mr geeker

i like that idea right there!

I-Like-To-Bike

Assumption 3. All Styrofoam has deteriorated after 15 years of "exposure" to the elements (air, sunshine,whatever) and no right thinking person would dream of riding a bicycle without this protection; too dangerous!

NaBlade

I've been watching and I've not decided yet whether to stick with it or not. The "issue" of the bikes is really is very simple. Horses look a lot better on TV. That's it. End of discussion. Can you imagine the militia as a peloton with guns? The site would be more laughable than the idea of this fictional world having no bikes.

Artkansas 

Takes no imagination. They're even wearing helmets.



These Viet Cong have no helmets, but they can sure carry big loads of military supplies on their bikes.

Keith99

I would not say used up. Rotted out is a better way of looking at it. There would be much more than enough in hte way of tires for the use of the few people left. But tires go just because of the passage of time.

Keith99

I think I should point out that lacking a farrier no one is going to be riding horses at a gallop. No shoes and hard ground means split hoves. And farriers are in short supply now.

iheartbacon

I had a Swiss Army bike, it's an incredible bike. Weighs 60lbs and is built like a tank. Quite foolishly I traded it off but I can't wait to get another one. Anyone that thinks military bikes aren't viable needs to ride one. I can't say enough good things about it.

Keith99

Regarding the condition of Roads.

At least near I'd expect road to be very ridable after 15 years.

The original road going North from Castaic towards Bakersfield runs along the top of a ridge just East of the I5. It was replaced by what is now called "The Old Road" and that was made obsolete (and I thing cut off) when the I5 went through. It was quite ridable 20 years ago and i expect it still is.

The north end of the 39 was officially a temporary closure for over 20 years. Excluding where it was taken away or covered by landslides it was quite ridable. (The typocal steel guardrails were hanging like a suspension bridge the last time I went through).

I can think of 2 or 3 other roads that are quite ridable without any maintenence done for over 30 years.

EDIT:

The bypass of the Ridge Route was in 1933 and my bet is no maintenence since then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridge_Route

myrridin

My experience would indicate you are being overly optimistic about the condition of the roads. Over time the materials and quality of road construction have deteriorated in an effort to be cost concious. Further the degree of environmental damage they are subject to is quite dependent upon the local weather conditions.

From your link, I am quoting several relevent statements;

"Opened in 1915 and paved with concrete between 1917 and 1921,..." In that time period the construction techniques were quite a bit more robust than those used in the later half of the twentieth century...

"The portion of the road within the Angeles National Forest was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and is closed pending repairs; other remnants of the road still remaining are used by local traffic."

Considering that in much of the west, roads used by local traffic consist of unpaved, wash board gravel surfaces, I don't think this is a ringing endorsement for the durability of roads. In particular on the vast majority of roads within the US which were created with much more 'cost effective' construction methods in the latter half of the twentieth century...

spinnaker

Assuming you are still taking about the movie.


But littered with cars. Remember all the power went out at once. The closer to the cities you would be the more cars on the road. It would take a huge effort to clear them all using heavy equipment, let alone clearing them with horse or oxen.

I-Like-To-Bike

Yes. But in a formation, not that sissy French racer boy phrasing.

And in case there are no more portable music players the militia can bring their own music.

Artkansas 

Which shows why you should be able to ride your bike hands-free. You never know when you'll need to play a tuba or a piccalo while pedaling.

Kai Winters

I'm a big fan of this genre...love the "Dies The Fire" series of novels.
I have many difficulties with this show but try to remember it is about the main subjects of the show and finding the "key" to restoring electricity, not our thoughts on its' accuracy.

I agree that the bicycle should and would play a large roll as transportation. After 15 years bikes would still be available as would their parts, even tires. These would be transportation devices, built and maintained for rugged use at generally low speeds...all about getting there and back again...I'd suspect varied configurations and many types of trailers in use.

I'd not expect to see a lot of crossbow use as the parts would be worn or unavailable even if you had a lot of spare parts stored, they are complex devices not easily repaired by common people. I would expect to see a lot of long bows, recurves, etc. Someone with even a bit of knowledge can easily make a bow out of some decent wood and the string out of whatever is available. I made many bows out of tree limbs when I was a kid. Made my own arrows and used a variety of strings that I found, etc. They may not kill a person but would be fine for hunting when you do not need or want an over powered bow.

I find the lack of steam to be bothersome. Before electricity we had steam engines that not only provided transportation but also drove industry. Steam engines turning leather belt driven machines would be easy to use, maintain, repair and build.

Their clothing is much too nice for such a long time after the crash. Especially the females with their tank tops of thin material...really???

I think the writers, in general, are morons but since I have no control over the show I watch it with mild interest.

NaBlade

Heh. Mine was a rhetorical question. My point is that guys with guns on bikes don't look half as menacing as guys with guns on horses. Apparently, the TV guys know it too. And that's why you'll never see bikes on Revolution, it's just too wimpy-looking on TV. Not for what they want to accomplish.

Artkansas 

They accepted that you can stop electrons from flowing, breaking the laws of physics. After such a lapse in judgement, anything is possible.

As my screenwriting teacher told us, when you don't know about the technology, just write what you feel.

myrridin

Shooting while riding on uneven broken terrain (hands free) on a bicycle is not very likely. It requires a great deal of skill and practice, but is doable on horseback, since the horse can steer itself...

Using a sword on bike, is possible, but would be at both elevation and mass disadvantages compared to horse equiped calvary.

Keith99

I picked that becaseu it is ancient and documantable.

Until a couple of weeks ago my brother lived onhte same street for over 20 years and I'm pretty sure it have had no maintenence and is in great shape.

A few miles from him is a section of Road at the base of Santa Susana pass. It is no longer used, blocked off and unused except for local cyclists. No way there has been any work done on it for at least 20 years and more like 30 or more. Still in fine shape.

Except for places with repeated winter freezes and thaws roads will be fine for bicycle traffic for well over 15 years.

myrridin

I can show you roads in South Florida, that have tremendous cracks and unleveled pavement that would pose significant obstancles to bicycles. And in most cases such problems can appear within a year or two of construction.

I can also provide examples of pristine road that haven't had (or needed) maintanance for years; however, those are relatively rare...

Kai Winters

Keep in mind that the population will have a completely new lifestyle of the lack of power.
It will truly be a "people power" world and a more agrarian world as well.
We will certainly lose many people for a variety of reasons but those left will become accustomed to physical labor.

Cars, and most things, will become valuable resources and more than likely pulled to some location where they can be taken apart for needed materials that are no longer available...tires, wheels, seats, fabrics, etc. are all valuable items with many uses.

JohnDThompson 

Maybe we need a show based on this:

Keith99

Not much of a surprise most of Florida is on a swamp.

I can find a section on Palos Verdes drive that is in the middle of a slow landslide that is unlikely to last more than a few years before having to be rebuilt.

But that is the exception.

Actually in the Los Angeles area it is bike paths that would be useless in short order. A huge percentage are right next to flood control channels, at the beach or in flood control basins. All prime to be flooded and then dirt covered.

Edit: Thinking about it the cars littering the streets maight be a source of the 'fatal' problem. Broken glass.

BUT that is also a problem for horses. It would lead to cuts in the frog and lame horses as well as flat tires for bikes.

jon c. 

But horses are best ridden off pavement in any case.

genec

Guess you missed the bikes in Blade Runner. Pick your own apocalypse.

Artkansas 

I haven't been watching the series, but I don't suppose they have any wheelbarrows on it. The chinese adapted to these center-wheeled barrows with sails as their roads decayed.

myrridin

You are mistaken, it is not an exception. I can assure you that roads decay fairly quickly and need a great deal of maintenance to keep in a useable condition, your assumptions to the contrary. I suggest that you contact a few Public Works departments across the country and ask the experts just how much maintenance is required

Further, the assumption that there will still be useable tires after 15 years is really amusing. How many folks have tried using a bicycle that has been idle for four or five years, much less 10-15? In my experience the bikes are still workable, but the tires are in extremely poor shape... And there will be no raw materials to make new tires, much less the knowledge/skill/equipment necessary to do so.