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What is The Best Survival Bicycle?
July 23, 2010
The right bicycle could be a very valuable asset in a survival or disaster situation. Bicycle transportation requires no fuel (except calories and muscle power), is obviously faster than walking, and could be put to practical use as general transportation, perhaps security watch for a neighborhood, transporting supplies to and from wherever, you name it…
Awhile ago I had researched this subject a bit, but had not finished and did not come to a conclusion as to which type of bicycle is best for survival or disaster. I had been looking at a particular ‘police’ bike, but then discovered that you can’t buy one of those unless you are a police officer (seems like a silly requirement to me, even after explaining that I obviously did not need the police decals on the bike). Some reasons that I liked it was because it had completely silent gears – no clicking and was rugged and durable enough for daily use on and off road as a police patrol bicycle.
Having just emailed with Jack over at SuburbanSurvivalBlog.com, during the conversation he had mentioned about a bicycle as a possible get-out-of-dodge mechanism in certain situations. This reminded me of my intent to purchase the right bicycle which I had not though about in a while.
So I came up with an idea. Whoever has an opinion or recommendation on the subject, go ahead and comment.
I know that the right bicycle depends quite a lot on the intended use and one’s specific concerns, some of which may include the following.
- off-road
- on-road
- a combination of on and off road
- does it need to fit inside of your vehicle or is outside mounting okay
- maybe a folding frame
- what about the practical ability to strap on some gear or to transport things like a 5 gallon water bucket from the lake or river back to home base
- the ability to tow a very small utility trailer
- how many gear speeds is best?
- how light does the frame need to be, knowing this is crucial to costs
- how strong does the frame need to be
- is color important
- is the right frame size always proportional to your height, is there a formula for this?
- are some tires better to avoid puncture or flats than other tires?
(Update Oct-2010: Comments are now working)
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Ahhh see I’d not thought of using a bike Id always want to use my own two feet or a vehicle with an engine really, but if I were going to use a bike it would definately be an offroad one, with a retentsion holster center right of the handle bars for quick easy drawing, a rack over the back wheel to strap kit to as well as a puncture repair kit and a spare wheel inc tire.
I bought a used Trek touring bike (1986 Model 620) for $40, and although I hadn’t ridden a Road bike since I was a kid, I quickly realized that if you inflate the tires to the right PSI (VERY High PSI on road bikes; 80-125PSI) then you can FLY on one. I grew up (and live) in FL, where off-road consists of either one of two things; Sugar Sand or Mud. Skinny tires will make you go VERY fast, you’ll also eat shit if you hit sugar sand. There are few unpaved places in my state where you can peddle a bike, even a mountain bike or beach cruiser with under inflated tires without working harder than you would walking. That means if you’re going off road around here, you’re walking anyways. This isn’t true for everyone, of course, but in a survival situation (Gas at $6+ a gallon) the roads are going to be practically empty, so why not ride a road bike around at 15-25mph on the abandoned streets?
Old bikes are like old cars, and just like my Trek, some parts are obsolete and hard to find (like the Helicomatic hub and the 27×1 1/4″ wheels themselves) so your best bet is a new bike like this one:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/soho/sohodlx/
That thing has a sealed, 8-speed hub, making nearly impervious to dirt. It also has a carbon-fiber belt, like the timing belt on most cars, that’s about 3X stronger than a regular chain, never requires oiling, and cannot rust. It’s also supposed to be completely silent. That’s a pretty big chunk of change for a bike, but as far as bikes go, that one is NOT very expensive, it’s cheaper than most motorcycles you can find, even used, and it’s got most everything you’d need to survive for a long while.
If you’re going to get a survival road or hybrid bike, you should look for the following:
•700cm Wheels. Other styles are obsolete and hard to find.
•Schrader Valves. I prefer Presta Valves, as they seem to work better, but Schrader valves are the near universal standard.
•A rear rack so that you can use Panniers (saddlebags) and a trunk bag. Forward Panniers and handlebar bags, as well as frame bags if you want to get out of dodge with a lot of gear.
•Light weight is better. If you’ve got two nearly identical bikes, and one is Steel, and the other is Aluminum, get the Aluminum. It’s much lighter, will go faster, and will likely out last you, plus it won’t rust. Why carry around all that extra weight when most things that will break your Aluminum frame will destroy your wheels (no wheels, no bike) and possibly break your steel frame as well? Titanium and Carbon Fiber are used on high end racing bikes, and they will probably last a very long time as well, but they will also cost thousands more. The weakest part of your bike is the wheels, and your frame will usually outlast several sets of wheels.
•Gear Speeds are more a personal preference. The most reliable types will be single speed or fixed gear types (since there’s fewer parts) but if you want practicality, you’ll want something with at least three gears (Hill, Flat, Speed) for practicality. More gears means more speed, and the ability to climb steep hills more easily. These choices will have to be based on your local terrain. Here’s another Trek I like that has a sealed internal gear hub and three speeds: http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/eco_design/belleville/
•They used to call these “Touring” bikes, but now they call them “Urban” bikes. That Bellville also has generator lights (no batteries) and lots of racks.
•Nearly all bikes can be adapted to haul a trailer.
•Obviously, you want to keep enough spare parts around so that you can completely rebuild the bike if necessary (everything but the frame, realistically.)
•Finally, Disc Brakes. They’ll last longer and they’ll usually stop you faster. These are the new hotness, so there aren’t alot of bikes that have them, and they’re usually VERY expensive. If you get conventional brakes, keep spare brake pads around.
If I wanted to add a bicycle to my kit it would probably be a folding mountain bike of a type similar the the ones Civilian Labs used to sell, The first thing I would fit is Puncture Proof tyres from the Green Tyre company of Middlesbrough England.
Wal-Mart sells a nice mountain bike for around $150 with alloy everything and front shocks,get 2 at that price and slime for the tires to prevent flats.they have road bikes too.
Has anyone considered this when there are small children to bring along? Like if there are bikes that are best to tow a children’s trailer or if it is best to just have an additional baby type seat or if someone recommends a tandem bike for a little older children? I have a 12 yr old, a 9 yr old, and a small 4 yr old.
@all; Not trying to be the Grinch here. But, your comments all go to the point of not being in a metro/suburb area when TSHTF. If you can’t hump a 50# pack 10 miles a day, every day for 10-15 days, on a bike (much less on foot), you can’t bug out with children. Small children will be part of your load, and children that aren’t teenagers can’t ride 10-15 miles a day, much less with a load on the bike. As well as the fact that few kids will grasp the gravity of a survival situation and the sense of urgency involved. I will pontificate here although I hate doing that. I think that some “significant event” that requires survival preparedness, will occur in the next 10 years with 99% probability, 70-80% in five years, 60% in the next 2 years. I have one question. If you are a loving, concerned parent, and understand survival, and have small/young children why do you still live in a metro area? You either believe or not. This is not a religion. It is an odds chart based on historical patterns and probability of other happenings based on direct observation or scientific inquiry. Would you bet your children at the casino? I bet not. Why do you still live in (insert your large metro/suburb here)if you knew this was going to happen? If you know (have a pretty good idea) that something bad is going to happen and yet you stay in (insert your large metro/suburb here), a place that will be detrimental to yours and your family’s survival, isn’t that the same as betting your children at the casino? What is more important? The questions of friends and relatives, that poo poo your thoughts and have so much “normalcy bias” that they can’t think for themselves, or YOUR family? Move now. Move now and embrace a simpler and more survivable lifestyle in an area more suitable to survival. Best Regards.
@All; Now, having preached the sermon, I think that in a static location, having a bike for day to day transportation or for weekly transportation to town (in my case) a bike is an awesome idea. Not a bike guy, but a hybrid road/mountain bike with a lot of flexibility would be the nuts. As simple as you could find for the purpose and plenty of tires and patches. Should last you some years and add to your health as well. Very useful item. IMHO
Being an avid biker and have had worked in the bike game…
Something as simple & cheap as this!
http://www.konaworld.com/asphalt_simplicity.cfm?content=africabike_three
People are all tending to multi-speed bikes that require maintenance and specific parts and tools, nothing beats the KISS rule – Keep It Simple Stupid!
I have a Shore Freeride MTB and a Flatbar commuter, however upkeep on both of these bikes is something of a specialist job, nothing I would want to do when things go belly up – you cant hump around hydraulic fluid, tools, spares etc thats required for the Shore MTB and the commuter is a lot better in perspective…
I’m selling my flatbar for a fixie (single speed), nothing says absolute minimum than one gear direct drive, nothing can or will ever go wrong – unless your thrown off!! People should really keep in mind that a bike is an exposed machine that the chain itself is a complex machine in its own right and this is the “most” important part of a bike. Without the care and maintenance of a chain the bike is nothing, and keeping a chain straight & as clean as possible aids its longevity.
Keep spares of – 3 x tubes (forget puncture proof tubes!), x 2 puncture resistant kevlar beaded tyres, spare ‘new’ chain & chain breaker, chain lube, tube of lithium grease, light machine oil with PTFE, 2 brake blocks or disc pads, spare gear and brake cables, couple of spokes & nipples, duct tape, lights for your bike & spare batteries, and most important a helmet… Also a small yet concise tool box for an ‘at home’ repair option and a small folding ‘bike orientated’ multi-tool for on the go fixes…
If anyone will have a bike as a reliable form of transport when a major crisis occurs, this is the basics of what you’ll need to succeed with fast reliable human powered transport!
I would go with either a Salsa Fargo: http://salsacycles.com/bikes/fargo_3/ or a Surly Ogre: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/ogre. Both are expedition worthy touring rigs that have Mountain Bike configuring for 29er tires. They have tons of braze-ons for racks and water bottles as well. I would also probably use a small trailer. That’s a ton of weight on the bike, so you’d have to take it slow and carry extra spokes. I would also use airless tires.