General Cycling Discussion - Bug out bikes

A lot of people are starting to consider the concept of "bugging out" in times of natural, civil, economic or other disaster, preferably to somewhere else they know rather than just "on the road".
Usually the recommended vehicle is a tricked out 4x4 but a few people consider bicycles for obvious reasons (freedom from fuel reliance and the ability to get past obstacles and traffic jams)
You could see in Japan after the Tsunami that the first vehicles in use by surviving locals were their faithful granny bikes.

What would you want in a bug out bike. Most of the recommendations are by people who are not particularly bike buffs and they tend to be a bit low end for my liking, eg discount store MTBs. I would aim for a midrange hybrid/MTB or a Surly style practical bike or in the UK, something by On-One (http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOOIN26ALF8/on_one_inbred_swap_out_alfine_8_speed).
Personally I see the ideal vehicle as one that also serves as a daily commuter and tourer with dynamo lights, hub or derailleur gears, rear rack with front rack capability, possibly front basket. I would also fit a trailer hitch even if I didn't carry a trailer. You can always find ways of making trailers fit a non compatible hitch.

Surly Pugsley. With racks.

Wasn't there a thread discussing bikes for the coming Zombie Apocalypse not too long ago? Same concept?

Whatever bike I have with me. For many years I worked on the road as a construction superintendent/field project manager. Two rules of engagement...never let the truck fuel tanks get below half full, and always have a bicycle with me. Served me well in 2005 while working in Mobile, AL when Katrina came a calling. I parked my truck at the job site (secured) and rode my bike back and forth to work. Other people were spending up to 4 hours a day sitting in gas lines to get 5 gallons of gas. I just quietly pedaled on past. FWIW the bike at that time was my trusty, rusty old Raleigh 3 speed.

Aaron :)

ooooooooo, post-apocalyptic stuff.
gonna have to check the zombie thread.

other forums and magazines cover other bug-out kits: firearms, and amateur radio.

as far as bicycles go (pun), you'd have to ride in a pack to keep an individual or two
from pulling you off and taking your ride.

and what are you going to take along? gotta have chow and water, water filter, maybe
bartering material, tube repair stuff (at least). how large a pack can you carry a long distance? saddlebags best?

a trailer would make you a desirable target. you'd have to buddy up, wagon train style, with outriders scouting for hostiles. and are they willing to die to protect you? you can create a trailer from bungee cords and a freight dolly.

gotta ride through wide areas that give you plenty of time to see and react to a threat.

this might not work for families. singles go farther, faster.

what i covered is hardly even the tip of the survival iceberg.

got complicated in a hurry, didn't it?

a female friend and i have been discussing this for a couple of months. we're looking at creating a neighborhood bartertown (mad max: beyond thunderdome).
now if we could get some pigs for methane....

I agree. While being free from gasoline has a definite advantage, in a SHTF/bug out situation you'll be quite vulnerable to predation from the bad guys.

Post-SHTF, now that's another story entirely. A good sturdy, utilitarian bike will become invaluable. So long as it's still operational. Gonna need to have a good supply of spare parts for the bike on hand before things get bad in case supply chains break down and our LBSes are no longer an option.

Even cheap department store bikes and parts may become barter items.

A bug out bike, IMO, is just a good touring bike for the conditions you expect to encounter. If you plan to stick to paved roads, a good road touring bike will work. If you anticipate going off the beaten path, then something with fatter section tires may be called for. Beyond that is the ability and capacity to carry all the gear you feel you need. That is probably the camping gear you would need for self-contained camping, with extra food and water and whatever else you feel you need. Panniers front and rear, and perhaps a trailer as well if you like to carry everything but the kitchen sink. You might also consider what you might need for your own protection.

I'll need to consult Wiki. Where, exactly, does one bug out to? I'll need to enter the destination on my Garmin.

Regarding which bicycle to take - we have horses so problem solved. where I live most folks will "bug in" and make sure their S&W is loaded.

Bugging in is probably a better solution for the vast majority of people who think that they will bug out.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/699579-Which-bike-is-best-.-.-.-for-the-zombie-apocalypse

Here's the previous thread about this.

Surly Pugsley. With racks.

+1 ^ This

I'm with Stickman! :thumb:

- Slim :)

Here is a blog from a guy (http://theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/index.html)that has a good handle on what to do in a disaster situation. There are several others out there, the best bet? Be prepared.

I travel for a living, my number one priority is to have a way home, I also plan way ahead when working in zones that are prone to natural disasters, I also have no qualms about leaving ahead of the crowd.

Aaron :)

I believe that BF member JoeyBike escaped from Katrina by bicycle.

I'm guessing that what you really need are sufficient water to make it 150 miles+, some food, plenty of tire patches and whatever clothes, documents, and a small computer you can stuff in your panniers.

I'm guessing that the biggest obstacle is gridlocked traffic. Odds are that you will be little noticed in the chaos.

Personally I'd grab my 20 year old streetified Specialized Hard Rock. I also have a Bikes at Work trailer, but I think I'd have to leave it behind so I can get through tighter places and go faster.

Surly Troll with Rholloff,dynohub,racks and lighting. Travel armed in the dark. As far as where to bug out to that really is a decision made at the time of said "bugging out". I live where people will bug out to so more than likely the bike will be for scouting missions and supply runs. If I have to bug out the **** has truly hit the fan and it's most likely useless.

Bugging in is probably a better solution for the vast majority of people who think that they will bug out.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/699579-Which-bike-is-best-.-.-.-for-the-zombie-apocalypse

Here's the previous thread about this.

The very definition of a Zombie thread! BTW, all those high-end roadies with DI2 and no backup bike will be out of luck after a bit.

http://www.survivaltopics.com/forums/vehicles/21030-mountain-bike-survival-vehicle.html

http://survivalcycling.com/

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=197552&highlight=bob+bicycles

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-10-11-bicycles-at-war

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=188633&highlight=bob+bicycles

http://www.possumliving.com/2008/11/bug-out-bicycle.html

Much, much listed under Google's "bug out bicycles"

And from far, far left field this............
http://microship.com/bike/index.html

I am of the opinion that the Pugsley will do the job, I was told in the zombie thread that it will be hard to find parts for if need be but have been getting anything extra I would need to keep on the bike. With racks I can carry everything I need including my wife, the nice racks are wide enough and strong enough, not that my wife is big at 110#, to take care of everything!! And the Pug can get through anything!!

I'll need to consult Wiki. Where, exactly, does one bug out to? I'll need to enter the destination on my Garmin.

Regarding which bicycle to take - we have horses so problem solved. where I live most folks will "bug in" and make sure their S&W is loaded.

Where you bug out to, or if you leave at all depends on what the threat is, and where you live.

Bugging in when you live below sea level in NO and a Cat 4 hurricane is coming may not be the best idea. If you live in any city and a medium to long term failure of services occurs, getting out may be a good idea. If you live in the exosuburbs, then staying put may be the best bet.

I'll need to consult Wiki. Where, exactly, does one bug out to? I'll need to enter the destination on my Garmin.

Regarding which bicycle to take - we have horses so problem solved. where I live most folks will "bug in" and make sure their S&W is loaded.

Where from and to comes in to play... I typically work in hurricane zones, I live just outside of them. According to the local authorities we have no plan if there is a pre-emptive strike, other than to put your head between your knees and KYA goodbye. (I live on the fringe of a very large military base that I am sure is on the first strike list of any country that thinks they can hit it). As a general rule I have always been one of the ready for anything people without being out on the fringes. I firmly believe that I am my best resource when it comes to survival of most things.

Aaron :)

It would depend on the situation for me. In Kamloops, the worst that is realistically to happen, is something major happening at the tank farm by the airport. Probably a major fire. My road bike is more than sufficient to get me out of the evacuation area.

For a truly major disaster... Probably the same (I could use my mountain bike if I had to use primarily gravel roads, but that would be a lot slower), though there would be a lot of other factors to consider. The type of event (natural disaster, threatened nuclear attack [Kamloops was/still is a secondary target for said attack], impending asteroid impact). In any of these scenarios, It comes down to what route I would use to get to safety, as well as the fact I can easily lift it over vehicles. There are five major routes out of town, plus a few well used secondary routes that aren't the most bike friendly if there was to be a mass evacuation. Still, I know them and where the bottlenecks will occur.

The survival guy on tv said that people often get an urge to bug out when they would be better off staying put. I've got everything I need at home. I keep a bike at work in case I need it to get home because that is where I'm headed if anything happens. I keep a tent, sleeping bag, knife, and matches in the car. I could make it from work to home on foot or on bike even if it took a day or two.

http://www.survivaltopics.com/forums/vehicles/21030-mountain-bike-survival-vehicle.html

http://survivalcycling.com/

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=197552&highlight=bob+bicycles

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-10-11-bicycles-at-war

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=188633&highlight=bob+bicycles

http://www.possumliving.com/2008/11/bug-out-bicycle.html

Much, much listed under Google's "bug out bicycles"

And from far, far left field this............
http://microship.com/bike/index.html

Very interesting, Thanks for sharing that one.
Wouldn't do a darn bit of good following a large solar flare/EMP attack though.

A bike for getting away from disaster is only as good as its engine.

for someone why has not been riding it is a fools solution, for someone who has the answer is obvious, teh bike you normally ride.

Me? I'm staying put. Not leaving the dogs behind and not leaving my mom behind. If things really go downhill it is get Mom and head to my Brother in laws with mom and the dogs.

In Southern California it is not a question of outrunning a storm. There really is no where to go.

A bike for getting away from disaster is only as good as its engine.

for someone why has not been riding it is a fools solution, ~snip~

Maybe, maybe not...Unless a person is in horrible shape, they should be able to get on a bike and make 50-100 miles in a long day depending on terrain. Also adrenalin will carry you a long ways.

Aaron :)

i don't think anything i have would make a good all around bike. maybe if i finish one of the utility bike projects.

if i could just go out and buy something that would hang in the underground shelter with the canned goods and piles of guns and ammo, i guess a yuba mondo would be my choice.

my other thought (in some real disaster/zombie apocalyspe type deal) would be if i could get to a walmart, or even a good lbs that still had bikes in it, grab several of the same model bike to have backups and spare parts that all match.

I hate to spoil the mood, but whenever I think of zombie/EMP/SHTF scenarios, I think of the consumable parts of the bike. Without a functioning economy, parts like tires and ball bearings will get scarce quickly, rendering our bikes useless after a couple of years at most.

- Scott

Wouldn't do a darn bit of good following a large solar flare/EMP attack though.

That would make the situation interesting. The ones getting out would be driving collector's cars and bicycles.

Without a functioning economy, parts like tires and ball bearings will get scarce quickly, rendering our bikes useless after a couple of years at most.
- Scott
You can still get handmade (http://www.fm-boyaux.fr/) tyres, usually high performance oddities such as cyclo-cross or pro race tubulars. (see also Dugast, FMB, Challenge and Vittoria)
I can see that making a chain could be laborious but possible.
How the flip do you make a ball bearing? Before F.A.G grinding machines, they were ground "by hand" but how?
I guess you need to stash a water-wheel powered machine tool in your basement, next to the reloading press.

Lots of good thoughts here.

As a general philosophy of planning for emergencies, it is probably best to not have any plans that rely on any type of infastructure (roads, gas pumps, electricity, water treatment) or other people (grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals). Also assume that a city of 50,000 people will have 49,999 others that will immediately head for the grocery store, gas station, ammo shop, and hospital. With that in mind, unless you have a well stocked emergency kit (I don't), all 'home' has to offer is shelter, which is extremely important but must be weighed against the hazards that may be present due to whatever emergency. Also that cars are likely good for exactly one (1) tank of gas worth of driving, or as far as the nearest impassible damaged or blocked road.

As for bikes, A touring or hybrid bike with racks and panniers, or a trailer is probably best. A rigid mountain bike with racks would be my second choice. Yes a trailer will slow you down, but can still be lifted over or dragged around a road block. And many would be very surprised to find out what type of terrain is possible to travel through with 32 or 35mm wide tires... deep mud or deep snow being the primary exceptions. Road bikes would work fine, especially if a rack for carrying supplies and/or foraged and trapped food back to base camp, keeping in mind that the rough terrain would have to be walked through, but would still not be a showstopper. A full suspension mountain bike would work save for the general difficulty in adding luggage racks for use as a beast of burden, and the fact that more moving parts means more to go wrong.

For all these bikes it is likely, if you remain close to civilization, that scrap bikes can still be found or bartered for to find spare parts... if my life was on the line I would certainly replace the bearings in a worn set of XT hubs with the bearings from a ditch-find Huffy.

My personal current favorite bike is the one I would use for a 'bug out' bike... an old steel 10 speed frame fitter with a Shimano Alfine hub, a front studded tire for winter, and fenders. But like I said, I don't have an emergency kit made or prepared or planned so I would have to take a few hours to prepare one. I would also outfit my wife's hardtail mtb or her giant-front-basket-equipped hybrid (her choice) with a rack and have her carry her share of the load. We also have a large child-trailer that has served well as a utility trailer so I would probably fit the towing brackets on both our bikes so we can use that. I keep planning to buy a shotgun, so I will bring that, and the dog (a retriever), and survival/camping supplies into the woods south of here to live off the land... until Mel Gibson and Woody Harrelson cruise through with their muscle cars/Humm Vees then I will kill them and eat them. (I wonder if there would be any way to prepare Mel Gibson to make him Kosher? Meal Gibson???)

THe ability to keep moving at a steady pace, and survive any hazards, in my opinion, is more important than dealing with marauding hordes of murderous gangs and/or the brain eating undead, imho. If they are gonna get ya, they are gonna get ya... losing 3 km/h by using a hybrid instead of a road bike is not likely going to make the difference.

Maybe, maybe not...Unless a person is in horrible shape, they should be able to get on a bike and make 50-100 miles in a long day depending on terrain. Also adrenalin will carry you a long ways.

Aaron :)

Have you ever read the complaints by people starting out? Or the sense of accomplishment by people who made their first 15 mile ride?

And that is just on a bike with water and food available.

Just getting out means getting to die away from home. One needs water, food and shelter.

Oh and here getting 50 miles means getting to a differetn city, not getting out of the city. Except perhaps picking one of the mountian roads, which will eat someoen who has not been riding alive (even if there were no cars, which would not be the case).

Have you ever read the complaints by people starting out? Or the sense of accomplishment by people who made their first 15 mile ride?

And that is just on a bike with water and food available.

Just getting out means getting to die away from home. One needs water, food and shelter.

Oh and here getting 50 miles means getting to a differetn city, not getting out of the city. Except perhaps picking one of the mountian roads, which will eat someoen who has not been riding alive (even if there were no cars, which would not be the case).

I have read plenty of complaints from people starting out cycling, but I also qualified my statement. Depending on your location 5 miles might be enough to get you out of say a flood zone? Fifty could get you out of the eye path of a hurricane. Two days in the right direction might get you completely away from the hurricane's path.
As far as cars, I was interested to note that everybody seemed to be trying to get out of town on the major highways, the back roads were almost completely clear. I have seen this phenomenon several times, the last 3 were during hurricane evacuations. 1989, 1997 and 2005.

The only reason I would leave my home is the certainty that it IS NOT the place to be in an emergency, in a flood zone for example, or a house on a coastal barrier island. I evacuated from my home (a rental house) during Hurricane Hugo in 1989, good thing, there was no house left when we were allowed back on the island. I also evacuated from another coastal home in 1997, that one survived just fine. In 2005 I was in Mobile, AL and chose to leave, the hotel I was staying at survived just fine, but had no power for 4 days.

Aaron :)

Surly Pugsley. With racks.

as soon as i clicked i knew this was going to come up. no way in heck would i pick a pug. too much stuff is pug specific, and hard to find/ have to wait for it to come in NOW. with no ordering/ shipping, you only have however many spare tubes, tires, rims, hubs, forks, bottom brackets, etc. you can buy before hand and carry with you. no thanks.

I hate to spoil the mood, but whenever I think of zombie/EMP/SHTF scenarios, I think of the consumable parts of the bike. Without a functioning economy, parts like tires and ball bearings will get scarce quickly, rendering our bikes useless after a couple of years at most.

- Scott

Surly Troll
near universal drivetrain compatibility, 26" wheels (frame clearance for 700c tho), heavy cargo capacity
-capable of 'harvesting' parts off almost all dead bikes you encounter.