bug out bicycle?

[gelgoog]

how important would a bicycle be for your failsafe transportation. now that i think about it, it seems like something that no one should go without really. once gas supplies die down or you want to move without making a lot of noise i would imagine that the bicycle is the perfect companion to your BOB and weapon.

[kincet]

Bike is a good option, but I bet it would get rather awkward with all the bug-out equipment.

I'd rather rely on my two feet to escape when my car kicks the proverbial bucket.

[Jeriah]

I've got a bike that I'd use for bugging out, should the Jeep break down or roads be unusable. I can cover 100 miles of flat ground in a day on my bike; I can't do that on foot.

Remember two things:

1. Your bike should go in your vehicle, so it's not an either-or, it's an added layer of contingency. My wife and I each have a bike, and mine has a Yak BOB trailer. We'd put them in the back of the Cherokee, and use them if we run out of gas, break down, or hit a traffic jam we can't get through.

2. Wearing a pack on a bike sucks. I highly recommend a trailer, like the aptly named Yak B.O.B. (which in this case actually stands for Beast of Burden). You throw your BOB in the trailer, so it's not on your back making you sweat and fucking up your balance. If you need to leave the bike somewhere, just grab your BOB and you're good to go.

[velojym]

Bicycles rock. If you load 'em properly and ride regularly, you'll stay in shape and shouldn't have any real trouble with your BoB loadout.
If you traipse into Walmart and buy one, leaving it in the garage for the PAW, you'll find yourself in a world of hurt, and you'll be better off on foot.

On foot, you're a slow moving target, and spend a lot of time in someone's field of fire. On a bike, you may well be long gone before the BG even realizes you're there. This has been proven time and again in various conflicts (ww2, Vietnam, etc.), though the US military only toys with the idea on occasion.

I have a Montague Paratrooper, which was designed to be dropped with a soldier, then deployed within 30 seconds (yep, that's about right) and ridden off. At the very least, it allows for troops to be more dispersed on the drop, with an easy ride to the rally point. At best, a skilled group of people can wreak some serious havoc.
Of course, being afoot can be good too...

Mine rides in the back of the car when I'm on a road trip, and it folds up enough to fit in the cargo area of a small airplane (at least, the C172 I've been flying). I'm currently on the waiting list for an airplane which, I hope, also has enough space for it. If not, I may bite the bullet and spring for one of the small-wheeled jobbies.

[dogbane]

Here's a pic of the Paratrooper:
http://www.militarybikes.com/products.html

I would recommend going with beartrap or other flat pedals instead of shoe cleats. Dismounting is easier and walking or running with cleats sucks. Clips are okay, but unless you counterbalance them, they flip over when your foot isn't in them.

I also recommend learning at least some minor technical stuff like riding down stairs and jumping curbs. A friend of mine was riding through a prohibited (to bikes) area and a bike cop tried to stop him (I do not endorse running from cops). The cop's skills were minimal and my friend lost him on a flight of stairs.

I also recommend exploring alleys, apartment complexes, rights-of-way, park trails, rail lines, et. and learn as many routes through your city as possible. My experience in "marginal" neighborhoods is that even though I'm riding a scratched old red GT in tattered cargo shorts, the mere presence of a helmet on my noggin convinces the locals that I am a cop.

I heard a good line from another rider: he says some punks tried to take his bike from him and he just handed it to them and said, "Go ahead, I don't care. Take it" The punks were confused and asked him why he gave it up so fast. He told them, "I have a GPS chip in there and I can have the cops within six feet of it in a half an hour." They threw his bike down and walked away.

Edit: Shouldn't this be on the Transportation thread?

[Ovationman]

Sounds like a good idea speed+stealth+gear. With a good bike you can strap a lot of gear onto it as long as you balence it correctly. Gear is great but I think the best thing about a bike is the fact that you might as well not be there becuse you make little or no sound.

[dogbane]

Sounds like a good idea speed+stealth+gear. With a good bike you can strap a lot of gear onto it as long as you balence it correctly. Gear is great but I think the best thing about a bike is the fact that you might as well not be there becuse you make little or no sound.

I've startled quite a few people zipping past them (I do try to be polite and announce myself, esp. in parks; every cyclist is an ambassador for the sport). I once surprised a bunch of disc golfers toking down in a wooded area. They were lucky I wasn't a cop.

[Ovationman]

The only negitive I see with a bike is the fact that you can shoot. In the PAW if someone does start shooting at you have to get off the bike to return fire.

[dogbane]

The only negitive I see with a bike is the fact that you can shoot. In the PAW if someone does start shooting at you have to get off the bike to return fire.

You could probably shoot okay with a pistol if you are on smooth terrain, or even with a rifle if your a competent no-hands rider (would the recoil knock you over?).

How about a swivel-mount on the neck that you could fit a carbine into. The only problem with that is that you could only fire more or less in the direction you are riding, and I don't think a bike would be a good assault vehicle!

[Ovationman]

I have this Image of a fully kitted out guy on a bike with a SAW going cyclic (no pun intended).

[raptor]

Bikes have been used by the Japanese in WW-2 and the Vietcong as effective transport vehicles in adverse conditions. We are not talking about 15 speed mountain bikes either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

Bikes are very effective methods of transport when other vehicles are not available. Clearly I would prefer to bug out in a 4wd suv or 4 door truck, but a bike can beat walking.

[gelgoog]

Bikes have been used by the Japanese in WW-2 and the Vietcong as effective transport vehicles in adverse conditions. We are not talking about 15 speed mountain bikes either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

Bikes are very effective methods of transport when other vehicles are not available. Clearly I would prefer to bug out in a 4wd suv or 4 door truck, but a bike can beat walking.

lets not forget the canadian troops during world war one who captured a town by riding across the front. the bewildered germans didnt even fire at them it look so weird. im surprise they are not used more often by armed forces.

one thing thats also great about a bike is that even if you dont ride it, you can use it to carry heavy loads. the vietcong rarely rode the bikes, but used them to haul heavy loads in difficult terrain.

[Ovationman]

Still I think in the ideal world I want a horse. Can carry a lot of stuff and plus if its a "bomb Poofed" horse you can shoot back .

[andygates]

The only negitive I see with a bike is the fact that you can shoot. In the PAW if someone does start shooting at you have to get off the bike to return fire.

You could probably shoot okay with a pistol if you are on smooth terrain, or even with a rifle if your a competent no-hands rider (would the recoil knock you over?).

How about a swivel-mount on the neck that you could fit a carbine into. The only problem with that is that you could only fire more or less in the direction you are riding, and I don't think a bike would be a good assault vehicle!

No, no and no. The Swiss use their bikes as bipods, and a few years ago LAPD published a video demonstrating bike/handgun technique. Point one was "stop or you won't hit shit".

Bikes rock, but I would say that as I'm an uber-bikie. Main thing is: they need no fuel and they don't need working roads. The ZS guy who did reconstruction work after Katrina (sorry man, I forget names!) found that it was perfect for getting around the post-hurricane mess.

[dogbane]

The Swiss Army had a bicycle corps until 2003. You can buy the bikes online now. They have only one gear and weigh about fifty pounds unloaded.

Here are some pics:
http://www.63xc.com/stefs/sabike.htm

Check out the crazy brake on the front: it presses directly down on the tire from the top.

[dogbane]

Point one was "stop or you won't hit shit".

Point taken.

[andygates]

I *crave* a Swiss Army bike. But they were first sold to the bike corps veterans, and they're incredibly collectable. Notice how the frames are bolted together, so you can make a working bike from the bits of broken ones. Standardisation and modularity FTW.

The International Police Mountain Bike Association do a firearms course, details here: http://www.ipmba.org/instructors.htm

Nothing on archery from the back of a penny-farthing so I'm not interested

Anyway back on topic, a bike in the back of your BOV is a very good idea. There are a few of us here who can answer bike-related questions (I worked in a couple of bike shops before becoming cubicle-bound; Jamoni's hardcore )

[Mahatma Zombie]

I'm down with the bikes... Here is my commuter I just built up, might not get away from too many zombies but it's dope!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.ph ... 1&page=100 (flat green cruiser right at the top of the page)

Cheers,

-Grant

[andygates]

Nice smooth ride there. Beats my latest: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=390255

[velojym]

Nice smooth ride there. Beats my latest: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=390255

That one just screams ZPAW!

I need to get more time in the dirt, though. Most of my mileage has been on paved roads, and I've done a few centuries, including Hotter'n'Hell... but hardly any time at all in the bumpy dirt.

[thelight]

I've been wanting to get a decent bike for quite a while but just haven't gotten around to it. What would you guys recommend for a bike that I could take around NYC but also would get me through the Catskills? Where should I begin looking? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: BTW, I'm 6'6" so I think that cuts down on possible bikes, right?

[dogbane]

I've been wanting to get a decent bike for quite a while but just haven't gotten around to it. What would you guys recommend for a bike that I could take around NYC but also would get me through the Catskills? Where should I begin looking? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: BTW, I'm 6'6" so I think that cuts down on possible bikes, right?

I know the gearheads in here will give you some sweet recs, but I've always done well buying used as long as it's a decent manufacturer [i.e. no Huffies].

Supposedly:
The Proper Bicycle Frame Size
Want to calculate the correct bicycle frame size for your body size? The frame size is measured from the seat lug at the top to the center of the bottom bracket. If you divide your height by three, or subtract 9 inches from your inseam length, you'll get your proper frame size.
http://bicycle.lifetips.com/cat/61362/bicycle-frames/

[Mahatma Zombie]

I've been wanting to get a decent bike for quite a while but just haven't gotten around to it. What would you guys recommend for a bike that I could take around NYC but also would get me through the Catskills? Where should I begin looking? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: BTW, I'm 6'6" so I think that cuts down on possible bikes, right?

I know the gearheads in here will give you some sweet recs, but I've always done well buying used as long as it's a decent manufacturer [i.e. no Huffies].

Supposedly:
The Proper Bicycle Frame Size
Want to calculate the correct bicycle frame size for your body size? The frame size is measured from the seat lug at the top to the center of the bottom bracket. If you divide your height by three, or subtract 9 inches from your inseam length, you'll get your proper frame size.
http://bicycle.lifetips.com/cat/61362/bicycle-frames/

I second all that... Personally I enjoy the old school single speed style for simplicity (really enjoy cruisers too). People have been really happy with the commuter bikes from surly http://www.surlybikes.com/ or electras http://www.electrabike.com/ I hope to get one of thier Amsterdams some day! Check out the "bike forums" for a ton of great info! Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. By the way thanks andygates I like your bike too, I'd love to do a penny or tall bike!

[dogbane]

BTW, check out jamoni's (sp?) bike on this thread:
http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26303