# Pedal Bikes



## chaosjourney (Nov 1, 2012)

I see many threads on various vehicles and their benefits. How many of you have explored the use of pedal bikes? Most American kids have them and they require very little upkeep. A few extra tire tubes, bike chains and grease are all you need to keep them rolling indefinitely if you buy quality equipment. They are quiet and provide exercise that many of us need more of before any shtf situation. 

Each of my family members has a good bike and we ride alot for recreation. Sometimes we wear backpacks and hit the grocery store on the way back. Our bike riding adventures have enabled us to take back alleys, explore local trails and become less dependent upon gas powered vehicles. If circumstances arose that left our vehicles useless, our bikes would become our primary transportation. Getting out into nature with the kids adds to my quality of life, helps to build physical fitness and adds an option for us that others may not have. Back racks and bags that fit over the rear tires are still on the to do list, yet we usually do just fine with our packs. 

I really don't see any negatives with this other than the thought that 'needing' them for everything would not be ideal. Hopefully my truck preps will pay off, but there are scenarios that could unfold where our pedal bikes would be great to turn to for basic transportation.

Let me know what you all think. I am very interested in your viewpoints. 

Cheers,
CJ


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

If you have a job that requires you to travel in your vehicle it would make sense to take a bike along. So if there's a bank holiday and you can't buy gas you'd have a way home. I'd also have water bottles and a sleeping bag.

I remember discussing something like this once before. People didn't seem willing to believe that you could cover 100 miles a day by bicycle. A person of average weight in average health should be able to ride 15 miles per hour and bike 6 or 7 hours a day. I'd take back roads and spend the night off the road where I wouldn't be visible.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I used to bike a lot and I did 100 miles in one day on occasion but that was in the mostly flat lands where I used to live. But when I tried riding out here I just could not handle the hills. I do them fine with my motorcycle though


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## chaosjourney (Nov 1, 2012)

Unless there is some sort of great system collapse, I don't see any reason to have to depend on a bike. An EMP would definitely create a short term need as repairs are made to our truck.


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## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

Oh how spoiled and short-sighted we are.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Bikes Outselling Cars*

In Almost Every European Country, Bikes Are Outselling New Cars in those cities the streets are design for bicyclers' in my city you may get killed hell pedestrians are not even respected .
http://www.npr.org/sections/paralle...ry-european-country-bikes-are-outselling-cars


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

i use to ride a bike a great deal.i even rode a 10 speed bike to a town that was a 64 mile round trip from the loop to the town and back.plus the 2 to 3 miles from my home to the loop..i've often thought of getting a good low maintenance bike and trailer for it,just in case of a need to situation while in town,or where ever.


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## chaosjourney (Nov 1, 2012)

A trip to a big city always reminds me that I am blessed to live elsewhere. I live in a a small suburb of a small city so bikes have advantages here that wouldn't be present in a place like New York. In a big city SHTF situation that created jammed roads and highways, I might welcome a bike to help me escape.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

my main worry,is the town where we do our primary shopping at.the store is 45-48 miles away.so id be up a creek if things go wrong,and i cant drive the car home,for some reason.,and no way of getting the groceries home,


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## chaosjourney (Nov 1, 2012)

With that as your main worry, have you sat down to come up with a few strategies to get you home? It is one of my concerns as well with my office sitting about 24 miles from my home.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

the best i can do,(for now)..is to have a ghb with whats needed for getting home,it'll be for what ever reason(s) im in town,and i get stranded on foot..i've learned a small amount of the back roads that's between both towns.this way i can stay off the main highways if/when needed.i still need up to date maps for the roads between the towns that i go to,and where i live.this way i can plan different routes.and change my route if needed. compass's i have.among other items as well.


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## Doitnstyle1 (Apr 17, 2016)

readytogo said:


> In Almost Every European Country, Bikes Are Outselling New Cars in those cities the streets are design for bicyclers' in my city you may get killed hell pedestrians are not even respected .
> http://www.npr.org/sections/paralle...ry-european-country-bikes-are-outselling-cars


I can agree there. I am from Miami and I was scared every time I rode to work Downtown. At least once a week I almost would get hit, not to mention kids in their cars thinking it's funny seeing how close they can get to you without hitting you. I live in a small town now in Colorado and it is still horrible. There are no laws that protect cyclists and make it difficult for cyclists to prove anything without video.

This, however does not exclude the usefulness of a bicycle during a PAW or SHTF situation. I even have a motorized bike that i can mount on the bike rack of the vehicle in the event traffic precludes me from driving any further. I can easily dismount my bike mount some of my gear and continue traveling. The difference between this and a motorcycle is that I cannot lift a motorcycle over a barrier. Bugging out with a motorcycle (or similar) opens you up to the possibility of panicked drivers hitting you. At least if I am in a vehicle I am protected until I cannot drive any further.

the Motorized bicycle adds flexibility to any situation even when traveling. I would even recommend having a bike while traveling. i would much rather bike 20 miles than walk it any day. Bikes provide a more efficient locomotive effort than walking. You can still carry equipment on panniers or if you get very creative you can use a trailer to carry even more gear.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

As a kid my folks would take me on long bike rides. It was great. Today it is no longer a viable option, for me.

A folding bike in your trunk is certainly a viable option to get home or to just get out of the immediate area. 

If your bike is sturdy enough you can get saddle bags for both the front and rear wheels. Trailers are available also. This could be a viable bug-out vehicle depending on your situation. A family with backpacks, saddle bags, and trailers could haul quite a bit.(See Bigg777's photos above.)


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Doitnstyle1 said:


> I can agree there. I am from Miami and I was scared every time I rode to work Downtown. At least once a week I almost would get hit, not to mention kids in their cars thinking it's funny seeing how close they can get to you without hitting you. I live in a small town now in Colorado and it is still horrible. There are no laws that protect cyclists and make it difficult for cyclists to prove anything without video.
> 
> This, however does not exclude the usefulness of a bicycle during a PAW or SHTF situation. I even have a motorized bike that i can mount on the bike rack of the vehicle in the event traffic precludes me from driving any further. I can easily dismount my bike mount some of my gear and continue traveling. The difference between this and a motorcycle is that I cannot lift a motorcycle over a barrier. Bugging out with a motorcycle (or similar) opens you up to the possibility of panicked drivers hitting you. At least if I am in a vehicle I am protected until I cannot drive any further.
> 
> the Motorized bicycle adds flexibility to any situation even when traveling. I would even recommend having a bike while traveling. i would much rather bike 20 miles than walk it any day. Bikes provide a more efficient locomotive effort than walking. You can still carry equipment on panniers or if you get very creative you can use a trailer to carry even more gear.


I have seen both sides of this. I live in a city and have bike lanes in front of my house.

I have seen people on bikes that were completely foolish in the way they were riding in relationship to traffic. I have seen bike riders who needed to move over much closer to the curb, where there actually was room for them to do so and to get out of traffic. I almost hit a bicyclist when his bike crossed in a cross-walk in front of me as I was driving with a green light. When I stopped and asked what that was about, he told me he was in the cross walk, so he had the right away, even though he was going against a red light. He believed he was in the right. :gaah: I was a wreck for a couple days. I was sure I was going to hit him and kill him. How I missed him is a miracle.

Some pedestrians are also foolish when they walk. I have seen people completely in the wrong: pedestrians stepping in front of cars, not even looking at what is coming. I have seen pedestrians cross the street mid-block, without even looking either way, or up from their cell phones. 

I have thought that everyone should have at least one bike, along with tools, spare parts and knowledge of how to maintain them. I would love to have a trailer that would carry weight that I could pull, or to have a bike with a good design for carrying goods or even passengers, such as a rickshaw.


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## zimmy (Aug 17, 2012)

This is the first generation of the E-Bike built by lee Iaccoca, it is 24v and the second generation was 36v. I have two battery packs with built in battery chargers and is easily changed by unplugging and plugging in the fresh pack. The bike has three modes of propulsion, pedal, pedal with motor, motor. It weighs 85lbs and no longer in production but there are many other electric bikes in production much better then this one. With more modern technology like lithium batteries and brushless DC motors or AC induction motor this could be a very viable means of transportation in bad times.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I pedal on a two lane road 6 miles every work day for three months.
Some people laid down on their horn, but never a close call.


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## Doitnstyle1 (Apr 17, 2016)

Weedy Garden, i agree. I have had to do the same to other bicyclists who do cause problems. However the amount of aggravated people out there in vehicles and the crazy things they do because they think it is OK scares the crap out of me. I stick to trails as much as possible. I think we need to enforce existing laws for both drivers and cyclists and start to push a shared road agenda.

Zimmy, I agree Teh tech for ebikes is improving all the time. You currently limited to about 30-50 miles depending on your weight, load, speed and how much assist you use. If you are conservative on all aspects you may get up to 50 miles in some cases. YMMV truly comes into play in this case.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*12 reasons to start using a bicycle for transport*

About 8% of workers in the USA have commutes of an hour or longer, and nearly 600,000 full-time workers endure "megacommutes" of at least an hour-and-a-half and 50 miles, according to new U.S. Census data on commuting. So a humanistic, people-friendly city is first and foremost an accessible city, where mobility is possible for all. Many cities today are plagued by traffic congestion, and in densely populated city areas the fastest way of getting around is often on a bicycle, which is a highly efficient means of transport. Traffic congestion represents a major economic problem because of the many working hours lost each day from sitting in traffic jams. The average speed of cars in Mexico City is 4 kept in the rush hour, while bicycles have a comparative average speed of 10 kph. As part of alleviating the major traffic problems and generally creating a better public environment in the city, local government has chosen to prepare a bicycle strategy in collaboration with the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Gehl Architects. Besides being an efficient means of transport in terms of time, a bicycle is also affordable. Unlike cars, even the poorest segment of the population can generally afford one. Planning a bicycle friendly city thus helps create a more socially inclusive and socially just city where large groups of people are not excluded from moving around in the city. This social inclusion can be put into practice in several ways. In the event of major event it would be possible to get on a bicycle after all the Chinese build a road and the Vietnamese used it very effectible in the war. 
http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/trans...s-to-start-using-a-bicycle-for-transportation


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