CARGO BUG OUT BIKE
A propeller beanie hat tip to
Survival Prepping For Normal People for blathering on incessantly, which means
he throws out a ton of ideas every video and if the stars and planets align and
my brain is functioning I get to steal said ideas, make them my own and take
all the credit. Today, NOT about using a
bicycle to bug out as a transportation vehicle, but about using a bike as a
trailer to haul all that gear that would normally break your back if you tried
to carry it. Now you can carry even the
kitchen sink!
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Most affordable bikes can carry about
250 pounds of passenger. If I eat like a
cow and do no exercise, at my worst I might edge close to two hundred. That easily gives me fifty pounds to carry,
which is about all you want to carry in your baskets because by that point the
whole thing is top heavy and a bit unstable.
And fifty pounds is about twice what you ever want to carry if you want
to remain Light Infantry ( the US military has zero idea what the concept means,
their definition of “light” being half your body weight rather than three
quarters ).
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I’ve ridden my hobby horse of over-burdened
RoboCop troops before. No one listens,
except a few that have tried to haul that weight around before. If you want to move fast to flee trouble, or
carry so little you cease to trample the landscape like a wounded water
buffalo, you must define “necessary gear” a LOT differently. At that point even a secondary weapon is too
much ( keep in mind infantry carrying pistols is relatively recent ). But, since no one listens, let’s redefine HOW
you carry all that crap you think you need.
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I can whine and beg but you still
think you need to emulate the military and carry 150 pounds of gear. Fine.
Whatever. But we CAN agree that
you are an old out of shape pussy that cannot realistically carry what you
think you need. All the Militia Porn
Stars on YouTube tell you to get in shape and Start Rucking It! Well, hump that. Sure, get in shape, by all means. But if you are realistic with yourself, you
understand that even the mightiest ninja warrior king eventually loses testosterone
and hence ability.
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Nothing is sadder than an old warrior
unable to admit he is getting too old.
Hey, we all love competition and proving ourselves. Prove you are better than your own age group,
not someone thirty years younger than you.
Act your age, you pathetic hump.
If you need mechanical assistance to haul gear, fine. A motor vehicle is NOT realistic, but you
still need to take the weight off your back.
A bicycle is just the ticket.
Hint: get them NOW, before
gasoline shortages and price hikes deplete the entire supply. Extra Helpful Hint: NOW, you lazy sorry simple bastard!
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What part of Now do you not
understand? Bikes used are going for $20
or $30. Not a beach cruiser ( single
speed adult bike ). No one seems to
like, own or want to get rid of theirs.
Everyone wants those Dog Awful one hundred and three gears of Mountain
Bike. Because you are all so cool and
groovy, and you pedal up to the top of the world and beat on your man boobs in
orgasmic sportsman’s glee, howling below at your inferiors. Please, Afro-American! Your pathetic ass can’t even bike to work on
level asphalt.
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If you are not riding a bicycle, but
instead using it to haul cargo, it doesn’t matter if the brakes are shot, the
seat is ripped, the derailer won’t work, the chain is rusted or almost any
other issue. The person cannot sell that
bike to riders, except as a spare part bike, which mostly means it is worth
scrape metal price for the frame and maybe the wheels. Look in garage sales for those $10 types of
bike. That is a lot cheaper than a
backpack. Just make sure the spokes aren’t
busted and the tires have some life left in them.
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You COULD buy racks for the front and
back ( here and here ) but you are spending $60 and then
this goes from a King Bum project to a Gear Queer project. Someone might steal the bike just for the
racks. And they don’t offer a huge
amount of extra space. You would do well
to simply emulate the Victor Charlies and place sacks over the frame ( the
testicle crusher running from seat post to handlebars ). Simple and easy and cheap. I’m not sure what bags to use, other than a
duffle bag ( here
).
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When you look at pictures of those
poor rice eating bastards pushing their bikes through streams, you’ll notice
that they have a stick or pole where the seat used to be, extending the post
three or four feet. The handle bar on
the chainless side also has a bar attached to it, sticking out horizontal away
from the bike. Since the huge bags stick
out so far, they walked alongside, the right hand holding the seat stick and
the left holding that handlebar extension.
Have you ever tried pushing your bike?
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If you aren’t careful, that damn foot
pedal wants to chew up your ankle. You
have to keep the top of the bike leaning toward you to shove that out of the
way. You can’t do that with a heavy load
on the bike. Also, just pushing by one
handlebar, the back of the bike weaves violently. Once after retiring the truck, I had no
choice but to ride one bike and pull the spare bike alongside into the bike
shop. It would have been quicker to walk
it in and then walk myself home. It was
a bitch. You WILL need the extension
posts.
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Continued tomorrow.
( .Y. )
( today's related Amazon link click here )
*
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On my way home from work (when I was fortunate enough to still have a job) I used to come across this older dude on a bike. He was pedaling like a mother f’er, and he was barely moving. It was quite a site, and rather funny, though I can’t quite put the mechanics of the situation into humorous prose.
ReplyDeleteIn either event, he had one of those adult tricycles, with a large rack on the back. It was in essence, a bike truck. Put another basket on the front, and you could haul the world with it. That thing looked really useful to me. I looked them up (Link below) and they are reasonably priced (Though I know that you are going to consider it to be overpriced).
The airless tires are not ideal for riding under ordinary circumstances. However, post collapse, they are probably ideal. You can get a bunch of tires, tubes, and patches, I suppose, and you should probably have those as well. But I’d probably bite the bullet and get the airless tires if it were me.
One the best suggestions that I ever came across was by a minion at this site, and it was for the Chinese wheelbarrow (This round eye had no idea that such an invention existed :D ). If you’re looking for something just to push, I’d make one of those. If it’s for the wilderness, and you have to push it through forests, make sure it’s not too wide.
https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Meridian-Adult-Tricycle-24-Inch/dp/B009M3PC72/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=adult+tricycles&qid=1557153434&s=gateway&sr=8-4
Schwin sucks. The company was sold and low quality Chinese introduced. Of course, that is Wal-Mart and parts. Perhaps the bikes themselves are built okay. Actually, not a terrible price for a trike. But do you REALLY need a trike? The cargo capacity while ridding is no worse on a two wheel with three baskets in the back and one in front. Perhaps better. And you won't use as many calories simply trying to get the bike to move. If I'm not mistaken ( warning: Jim tries to do science ), isn't transferring the energy from a pedal to an axle less efficient than to the tire itself? As for Airless, I am leery. Air in the tire is a shock absorber. Without it, bumps in the road place more stress on the spokes and the frame welds. Super Glue and thick paper make excellent patches, cheap. In the long run, air filled will go through more tubes. But it should in theory go through less wheels ( one day I'll try actual spoke replacement and trying to true a wheel. I suck at it and only get a marginal product ). Airless sound wonderful in theory. If you are really serious about that for your PA transport, by all means have them. But I wouldn't use them until all other tubes and tires were used up. Because even if you replace spokes, you have to wonder how long the wheel itself will last. Wheels are $35-$55 ( front, back ) on a beach cruiser. Not exactly disposable like they used to be at $20.
DeleteWell, if Schwinn sucks, then that means that anything that you get today is going to suck to varying degrees (I’m leaving out you Lance Armstrong professional cycling types that are willing to drop $2k on a Cannondale)
Delete“But do you REALLY need a trike?”
No. But you mentioned the unstable high center of gravity, and this will fare better in this regard. Also consider old folks and smaller children. They can actually haul a decent load with something like this.
I agree that the airless tires are not ideal. But post collapse, I’d rather have them. Maybe it’s because I live on a farm, but just judging from our carts, wheelbarrows, and garden tractor tires, we’ve had hundreds of flats over the years. In fact we did end up replacing the tires on our cart and our wheelbarrow with the airless tires. Yes, they were expensive, but we’ve never had another flat since. Another common failure is where the tire stem meets the tube. No way to patch that, that I’m aware of. I also think that the reinforced bicycle rims (The one’s with the super thick spokes) are a good idea. Post collapse, you want to think in terms of bulletproof.
I know on my wheelbarrow, I might as well never have added tons of Green Goop. Did almost nothing for them. I will agree with you that airless are almost mandatory. So I guess a better objection would be, do you need a bike that long PA? If you are going to horse and mule and the land feeds them adequately, it might be an investment better shifted to ammo or whatever.
DeleteI wasn’t thinking that far ahead, but yes, you can look at the bicycle as a transitional piece, with plans to eventually go over to Equine (horse family) or Bovine (Oxen or cow family) related forms of transportation. But that will be a whole different set of skills to learn. You will need wheelwrights, wagonwrights (or whatever the hell you call a dude that specializes in making carts and wagons). Also the gear, such as the harnesses, bridles, reins, saddles, etc.
DeleteI’ve grown up around horses. Pre-collapse, they are generally the toys of little rich girls, and I consider them to be completely worthless beyond recreational purposes. That said, that Pinto (of the horse variety) is your future Prius (Of the car variety :D )
As long as the new Pinto's don't blow up ( the 'Seinfeld' episode where Krammer feeds the horse from the cans of beans ). :)
DeleteRear dual baskets worked well for my wife and I. You can haul much in them. Take the front wheel off the tow bike and slip the forks over the rear wheel of the ridden bike. Tie down to the frame well and tie the front wheel you took off on to the towed bike. Almost is like towing a trailer.
ReplyDeleteI suppose dropped baskets would work better than one over the bike, as far as balance.
DeleteOh yeah, you can fill the baskets with cans and other groceries up to level. Then you can put water jugs or whatever on top. Even a passenger. Never did manage to overload weight wise
DeleteWhen I looked for my bike baskets, I never saw one over fifty pounds of carrying weight. Granted, I was in a hurry, deciding to retire the truck after just one final town visit. Now I notice there are 110 lb racks.
DeleteDo they still have the handlebar bags that we used to deliver papers with? You could also use them when walking by putting them over your head and shoulders.
ReplyDeleteDo they even allow kids to deliver papers anymore?
DeletePart of this theme is also obtaining and storing related gear to go with that bicycle. (As a transort mode it will be a high priority department, like flir rifles) Beyond looking cool like pee wee herman, have tubes, tires. Multiple patch kits. Hand air pumps. Lights for safety.(during this slow collapse, there will be a mingling with traffic, etc) hand tools in a kit. Practice and exercise various scenario routines to "be in some shape" or at least familiar with the gear. Shopping and warehousing prepper gear is not enough, in of itself. I bicycle my 'hood frequently for exercise and recon and got stopped by the police doing stop and frisk and roadside interrogations as part of their crime supression program, regular patrolling etc. Be a stand up citizen and play by the rules (it's the system, no escaping it, bicyclers are easy targets for scrutiny) so as not to be jammed up. Plan accordingly.
ReplyDeleteMethinks Anon 9:05am needs to also practice "grey man" skills. Getting stopped by the Fuzz probably had a lot more with looking dodgy and lets face it, you were performing a recon ;-)
DeleteI've never been stopped by the Fuzz whilst on my pushy, and I've done a few km's. Probably 40,000? In my car I've been stopped a few times caught up in mass drink driving blitzs. A few times speeding. One time, they were following me for a decent distance, and definitely following, so I hit the accelerator & didn't take it off until they pulled me over. In retrospect I was lucky I didn't get a ticket. How'd I get off it?
Officer Friendly "You were in a bit of a hurry"
Me "Yeah, I'm on a promise from the girl I met on the weekend"
Officer Friendly "You'd better get going and show her a good time. Have fun"
True story.
I think in some areas the cops are like a dog. They yap at anyone new and they only leave you alone after they pee on your leg to assert dominance.
DeleteYeah, get stopped now by popo, be nice and charming. Please officer, by all means check my bag. Then you become a non-threat and blend into the landscape. Might come in handy later.
ReplyDeleteHang thin blue line version of american flag off the rear of your bike and always wear some form of "veteran" paraphenalia attire. Some Jesus saves! Stickers on your baggage may save your not so favorite self from a flogging and nightstick shampoo. Any contacts with five-0 may generate some form of data kernal concerning you or the circumstances and be included in your social score for ration quotas purposes. Plan accordingly.
DeleteOrnamentals are perhaps more social conscience. I think 'Muricans would go out of their way to get low social credit scores, regardless on consequences. We can ever ID potential tribe mates that way.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile civilization is still with us, a bike trailer is what you'd use. But that is still an eight hour day just pedaling. I didn't want to do a fifteen mile one way commute. I think ten miles is about a max one way trip if you are coming into town more than once a month.
Deletere:
ReplyDeletebicycle riding while rolling another
Eugene, Oregon is the bicycle-thief capital of The Known Universe©.
A casual stroll around the Eww campus illustrates the futility of bicycle locks and chains. Every path and sidewalk has bits of former security devices strewn willy-nilly.
The scoundrels boldly ride one stole bicycle while guiding a second bicycle alongside. Or wear a bicycle across their shoulder while riding the other.
Cables are particularly vulnerable. In my Aircraft Mechanic days, we trimmed cable using a hydraulic cutter the size of a full-size ViceGrips. I picture the goofballs admiring the view while whistling as the cutter barely shows at the end of their sleeve. Stupid easy.
Of course, we must remember, the goofballs are ripping-off the least-capable most-oblivious members of our society == college students.
Ha! love that last part.
DeleteIf there are a pair of persons, a long shovel / hoe handle handle can be fixed on the handle bar and can be pushed by both to lessen the load. Better balance for the load and the persons don't work as hard as only one.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't a pipe that could fit inside the handle bar be a better way? Slip in and go, no Afro-American Engineering needed.
DeleteThe Japanese beat you to this as well. During WWII the Japanese forces that ultimately took Singapor made extensive use of bicycles to move troops and their immediate supplies. Many kept riding even after their tires had become useless, riding on the rims (and convincing many British soldiers they were coming down the road in tanks).
ReplyDeleteI was aware the Nips went the "impossible" way around, I wasn't aware they had bikes. I think the first bike troops were in the Boar War, though.
DeleteYou aren't going to get very far around here on a single speed bike, so why have it? The road in front of my house for example drops 65 feet in about a 900 foot run. Hell, just walking it will wear you out. The Walmart Kent cruiser I mentioned last week that caught my eye has a 7 speed derailer.
ReplyDeleteThe only functional pack I have it my "Get Home Bag" (GHB) and it weighs 17 lbs give or take a few ounces. It's set up to get me home from my vehicle if it must be left behind. Realistically, it is set up that I could stay "out there for a lot longer" but I'd have to become part animal. When I leave the compound I generally have enough stuff in my pockets to get by - more so than most folks. It wouldn't be disneyland but I would survive for at least 3 days. With my GHB I bet I could do a few weeks without much trouble. Anybody that says they have more than that has most likely spent more time blabbin' on the web than spending time out in the sticks.
BTW, 2 days ago I got my first turtle for 2019. Found her crossing 135 at the railroad tracks. About a 6 year old female Painted turtle. Since about 1991 I have saved over 300 turtles that I found on the roads. Once, about 8 years ago, I had 3 turtles in my truck at the same time (I bring them back to the compound and release them down by the creek in our woods) 2 box turtles in the cab and about a 30lb snapper in the bed. The sea was angry that day my friend!
I've changed my mind on living places that aren't bike friendly. Other people look for nearby hospitals or schools deciding where to live, I base mine around a bike, or walking. Turtle Rescue-a new hobby I was unaware of :)
Delete“Turtle Rescue-a new hobby I was unaware of :)”
DeleteYeah, that’s a new one on me too. Though I have heard that Richard Simmons runs a successful Gerbil rescue operation. Additionally, he was also the lead Gerbil wrangler on all of Richard Gere’s films :D
You see, there is still a lot of kindness in this cruel world :D
:)
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