Nice! Love that picture. Ah, takes me back to Big Bad Bill! Nice to have a playa back in the White House!

crap - I knew I shoulda bought a Cervelo P4. Leave those dudes in the dust.......looks the part, too....

http://triathlonlab.com/image.php?id=1470&type=D

Okay, so in the event of Armageddon, is it proper to "take the lane"?

Commuter bikes are usually by definition bikes of the apocalypse. Some roads ridden by commuters might as well look like something 5 years after The Fall. Most commuter bikes are built sturdy for regular use, and if used regularly, are maintained in immediately usable condition. Also, by definition, if they are used regularly, they are always 'ready to go.' You know how to carry stuff, and if you have a longer commute, you carry stuff you might need for emergencies anyway. At least a minimum, which would keep you biking longer than non-commuter biking brethren and sistren. A commuter will also be in shape enough to get Somewhere Else in decent time when it all goes down, faster than cars tied up in gridlocked, panicky traffic jams, further than those who might have bikes but are not used to regular riding. If you're really paranoid/prepared, fix up a Bug-Out Bag that works on your bike so you can just grab and go.

Commuters will already be a leg up on non-commuters if a situation ever arises which calls for mass exodus from some place.

I live right where people would want to go TO in case of emergency. My plans involve keeping the rest of you suckers OUT.

When it all goes down, I'm going to the pub on my bike. The taps are gravity fed! :D

lol, cause until there's a massive national emergency, no one wants to live in Michigan. :D Our state sucks. :roflmao2:

Except for all the other ones. I have always lived here, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but I quite like it here. I really would prefer to live a bit farther north so that on average I had better winters, but this winter is working out OK. Plenty of snow, decently cold.

There was an interesting thread here a while ago that I still can't find, written by a guy wondering what he shold take with to take care of his kid(s). But he was going to leave New York for new Jersey, so it sounds like he'd be screwed either way.

No earthquakes, killer floods or hurricanes, lots of fresh water, and the weather is better than neighboring states.

Oh.... and we have a well armed populace. ;)

Except OP lives in Canada. Would that make a difference?

You're right, and it sounds like you are off to a good start in properly preparing yourself for such disasters. I sometimes wish I could find the motivation to do a better job of being prepared myself, but somehow, talking about zombies or why certain regions do / do not suck always seems like more fun.

First off, why with all of the paranoia?

Second off... why do I hear generic-stereotypical porn background music when I see that Obama pic?

As people have been saying for the last 2000 years or so: "The end is near".
:)

You know, I don't think the end is anywhere near, but the random weather/natural/man-made disaster is certainly just around the corner for some random number of us. Having some basic supplies on hand seems sensible. Having a beefy commuter bike would also come in handy if the roads are impassible or if gas became temporarily scarce. The best part is, if the disaster doesn't happen, we still get to ride it. :D

You may be referring to this thread. There's lots of different opinions posted but you need to know is what kind of survival skills you have and what kind of threat you'll likely face. A bike is probably not too useful in a terrorist attack in crowded city like NYC but it may be more useful if you're fleeing a hillside from a California wildfire.

My commuter could probably handle Liv Tyler, but I don't think I could bear to subject it to the rest of the movie. Waaaay too much bad astrophysics.

That thread was began on 11-27-08, called "attack escape supplies":

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=489965

It was a lot more contentious than this one.

+1 I also have an aluminum foil hat.

That's it!

I store my bike in my bomb shelter. Just in case.

That youtube video is awesome! My thinking is more along the line of bad storm, no power, high water, etc. I'm in a very rural area and power sometimes takes a couple weeks to get back online. I'm also in a valley and it's flooded in the past. Once, no roads were passable via car so this might be a good idea to have a bike that could get you and your emergency good through.

Well, I'm not worried about that. Every bike I own has it's own pump mounted to the frame. Problem solved. At least for emergency use.

I'm not worried about zombies. Have you seen how slow those things are? I can even outrun them on my Trek 520.

I try to make sure that my CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) kit will fit in one side of my freighterbike. Otherise, no major changes..
Also, by disaster, I presume that one is speaking of something similar to an erthquake, or New Orleans style evacuation, or such. In my part of Alaska, the CERT are mainly focused on earthquake response since they discovered a major faultline nearby that is due to break loose again; wildfire was also glossed over. Other places vary.

You live in a liquor store?

Here is a website that deals with preparation and bugging out due to a major disaster like Katrina. Has a lot of good information on it.

Aaron:)

Can I come and work with you? I love zombie debates but since the only other zombie-loving colleague has now left I no longer get the opportunity to discuss my fav topic. :(

As I've said before on other threads, in New Zealand with have a big earthquake threat so I carry enough stuff in my pack to keep me going for a few days, tools, first aid kit, small survival kit, food etc.

Seriously, for the bike I would want to have

appropriate Allen wrenches
pliers
multi-tool with flathead, Phillips, and knife blade
spare chain, or at least a few spare links
chain tool
2 tubes
patch kit
tire irons
pump
zip ties and tape
a few spokes
blueberry pie (for zombie bait)

I had a similar situation in Y2K. I was mildly worried till I watched a show about survivalists who were getting ready to survive Y2K. Turned out he planned to move about 7 miles away from where I lived. After that, I got real and just spent New Years Eve doing a backup of my computer.

But Michigan??? If it were me, I'd be trying to get to the Channel Islands off the California Coast. Back in the 80's when I lived near Goleta, it was doable. Now that I live in Arkansas, its highly unlikely. :roflmao2: