wahoonc

I consider the survival scenarios as an interesting mind exercise. Perhaps not as extreme as the OP's.

However! I do carry a bike with me just about every where I go, if more than 30 miles from my home. Around here hurricanes or lack of fuel are apt to be the most likely scenario. The US is seldom more than a couple of days away from running out of gas if something were to happen to the pipe lines or a couple of major refineries. Spot shortages aren't uncommon either. Everybody assumes that the local gas station keeps their tanks full? Guess again! They depend on regular deliveries and if something disrupts that delivery schedule you aren't getting gas. During hurricane season I never let my truck get below half full, that will get me out of the danger zone fairly quickly, or at least far enough I can use the bike to get even further away.

In answer to the OP's question about distance, it depends. If you have clear roads and relatively flat terrain you can cover 100 miles a day in with out too much hassle. Walking, roughly a third of that. My rule of thumb on average travel is I walk in a day as far as I can travel in an hour on a bicycle, I can cycle in a day as far as a car can travel in an hour, I can drive as far in a day as a plane can travel in an hour (assuming you don't get stuck by TSA, weather or other issues)

Aaron

EM42

i'll pick my Single Speed[coaster] low geared R20

and will mount it with foam rubber no-air solid tires.

remember the world was gonna end or in chaos ?

its was Y2K ready as shown here if anyone remembered that hoopla a decade ago !

bu I'm prepping it up for 2025

it goes in a metal or wood box ready for Action !

folder fanatic

I was showing you an example of what is brewing in some people's mind around here with that previous LA Time article. Actually, I live in an interesting area of Los Angeles where it is both very urban and is nestled below the hills where the last of the wild life is located. You learn very fast about the truth behind the "call of the wild." If I go out at night, I have to watch for skunks and coyotes (wild canines). On my bike I have to periodically veer far off on the road to avoid the skunks (which seem to like to go out in small groups). I heard of mountain lion sightings around here, but I personally never saw one yet.

As for running around up in the hills, I learn from my father how to conduct myself up there. First, don't run around like a maniac. Walk slowly and observe your surroundings. There are rattlesnakes (very poisonous) that can kill you if you don't receive emergency medical help. Don't eat the plants or drink the water up there. Sometimes the ground might be polluted and you might not be able to smell, taste, or feel the contamination. Or you might eat something that is poisonous that resembles something that is not.

As for other people, you illustrated what is running around up there. There are many kooks, weirdos, illegal pot growers (with guns & for human traps), and even the homeless up there. So.....even if World War III happens, heading for the hills is not a viable option at least around a major city in the United States.

Folding or fold-up bikes are flexible. In that way, they can be pressed into whatever a situation throws at them. But in something like The End Of Civilization...forget it.

I am glad some people are getting some comic relief from this thread.

This is an excellent example of what and how a bicycle can be used in an event of a probable future for someone who lives in this case hurricanes or lack of fuel. In the UK, more likely floods or war. Wahooc's description of how a bike can be used is the way that bikes were used over the years for this and other applicable situations.

Well...with the exception of a three speed hub, at least my Twenty is probably the best bike for all situations for sure! Now if I can only figure out how to disassemble it just like you did in your photos, I will be right behind you.

snafu21

"I am glad some people are getting some comic relief from this thread."

No, you are not glad and you sardonically mean me. It's ok - you don't have to be polite and I deal with the nuances of English every day. What you meant was "I wish Snaffs would stop eroding my viewpoint."

However, if the end of the world is coming, the polite will die first. Although the Death of Civilisation As We Know It, so far appears to exaggerated. Pompeii was a notable exception.

This entire thread is a socialogical portrait of the psychosis of the human condition. It's very illuminating. We've learned that, terrorists aside, America's biggest threat appears to be other Americans. It's the same here. You really don't want to be on the streets of an English country town on a folding bicycle after dark.

kip42

I can use a crowbar on my trunk. I would probably ride it once in awhile for fun in addition to having it for an emergency. After Katrina I dont rely on anyone such as FEMA.

wahoonc

What is the crowbar for? To get the trunk open? Mine uses a key and I would hope an old style analog key would still work after an EMF attack.

Hugo, Fran, Floyd and Katrina are the ones that made me start taking a bike with me when I work the hurricane zones. I was working near ground zero when every one of them came ashore, in all but Hugo and Fran I was able to get out of the path of the storm well before they hit. I was at home when Fran came a calling, I left my job site near the coast only to have the biatch follow me home! In the aftermath our neighborhood was cut off due to the massive number of large oak trees that had gone down. We were also without power for 7 days, my MTB came in handy for getting around until roads were cleared.

I was working in Mobile, AL when Katrina threatened, packed up and went to Jacksonville, FL and stayed with friends. Once back in Mobile gas was very hard to get for several weeks. People would spend 3-4 hours a day sitting in lines to get 5 gallons of gas, so they could do it all again a couple of days later. I parked my truck, locked the gas tank and rode my old beater 3 speed everywhere including to work.

Aaron

lucille

kip42, just don't ride your folder in a lightning storm, it may kill you before you have a chance to test your apocalyptic survival skills.

kip42

Can I get rubber no air tires for the Para Trooper bike. How does the quality compare to that of similarly priced bikes? I have a smith and wesson police bike that is a piece of junk.

havm66z

Same. Snafu21 clearly doesn’t, and wants us to look at him look at him look at him.

To the OP, I think any bicycle in a survivalist situation is better than not having one. Same as prior to SHTF-moments. Although I consider Sydney rush hour traffic to be a SHTF moment. Only advantage I can think of a Montague is you probably carry one on your back or stick it in the car.

Apparently more bicycles are sold than cars. Maybe knowing where your bicycle cooperative is, and volunteering some hours is a good idea. There are sometimes a ton of old bicycles, tools etc there.

snafu21

" Same. Snafu21 clearly doesn’t, and wants us to look at him look at him look at him."

No need for denigrating abuse. It won't have any effect, other than to show you up as intellectually challenged and spiteful. You don't like what I have to contribute, just PM me the abuse.

But be quick, the End of the World is coming.

No, I don't think there's anything worthy of the term 'mind exercise' in this thread, including your post. The End of the World is greatly exaggerated, it's perhaps more relevant a term in the USA which tends to get climatic extremes and earthquakes we don't have in the UK, and in that case, the wisdom of having access to a bike is clear. Eulogising about folders, other than they fit in small spaces is idiotic in the context.

There some ludicrous starry-eyed posts in this thread, and all you do to further the debate is have a swipe at me, and then compare rush-hour traffic to a SHTF moment. Hyperbole.

"Apparently more bicycles are sold than cars. Maybe knowing where your bicycle cooperative is, and volunteering some hours is a good idea. There are sometimes a ton of old bicycles, tools etc there. "

What has that got to do with anything in this thread? Eh?

Your 'more bikes are sold than cars' relates to a 2007 headline in the Oz press, which credited the increased sale of bikes to the economic downturn, not to Rambo here wanting to keep a Montague in his trunk. There have been similar headlines in the US press for the same reason, not because bicycles are great in a survival situation.

Next.

SunnyFlorida

Ok! I was thinking of this end of the world crap or some emergency where I had to "get out of Dodge" fast - like having a Category 3 or above hurricane coming my way. I live in Florida so the latter is a very real possibility.

Strangely enough, I would take my trike. That back basket would hold essentials and since I would probably be sitting a long time in the saddle, the trike would be more comfortable than a folder. But whom am I kidding. If people were that desperate to get out of town, they'd knock me off my trike in a second, unless I had a gun and was ready to use it.

However, the folder would come in handy if I was going in a group. Great for scouting, as someone already said. But we're talking of advanced planning, a real survival strategy.

You know the average American family does not have more than 5 days worth of food. So even though most people fantasize as to what they would do, very few, including me, are really prepared for it.

See link below:

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0..._planning.html

wahoonc

Good thing I am not average...we have a solid two weeks worth of food at any given time and could probably go 6 weeks before we would even have to consider rationing. I also have a decent back stock of bottled water as well as a couple of filtration systems that will clear down to .2 microns. I have one rides in my small "survival' kit that I keep in my truck in case I have to bail. I am a firm believer in being prepared to fend for myself and not have to depend on FEMA. Fact is, if you read the FEMA protocol for response; local entities are supposed to be able to provide support for up to 72 hours prior to FEMA getting there, but everybody seems to forget that when the excrement impacts the rotary oscillator.

Usually a hurricane will give you plenty of warning before it flattens you, no they don't always come ashore where they are predicted but the area they are going to hit is pretty obvious.

What really cracked me up was Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which was of the most active seasons ever. Wilma had not even cleared the east coast of Florida and people were already lining up for ice, water and other hand outs and complaining about how slow FEMA was. No sympathy from me on that one!

Aaron

silverwolf

Look, stop screwing with the OP so much. You (and I) might not agree with his "end of the world" thing (and my personal view on this is not giving a f*ck what happens in that respect) but there are many other situations that "survival" type equipment is useful. I often (though less now, living in the city) liked to go outside to hike, camp, etc and usually a bike allowed me to travel further than walking for that purpose. Having a good, well-built, off-road capable and low-maintenance bike was a necessity for doing so without worrying every time I went through some mud or accidentally had the bike drop/hit something/etc.

Also, the basics of the "apocalypse" survival kit are very useful in real situations, such as the aforementioned camping and hiking, generally anywhere where the comforts of civilisation are not immediately accessible, and yes in the event of a regional disaster such as a hurricane. And finally, the extreme basics of "survival kits" are useful even in the city. Whenever I ride, I carry with me a bag that contains a small but versatile folding knife, a poncho, an LED flashlight, and a tiny basic first aid kit. All have come in handy regularly, the knife being the most useful tool there is, period.

Regardless, what I'm saying is cut the OP some slack; just because we don't agree with the whole "post-apocalypse" survival method, there are plenty of other uses for the type of kit (meaning stuff) he's asking for and therefore it is a legit question.

kamtsa

These two wheelers are available in EMP tolerant version

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...SegwaySWAT.jpg

snafu21

^^^^

The OP, alas, seems unable to decide. Get the Montague, puhelease. Or the Dahon Matrix, that does offroad quite well. Don't buy a Brompton, it will fall into the bomb craters.

pxboii

I would take my R20 if sh1t does hit the fan. having said that, which folding bike is least of your worries. stock up on spams and ammos "Omega Man".

geo8rge

How useful is a bike in SHTF - You want stainless steel rims with the maximum number of spokes as after what's left of the world runs out of inner tubes, you will be riding the rims.

14R 

Big wheels, off-road geometry. Single speed. Rear Rack, handlebar bag (large enough for (at least) 2 firearms. Steel frame for sure. large magnets and adapters on main frame for Katana attachment.

bhkyte

No, the meek will inherit the Earth. What's left of it. If that's OK with you.

buck-50

Honestly, the advice I gave came from years of commuting in the wisconsin winter- There is nothing worse than having the pawls in your hub freeze up mid intersection, or to have your rear brake cable freeze up...

I still say 26" unsuspended Mtn bike. There are spare parts everywhere- tires and wheels are easy to come by, probably easier than any other wheel. Parts are similarly easy to come by and they're flexible- you can run them geared, ungeared, with cantis or v's or discs or any combination thereof, they're reasonably comfortable and they are extremely hard to break. If you can find one with non-indexed thumbshifters, you can use it with almost any 26" wheel ever made.

A hinged bike like a montague paratrooper is just going to have more complications to rust.

Or again, a pre-war schwinn cruiser. nigh-unbreakable.

fatdogvinn

And remember... Machetes don't run out of ammo!

wahoonc

I would wager that the 20" BMX sized wheel on the Twenty is at least as plentiful as a 26" wheel...

Aaron

snafu21

The machete-twirlers and the back-stabbers will run the Post-Apocalypse world:

"Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? What villain touch'd his body, that did stab, And not for justice?"

I was in Brighton last night - a UK seaside town described at best as 'unruly'. The nocturnal street scenes looked like they were staged by Coppola. Should the End draw nigh, the fat, beery and tattooted zombies are going to take over the world. They only come out at night. And many of them appear to be self-employed, so they don't have to get up for work in the mornings.

"Please don't stab me, I've just bought a new folding bike" isn't going to butter any parsnips.

26" MTB +1

Actually, I'm going to go with the Montague instead of the Dahon Matrix. Them lockjaw hinges on the MKII Matrix look, complicated.

sknhgy 

You guys have got it all wrong. All you need is a gun. In a survival situation you shoot other people and take their bicycle. It is that simple.
Me, I'm gonna aim for a guy on a nice road bike, then find an mtb with disc brakes. Right now I can't afford one.
And I like blue and silver bikes, so I'll be shootin for those.
I might need a helmet, too.
And a tricked-out jersey.
Dang. I'm gonna need more ammo.

folder fanatic

If I survive a major catastrophe-from nuclear war to zombies-liked described in the posts above, I hope to God that I am:

• Dead-or stay really dead I hope
• Or at least smart enough to avoid creating more problems in this world

I don't think myself or other people will have much interest or time devoted to anything else beyond addressing the day-to-day basic survival needs.....water, food, shelter, protective clothing, etc. Bicycling would take up too much precious energy to devote much time or thought to it.