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

You can still get handmade 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.

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 :)

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.

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.