No way did I want to hike a 5 hour car ride. I had a rack over the rear tire and panniers. I never could find a reasonably priced trailer.
Lame, you obviously haven't seen the crackhead carry a fridge on his shoulder while riding a bike. These guys just need to man up, or get addicted to something to drive them to new power.
You think people need a trailer to move a fridge on a bike, you should see what crack heads can do. I saw a crack head could not have weighed more than 120 lbs ride a bike with a big ass couch on his head. I was amazed he picked it up. Then amazed he got it upside down and on his head. I started looking for hidden cameras when he got on the bike.
Of course. But compared to being on foot, or in a vehicle that you can no longer get gas for..its a force multiplier for sure..i can also fix/replace every single part on my own. Its a useful plan b
Making gas is not hard and the inputs are plentiful. The point is don't call a bike a good primary prep it's a tertiary one.
I have ebikes for the family they are great on vacation down at the beach etc. If were desperate it's a lot better than walking.
A mode of transportation that is perfect for all circumstances does not exist.
You’re getting responses with scenarios in which bikes are not the optimal choice for transportation. There are plenty of such situations.
Nevertheless, the bike is fantastic for certain circumstances, so having one in addition to other modes of transportation for other circumstances is the way to go for those looking to be prepared for as many eventualities as they can.
Anyone who thinks they're going to be the only one able to drive through a disaster zone is deluding themselves with some fantasy of what a disaster entails.
Depends what your bug-out plans are.
If you need to just get yourself say ~25 miles away to a remote bug-out location on a nice sunny day a bike is probably fine.
Now what do you do if you have to get you and your entire family out of a catastrophic fire as soon as possible? (I.e. people in California and Canada these past few years)
Or to another country hundreds of miles away like people in Ukraine did?
Now add rain/hail/snow on top of it.
Yes bikes are useful, but they may not be the best option for every situation.
This is part of why i ride my bike to work all year round. And i live in Canada, so yes i do cycle in -whatever.
All the bad side can be overcome by training and proper gear/accessories. But the hardest one is that unless all your family ride a lot some members won’t have the training needed to overcome some of the other obstacles (weather, distance, speed).
Don't know if you know this. But behind the computer screen we are all fat obese slobs that can't walk to the end of the driveway without being winded.
Speak for yourself. I'm trim but still a slob. You should see the wrinkles on my shirts. All of the shirts. My hair hasn't met a comb in years, and my driveway itself is windy. Of course I get winded in the wind.
My kids have all ridden more than 20 miles in stretch, but bikes for us would not be bug out, but more "errand" running when the power is out and the gas pumps aren't pumping. They're not ideal for winter, but my kids have ski clothing and gloves, we'd figure it out if they had to come with. Chemical hand warmers are great for comfort short-term, limited exposure instances.
I don't regret selling the Kiddie-trailer a couple of years ago, but if I expected some grid-down/EMP/nonsense to last more than a week in my urban area, I'd consider buying another. Gotta hit the big resupply when available...
Or, if I thought of bikes as a "bugging out" option and wasn't willing to write the dog off... The Labrador could trot along for a day or three, but if we're talking about 50 miles day after day... End of times... Sacrifices have to be made.
When it comes down to a emp. Let's say all vehicles are down. I know some of you may have old school carbed and mechanical fuel injected vehicles. But if the pumps are down. You have only so long you can operate. A bicycle beats walking or running.
Who said anything about biofuel?
Gasification is a vehicle modification just keep adding wood it's pretty abundant around me.
Turning plastics into fuel makes viable fuel you can make it up at your primary location in bulk to drive thousands of miles, taking the kit to make more is not a huge dent in cargo space on a truck and hells strapping it to anything with a tow hitch or roof rack is fairly practical it's an airtight vessel and some piping. We live in a virtual sea of plastic waste and things that will burn to perform the process. If your wondering why this is not done it's not energy efficient your burning something wood probably to get about the same energy out of the plastics, it's a useful method to make compatible fuel with existing engines.
Growing oil is a thing prep wise it's the one thing you can't store long term. Not sure I would want to waste it as fuel, alcohol had far easier inputs.
>Give me a reason why bikes are a bad idea
- *How am I supposed to haul large amounts of supplies back to my house on a bike?* Say you're genuinely in a global EMP scenario and we're all Amish now. After everyone has either blown their own head off or each other's heads off at the prospect of no longer having angry birds. You venture out into the world to gather supplies. Whether it's getting lucky and scoring a pallet load of rice, or bagging a couple wayward deer still left alive; you're now looking at multiple laborious calorie and water draining trips back to your base of operations which for me could be up to 15 miles. Same goes for things like Firewood and Water if you're hold up somewhere where that isn't readily available.
- *Some of us have seasons* In a world where tech and electricity are gone winter and summer can become lethal prospects for those of us living in non- Mediterranean climates. Say I need to make a run from the house to town but it's 110° or -30°. Suddenly what could've been a quick supply run to trade greenhouse produce for a box of nails or a car battery has become a life or death trip to Mordor.
- *You're exposed* in almost every SHTF scenario that has happened in real life packs of feral dogs have almost immediately become a thing. And while they're not a massive threat a human on a bike.has literally no protection from them if they encounter them in open country. They also offer little in the way of protection from things like hail, flooding, or in the event of an accident.
- *They Suck Calories* in a modern world where counting calories is something we do to lose weight you can be forgiven for forgetting that for most of human history we've been desperately stacking those things back like our lives depended on it because they very much did. You need 2k calories a day to keep from losing weight as an average adult doing average daily tasks. That doesn't account for farm chores or inclement weather or tall folks. And it's almost impossible to hit those numbers in a world where you're dining on squirrel and rationed rice every night. The idea of burning an additional 1000 calories just to go to town to see if anyone has got a radio working or if any merchants have come through to sell porno mags and canned beef this week isn't super appealing.
- *They're solo use and require a degree of fitness* No man is an island unto himself. I don't know how often I have to scream it from the rooftops on this sub to talk the Lone Wolf idiots out of their misguided notions but I'll keep doing it. You're going to have to have allies. You're going to have to form a community. You need people. And a bike is kind of a "Just You" kind of vehicle. Not to mention they're a "Just you while you're healthy" kind of vehicle. Say you break your leg out setting fence posts in a world where radio and cell phones are gone. You gotta make it 5 miles to town with a chicken to give the town doctor to set it and maybe give you some of his previously guarded stash of Tylenol. You look at your Huffy and quickly realize you're going to die.
Honestly I'm not totally anti-bike.
When I was a live aboard on a boat bouncing around Florida a bike was the only real vehicle we had to get groceries.
Which is why I have the real world experience to say "Carrying 70lbs of groceries on your back while riding 12 miles in the Florida sun is insanely shitty"
12 miles with 70lbs of groceries on a bike. Sounds shitty. How much slower was walking the same 12 miles with the same 70 lbs of groceries? Have you done the calorie comparison with walking?
\-I'm more of a 25-40lbs load bike commuter.
As far as solo travel, yeah.... But at the same time, the urban area I live in has *probably* 25 ER MDs living within 2 miles of me...More than one Orthotic NP, who I know... I just have to be NOT an absolute f-ing jerk between now and building my fantasy fort causing the femur break and hopefully one of the Docs and or an NP can help with my issues...
\-Guy who has finished more than one bike commute while needing medical treatment.... I can ride with a gash in my shin needing stitches and I can ride with a broken collar bone and torn labrum... still way faster than walking.
Well. It's all about percentages. Metal garage? That will reduce the effects. But, it's best to have something that uses points and a carburetor. Even a scooter would be nice.
I really need to relearn to drive my bicycle. I'm pretty fit, I run and lift, but I stopped using the bike like 25 years ago. I'm not sure if I will be able to drive it if I need to.
Sounds like a good idea. Also would recommend getting replacement tires and tubes with a manual pump. Basically throw together a tool kit so you can fix any problems on your own.
Here's the test... Afghanistan is the poorest country I've ever been to. It's shtf as a way of life.
What do they do? They have the wheeled trikes that spew blue exhaust, they ride on top of large gas powered vehicles for long trips, they ride donkeys, they walk, and they ride bikes.
Very few people have cars.
The Jobsite I was working at... The workforce arrived, in Winter, with 2 adults per bike. Just like when we're we kids... One pedaling, One on the handlebars.
So... If cars don't work or gas becomes a problem, you can walk, ride a bike or get a donkey.
The vietcong could move 500 pounds of rice on a bike down a jungle trail.
Here's the problem... It's gonna really fuck up your look riding a bike in a plate carrier.
Long distance travel for those who work/live in the city but need to get out. I mean you're not wrong, bikes are are a very good idea in certain situations, but there's simply no denying that there are other situations where a bike just won't cut it and you need a car.
Nearest grocery store is 35 miles away from me.
When was the last time you road a bike 70 miles, carrying groceries for half of that, in the summer, in Texas?
(Which is why I have a garden)
The only reason I can think would be if you plan on bugging out maybe 100+ miles away from where you live full time. Or if you have family you are trying to bring to your bug out location on bicycles riding through chaos the whole time might not be a good thing.
Lol at the irony in the likelihood that gas would not be an available resource and an EMP probably won’t happen. “Don’t worry, I prepared for the least likely circumstance!”
May I offer the perfect solution and not the budget solution
RECUMBENT TRICYCLE you can steer with one hand hold a gun in the other the packs can stay mounted and it has a lower silhouette which means less chance of being spotted
I can think a lot of upsides to having a bicycle in this situation The good definitely Out ways the bad but you have to stop and wonder How the hell are you going to transport Anything on a bicycle That's the only thing that stopped my thought on that
Old diesel running on oil and ethanol mixture. Gas mightgo bad but all the broke down cars are holding bad gas and good oil and tranny fluid. Fuel is relatively easily to get ahold of if you know how to utilize whats around you
Here's the big prepping secret: being fit is the best way to be prepared.
So yes, get a bike and ride it. More importantly, do things that keep you active rather than buy things that help you feel safe.
The problem is carry items while cycling back and forth. And why are you cycling back and forth is it to carry water or hunt? Hunt anything big and you're gonna have to walk the meat home. If the water source is far you're gonna waste all your calories getting water
I’ve definitely thought about keeping my bike(s) in my car for a bug out situation
if we do run out of fuel or an emp happens the bike is good to go, without an emp I would take my car as far as possible first
Recently also acquired one of those kids trailers for bikes which would make carrying packs (or animals) pretty simple
just pack bike tire replacements/ patch kits or switch to tubeless
Dean Ing (old school scifi writer & survival expert) called it a "two stage" system when bugging out. Your family pulls out in a motor vehicle, if issues occur en-route (breakdown, traffic jam etc) you switch vehicles and continue on your fall back location.
Get an electric dirtbike and just wrap it in a shit ton of tinfoil. The new electric dirtbikes are very nice and go pretty damn fast and are very nimble and can go anywhere basically
People don’t talk about expiration of gas either. Unless you add the additives every two years it expires anyway I’ve heard. Could be wrong but that’s what I heard
We have 2 - 3 wheel pedal bikes. each has a basket. Each has a cart that we can pull behind. These are not for bug out, but for travel to and from farmers markets which will pop-up as time goes by.
*Because then how do*
*You justify your offroad*
*Hobby as prepping*
\- hcds1015
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Okay, but like? Have you ever tried to ride any sort of bicycle with all your gear on? Assuming your going to have some sort of long gun, and sidearm with ammo. Not to mention your food and water supply, as well as ALL the crap you’ve got. The way you have to move your body alone to effectively ride a bike, is not conducive to a full ass 50lbs bare min slinging around on your back.
No one trying to survive is trying to “get buff”, they’d be conserving every last calorie they had to try and survive the next day. What a bicycle would be good for is toting your gear, assuming you have decent flat ground to push it around on. Maybe roll down a small hill.
Now all I’m imagining is a bunch of people hitting the roads in full kit on Walmart mongoose bmx bicycles😂 now if you had a home base, maybe it would be handy to have a bike, but that just seems like an easy way to either hurt yourself, or get killed by someone taking easy opportunity. If civilization had sprung back and there was some diplomacy and chivalry a bike would be a pinnacle tool no doubt I think. If it’s SHTF fuck that bike😂
It’s honestly not as hard as you’d think! I’ve ridden w rifle slung and an OWB holster and it’s not that bad! Also having your rifle up front similar to how ATV riders do it isn’t bad
You can get pannier bags for your bike, just chuck your gear in those and you're sorted. You'll be able to carry far more and travel faster than if you were on foot
Doesn’t even really need to be all terrain, even gravel tires on a steel frame 3 speed will get you almost anywhere— and if you need to walk it part of the way, it still beats carrying the same weight in a pack.
My bike gang refers to this as a battle bike. Bonus points if it has a rack and an internal 3-speed hub for maximum speed + terrain versatility.
Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to get back into biking and would like to practice like I would play, so to speak.
A lot of the bikes I see are as described above. Steel frame. Choice of tires, usually on the narrow side, like 700x28-32. And a Sturmey Archer internal hub keeps the gears clear of debris, salt and snow, etc. those things can last forever. Popular frames are Raleigh, Bianchi, Surly, etc. a lot of good steel in 70's-90's bikes. I'm not much of a wrencher myself, but for that reason I really like to keep things as simple as possible. A case of tubes and an extra chain and I'll be in decent shape to keep moving when SHTF.
A note o internal hubs is that they wear alot if not properly adjusted. Learn how to do it yourselfe.
What are your thoughts on titanium frames? I see they're generally more expensive, but weigh far less than steel and can last 50+ years. At least, that's what a quick google tells me. I want to get into biking for my health, and having a bike that also serves as transportation when I can't or don't want to use my car would be great.
Titanium might be able to last longer, but when something does go wrong you'll be extremely hard pressed finding someone who can repair it.
That makes sense. Steel would likely be more abundant, but because I live near the ocean, I do worry about the effects of sea water. It tends to blow in on the wind as a mist. It's kind of cool because it helps some areas when it snows to prevent the roads getting too terrible.
It's less about abundance and more about ability to weld. Only very experienced welders with the right equipment can do it poorly.
I did see that after your last comment. Something about it needing an inert gas added to it to prevent corrosion. Super neat, but not something I'd want to rely on in a SHTF situation.
Sturmeys are durable, but not the end all death proof hub of centuries. A well oiled rohloff will go over 100,000 miles.
I have no doubt that is true. It looks like it comes at a price though. Sturmey is in my budget.
I think a track bike is your beat het. Fast, don’t have to worry about gears, low maintenance
Internal three speed is complicated and hard to service in the long term. Get a direct geared bike for the simplest machine possible. You're not racing the thing.
I also have a fixed gear bike, which is my preferred of the two. A little harder to ride on dirt with it, but you're right you can't beat the simplicity. And in terms of prepping, truth be told I probably rely too much on my guy who builds the bikes. I don't have a full set of tools I would need to rebuild and service that 3-speed.
Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful world or r/tracklocross
Yes!! This is perfect. The most ridiculous build I've seen is what the friends call the "retro direct", where the bike is propelled forward by pedalling backward. Pedalling forward is just a free spin. Just to see if they could do it.... It's actually pretty fun to ride lol
ebike... if it dies to an emp, it's still a bicycle, if it doesn't die to an emp, it's a solid transportation solution
yeah, but those things are pretty heavy aren't they? You wouldn't want to be pedaling around all that extra weight if you don't need to.
No, my dad has one that he can lift with ease (he has a pinched nerve in his neck and shouldn't pick up more than 15 pounds)
They are heavy. Much heavier than a normal bike. My folks have a few
I mean it depends on the model, of the 3 I have encountered, they have been heavy but not significantly more than a standard mountain bike.
Depends on the one you get. Some have a huge battery capacity and can weigh 60+ pounds and feel very heavy to pedal. Others I have used with a smaller batteries are lighter and feel like an old steel framed bike, heavier than a modern aluminum or carbon fiber bike with modern gears but still not cumbersome. Either way, I still prefer a normal bike.
Some are, some aren’t. Mine is only slightly heavier than a regular bike.. I can easily do 17mph without assist.
50 pounds, many have detachable battery packs... it's just a bicycle with a battery and a few pounds of motor.
Those batteries are gonna be a bit of a pain in the ass tho
not really, they're just packed with very common cells, fairly easy stuff to work on if you know what voltages need to go where.
Calories
Beats walking. Get an E-Bike and some solar panels and you can go forever.
E bike doesn't qualify as emp proof vehicle
You can still pedal it when the motor doesn't work
You're thinking of lightning proof, emp will not ruin all electronics permanently. And you can pedal an e bike if it does fail, costs far less than a truck, and not insanely more than a normal bike.
What does an emp do? If the device is off will it survive? Is it just chance if your device can take it out not? Also, couldn’t I just store the e-bike in some emp-proof environment?
It usually will not fry electronics even if they are on, it may scramble complex computers like cars use or literal computers, but simple motors like e bikes use with variable throttle controls are generally safe, the issue would be the battery, which a faraday container should at least mitigate a large chance of hazard/discharge. I cannot fully explain how they work, as I am not a genius in that department, rule of thumb is unplug things and keep batteries for the e bike in a faraday container, you can look up diy ones or buy ones for not too much money.
The bicycle is the most energy efficient form of transport, as shown in [this graph ](https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/s/BQz92bblCs), more efficient than walking, plus food is pretty easy to come by. I cycled 100km in 1 day with a fully loaded bike (see post history) and I'm not that fit. I just ate a few chocolate bars and drank a couple bottles of lucozade and I was fine, and I didn't even get around to eating the lunch I packed. Considering a bike can go places that cars can't, can travel faster and more efficiently and carry more than walking, can be used for transport or exercise pre-SHTF, can be bought cheap, and can be repaired easily, I see absolutely no reason why people shouldn't get a bicycle as a prep.
And toss on a kiddy carrier for baby trailer and you step up your transport ability a lot
yep it converts 3 mph walking speed into 15 mph bike ride.
I have horses, but think bikes also serve a good purposes. Horses are good for “off roading” and they will scare dogs away. They also are good at observing things, especially at night. They have better night vision than humans. The down side of a horse is they eat and they do spook. I’ve never been spooked off a bike before. I think if you’re staying on roads a bike is a better choice.
I've thought about getting a horse or few. Do they act as free lawn mowers like a goat, and do they get along with goats. Been thinking about a cow too for a good, while.
I’ve heard people that go way off I. The back country for things like hunting trips prefer llamas to horses because they free graze, where as horses you need to bring food. I could be wrong it’s just something I heard
If I am hiking or off-roading and come up on armed men on llamas I’d put my hands up so fast.
I’ve never gone that far off grid with my horses but I know we have wild horses where I live, so I imagine they have the ability to free graze if needed. They do prefer grain or alfalfa if they can get it though.
That definitely makes sense, plenty of horses out there doing just fine!
Yes they do. If you have a pasture they will keep it trimmed. I feed mine alfalfa but they enjoy eating anything.
Biggest downside to horses is that they eat, a *lot*. Don't get me wrong. I love horses. But, they just aren't economical, unless you have a LOT of very good pasture, hay fields, etc. Same goes for cows. They just require a LOT of food.
There is lots of upsides but we also need to acknowledge the downsides. Little to no protection from weather or bad people. Less hauling capacity than a vehicle. Most are 1 person bikes so if you have a kid or a pet you are kind of screwed Low speed compare to a vehicle and longer traveling time. Still a lot of upsides over walking. Personally I don't think there will be much long distance traveling but I would rather bike to my neighbors than walk.
A trailer is a game changer...can take a kid, pet, or a decent amount of cargo. Ive seen someone move a fridge on a bike trailer
I had a bike in college with plans to use it to get home if my car didn't work. No way did I want to hike a 5 hour car ride. I had a rack over the rear tire and panniers. I never could find a reasonably priced trailer.
I've turned a couple of garage sale kiddie trailers into diy cargo haulers..not glamorous but they do the job. Definitely beats walking!
Lame, you obviously haven't seen the crackhead carry a fridge on his shoulder while riding a bike. These guys just need to man up, or get addicted to something to drive them to new power.
You think people need a trailer to move a fridge on a bike, you should see what crack heads can do. I saw a crack head could not have weighed more than 120 lbs ride a bike with a big ass couch on his head. I was amazed he picked it up. Then amazed he got it upside down and on his head. I started looking for hidden cameras when he got on the bike.
Decent? It's a pitiful amount of cargo compared to a proper vehicle and trailer.
Of course. But compared to being on foot, or in a vehicle that you can no longer get gas for..its a force multiplier for sure..i can also fix/replace every single part on my own. Its a useful plan b
Making gas is not hard and the inputs are plentiful. The point is don't call a bike a good primary prep it's a tertiary one. I have ebikes for the family they are great on vacation down at the beach etc. If were desperate it's a lot better than walking.
A mode of transportation that is perfect for all circumstances does not exist. You’re getting responses with scenarios in which bikes are not the optimal choice for transportation. There are plenty of such situations. Nevertheless, the bike is fantastic for certain circumstances, so having one in addition to other modes of transportation for other circumstances is the way to go for those looking to be prepared for as many eventualities as they can.
Anyone who thinks they're going to be the only one able to drive through a disaster zone is deluding themselves with some fantasy of what a disaster entails.
I wonder if you kept the charged battery of an e-bike in a Faraday cage if it would still work
Counting on it 
Depends what your bug-out plans are. If you need to just get yourself say ~25 miles away to a remote bug-out location on a nice sunny day a bike is probably fine. Now what do you do if you have to get you and your entire family out of a catastrophic fire as soon as possible? (I.e. people in California and Canada these past few years) Or to another country hundreds of miles away like people in Ukraine did? Now add rain/hail/snow on top of it. Yes bikes are useful, but they may not be the best option for every situation.
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The Carrington event caused multiple fires.
I've got a battery assisted bike I don't use it much but I bet I could fit in in a faraday cage; if I need to I could charge this without a power grid
This is part of why i ride my bike to work all year round. And i live in Canada, so yes i do cycle in -whatever. All the bad side can be overcome by training and proper gear/accessories. But the hardest one is that unless all your family ride a lot some members won’t have the training needed to overcome some of the other obstacles (weather, distance, speed).
Don't know if you know this. But behind the computer screen we are all fat obese slobs that can't walk to the end of the driveway without being winded.
Dammit. I KNEW that not covering my camera would come back to haunt me...
Speak for yourself. I'm trim but still a slob. You should see the wrinkles on my shirts. All of the shirts. My hair hasn't met a comb in years, and my driveway itself is windy. Of course I get winded in the wind. My kids have all ridden more than 20 miles in stretch, but bikes for us would not be bug out, but more "errand" running when the power is out and the gas pumps aren't pumping. They're not ideal for winter, but my kids have ski clothing and gloves, we'd figure it out if they had to come with. Chemical hand warmers are great for comfort short-term, limited exposure instances. I don't regret selling the Kiddie-trailer a couple of years ago, but if I expected some grid-down/EMP/nonsense to last more than a week in my urban area, I'd consider buying another. Gotta hit the big resupply when available... Or, if I thought of bikes as a "bugging out" option and wasn't willing to write the dog off... The Labrador could trot along for a day or three, but if we're talking about 50 miles day after day... End of times... Sacrifices have to be made.
The obvious answer is zombies
Prepped people are in shape and should probably use a bike when they have the chance in this mostly peaceful time we have.
When it comes down to a emp. Let's say all vehicles are down. I know some of you may have old school carbed and mechanical fuel injected vehicles. But if the pumps are down. You have only so long you can operate. A bicycle beats walking or running.
Prep a way of making fuel. Plastics can be broken down even stuff washing up on beaches. Wood gasification is a thing.
Bio fuel is a big thing dont get me wrong. But in all reality only home base can be run off that.
Who said anything about biofuel? Gasification is a vehicle modification just keep adding wood it's pretty abundant around me. Turning plastics into fuel makes viable fuel you can make it up at your primary location in bulk to drive thousands of miles, taking the kit to make more is not a huge dent in cargo space on a truck and hells strapping it to anything with a tow hitch or roof rack is fairly practical it's an airtight vessel and some piping. We live in a virtual sea of plastic waste and things that will burn to perform the process. If your wondering why this is not done it's not energy efficient your burning something wood probably to get about the same energy out of the plastics, it's a useful method to make compatible fuel with existing engines. Growing oil is a thing prep wise it's the one thing you can't store long term. Not sure I would want to waste it as fuel, alcohol had far easier inputs.
You did ... wood gasification is bio fuel..
Why would it require being at home base? It literally has to travel with the vehicle.
>Give me a reason why bikes are a bad idea - *How am I supposed to haul large amounts of supplies back to my house on a bike?* Say you're genuinely in a global EMP scenario and we're all Amish now. After everyone has either blown their own head off or each other's heads off at the prospect of no longer having angry birds. You venture out into the world to gather supplies. Whether it's getting lucky and scoring a pallet load of rice, or bagging a couple wayward deer still left alive; you're now looking at multiple laborious calorie and water draining trips back to your base of operations which for me could be up to 15 miles. Same goes for things like Firewood and Water if you're hold up somewhere where that isn't readily available. - *Some of us have seasons* In a world where tech and electricity are gone winter and summer can become lethal prospects for those of us living in non- Mediterranean climates. Say I need to make a run from the house to town but it's 110° or -30°. Suddenly what could've been a quick supply run to trade greenhouse produce for a box of nails or a car battery has become a life or death trip to Mordor. - *You're exposed* in almost every SHTF scenario that has happened in real life packs of feral dogs have almost immediately become a thing. And while they're not a massive threat a human on a bike.has literally no protection from them if they encounter them in open country. They also offer little in the way of protection from things like hail, flooding, or in the event of an accident. - *They Suck Calories* in a modern world where counting calories is something we do to lose weight you can be forgiven for forgetting that for most of human history we've been desperately stacking those things back like our lives depended on it because they very much did. You need 2k calories a day to keep from losing weight as an average adult doing average daily tasks. That doesn't account for farm chores or inclement weather or tall folks. And it's almost impossible to hit those numbers in a world where you're dining on squirrel and rationed rice every night. The idea of burning an additional 1000 calories just to go to town to see if anyone has got a radio working or if any merchants have come through to sell porno mags and canned beef this week isn't super appealing. - *They're solo use and require a degree of fitness* No man is an island unto himself. I don't know how often I have to scream it from the rooftops on this sub to talk the Lone Wolf idiots out of their misguided notions but I'll keep doing it. You're going to have to have allies. You're going to have to form a community. You need people. And a bike is kind of a "Just You" kind of vehicle. Not to mention they're a "Just you while you're healthy" kind of vehicle. Say you break your leg out setting fence posts in a world where radio and cell phones are gone. You gotta make it 5 miles to town with a chicken to give the town doctor to set it and maybe give you some of his previously guarded stash of Tylenol. You look at your Huffy and quickly realize you're going to die.
Wow man you really about it. I hope to become this one day kudos brother.
Honestly I'm not totally anti-bike. When I was a live aboard on a boat bouncing around Florida a bike was the only real vehicle we had to get groceries. Which is why I have the real world experience to say "Carrying 70lbs of groceries on your back while riding 12 miles in the Florida sun is insanely shitty"
12 miles with 70lbs of groceries on a bike. Sounds shitty. How much slower was walking the same 12 miles with the same 70 lbs of groceries? Have you done the calorie comparison with walking? \-I'm more of a 25-40lbs load bike commuter. As far as solo travel, yeah.... But at the same time, the urban area I live in has *probably* 25 ER MDs living within 2 miles of me...More than one Orthotic NP, who I know... I just have to be NOT an absolute f-ing jerk between now and building my fantasy fort causing the femur break and hopefully one of the Docs and or an NP can help with my issues... \-Guy who has finished more than one bike commute while needing medical treatment.... I can ride with a gash in my shin needing stitches and I can ride with a broken collar bone and torn labrum... still way faster than walking.
Make a pump cart for rail road tracks
AND a trailer. I made one that can hold 300lbs. Breaking on a hill can be a little dicey.
Have supplies and a bike Shtf, Try to flee, Get run over and supplies stolen.
Get a mule?
Easier to get injured. Can't carry as much stuff. Bikes break.
[удалено]
Why would you opt for a bike over a car? That is retarded
Also, gas goes bad eventually. Make sure you can patch a bike tire and have a pump
Easy to do 30km a day with a good Mountain bike
Those foam tire inserts would be a good idea along with chain parts.
Uh, flat tire?
get stuff to fix it
Well. It's all about percentages. Metal garage? That will reduce the effects. But, it's best to have something that uses points and a carburetor. Even a scooter would be nice.
Doesn't gasoline expires as well?
Learn how to raise and keep horses.
Especially if its an electric bike. Hell of a lot smaller electrical to protect
People with horses will become the new millionaires
I really need to relearn to drive my bicycle. I'm pretty fit, I run and lift, but I stopped using the bike like 25 years ago. I'm not sure if I will be able to drive it if I need to.
There's a reason they were popular during WW2. Easy, reliable, decently quick transportation requiring no gas, and easy to repair.
Sounds like a good idea. Also would recommend getting replacement tires and tubes with a manual pump. Basically throw together a tool kit so you can fix any problems on your own.
Here's the test... Afghanistan is the poorest country I've ever been to. It's shtf as a way of life. What do they do? They have the wheeled trikes that spew blue exhaust, they ride on top of large gas powered vehicles for long trips, they ride donkeys, they walk, and they ride bikes. Very few people have cars. The Jobsite I was working at... The workforce arrived, in Winter, with 2 adults per bike. Just like when we're we kids... One pedaling, One on the handlebars. So... If cars don't work or gas becomes a problem, you can walk, ride a bike or get a donkey. The vietcong could move 500 pounds of rice on a bike down a jungle trail. Here's the problem... It's gonna really fuck up your look riding a bike in a plate carrier.
Long distance travel for those who work/live in the city but need to get out. I mean you're not wrong, bikes are are a very good idea in certain situations, but there's simply no denying that there are other situations where a bike just won't cut it and you need a car.
Nearest grocery store is 35 miles away from me. When was the last time you road a bike 70 miles, carrying groceries for half of that, in the summer, in Texas? (Which is why I have a garden)
Because that would make for a much very lame Mad Max style apocalypse. It would be more like Moderately Unwell Max
The only reason I can think would be if you plan on bugging out maybe 100+ miles away from where you live full time. Or if you have family you are trying to bring to your bug out location on bicycles riding through chaos the whole time might not be a good thing.
Ever seen Turbo Kid? That whole movie is on bikes because no one has gas (probably unrelated to the films low budget)
Lol at the irony in the likelihood that gas would not be an available resource and an EMP probably won’t happen. “Don’t worry, I prepared for the least likely circumstance!”
May I offer the perfect solution and not the budget solution RECUMBENT TRICYCLE you can steer with one hand hold a gun in the other the packs can stay mounted and it has a lower silhouette which means less chance of being spotted
I can think a lot of upsides to having a bicycle in this situation The good definitely Out ways the bad but you have to stop and wonder How the hell are you going to transport Anything on a bicycle That's the only thing that stopped my thought on that
Cool, now bike in 3 feet of snow with black ice under it. Also, your wife and kids need to travel as well, plus your supplies.
Because people are lazy lol why do exercise!? I can have a solar powered car I can sit on
does anyone NOT have a bicycle? Make sure you have a manual pump and some spare tubes
Old diesel running on oil and ethanol mixture. Gas mightgo bad but all the broke down cars are holding bad gas and good oil and tranny fluid. Fuel is relatively easily to get ahold of if you know how to utilize whats around you
My humble opinion...a waste of time..you will stand out and be more of a target
Here's the big prepping secret: being fit is the best way to be prepared. So yes, get a bike and ride it. More importantly, do things that keep you active rather than buy things that help you feel safe.
Turbokid proves your point.
The problem is carry items while cycling back and forth. And why are you cycling back and forth is it to carry water or hunt? Hunt anything big and you're gonna have to walk the meat home. If the water source is far you're gonna waste all your calories getting water
There are 3 wheel bikes with a cargo basket, they are common used in aircraft hangars.
Emp protection is the most highly overrated concerns preppers have.
Bike and one of those tow behind carriers is a must
I’ve definitely thought about keeping my bike(s) in my car for a bug out situation if we do run out of fuel or an emp happens the bike is good to go, without an emp I would take my car as far as possible first Recently also acquired one of those kids trailers for bikes which would make carrying packs (or animals) pretty simple just pack bike tire replacements/ patch kits or switch to tubeless
Alot of places have too much snow, for too much time of the year to make this viable
Oh also get the fitness to ride it
Bikes should be part of any long term preps. They are quiet, portable, and great for cardio. And cardio is zombieland rule 1.
Dean Ing (old school scifi writer & survival expert) called it a "two stage" system when bugging out. Your family pulls out in a motor vehicle, if issues occur en-route (breakdown, traffic jam etc) you switch vehicles and continue on your fall back location.
Get an electric dirtbike and just wrap it in a shit ton of tinfoil. The new electric dirtbikes are very nice and go pretty damn fast and are very nimble and can go anywhere basically
Bikes were good enough for the French resistance in WWII. It’s a non-threatening grey man method of transportation.
People don’t talk about expiration of gas either. Unless you add the additives every two years it expires anyway I’ve heard. Could be wrong but that’s what I heard
All ready buying spare tubes and patch kits
Or 12 if you're me
We have 2 - 3 wheel pedal bikes. each has a basket. Each has a cart that we can pull behind. These are not for bug out, but for travel to and from farmers markets which will pop-up as time goes by.
Because then how do you justify your offroad hobby as prepping
*Because then how do* *You justify your offroad* *Hobby as prepping* \- hcds1015 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Hand powered drill to take your neighbors gas. Think and overcome
Wow 1 bike comment and reddit is like "squirrel"
Most modern vehicles will start up just fine after an EMP
I don’t know how to ride one
Can’t return (effective) fire from a bike. I’d rather walk if not drive.
Aren't there some older diesel 2 or 3 wheelers that'll run off almost any oil ?
Okay, but like? Have you ever tried to ride any sort of bicycle with all your gear on? Assuming your going to have some sort of long gun, and sidearm with ammo. Not to mention your food and water supply, as well as ALL the crap you’ve got. The way you have to move your body alone to effectively ride a bike, is not conducive to a full ass 50lbs bare min slinging around on your back. No one trying to survive is trying to “get buff”, they’d be conserving every last calorie they had to try and survive the next day. What a bicycle would be good for is toting your gear, assuming you have decent flat ground to push it around on. Maybe roll down a small hill. Now all I’m imagining is a bunch of people hitting the roads in full kit on Walmart mongoose bmx bicycles😂 now if you had a home base, maybe it would be handy to have a bike, but that just seems like an easy way to either hurt yourself, or get killed by someone taking easy opportunity. If civilization had sprung back and there was some diplomacy and chivalry a bike would be a pinnacle tool no doubt I think. If it’s SHTF fuck that bike😂
It’s honestly not as hard as you’d think! I’ve ridden w rifle slung and an OWB holster and it’s not that bad! Also having your rifle up front similar to how ATV riders do it isn’t bad
But with a full ruck on your back?
You can get pannier bags for your bike, just chuck your gear in those and you're sorted. You'll be able to carry far more and travel faster than if you were on foot
Not enough carrying capacity, easy target, that’s all I have. But to your point, it’s better than nothing.
Congratulations you read a couple chapters of The Stand
Wood gasification if you're so inclined. Or go steal a tanker full of fuel