A bicycle with a trailer could save your life!
More and more people these days are preparing for the types of crises that have occurred in recent years (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc.) and for the ones we have not yet experienced (EMP events, etc.). Much of that preparation involves storing food and water, loading up a bug-out bag, and developing emergency evacuation plans.
But I hardly ever hear anyone talking about alternative transportation preparation. Everyone just seems to assume that if they have to get out of Dodge in a hurry, they’ll jump in their car or truck and fight the traffic out of town. And that may be exactly what happens.
But what if your vehicle is destroyed by the disaster, or what if an EMP makes it so your car is unable to start? Hiking a couple of miles in the woods is one thing, but walking 25 miles with your family and everyone’s gear would be considerably more challenging.
On the other hand, if you have a survival bicycle tucked away in your garage or basement, you could use it to get to a place that would be safer in a relatively short period of time. The ideal bike for this type of getaway would include a trailer in which you could store the stuff that will not fit in the backpack you’re wearing.
A great survival bike can be capable of pulling 600 pounds at 10 miles per hour on flat ground, which is better than any backpack could possibly offer.
There are a number of different considerations to keep in mind when deciding what type of bike to acquire for a survival situation. Would your trek to safety most likely be an off-road or an on-road experience? Would silent gears for stealth be something you’d value highly in that type of situation? Would you want to make sure that your bike was small enough to fit in the trunk of your car? As the writer points out, the more unique your bike is, the more difficult it might be to find parts for it in a post-collapse society.
Do you already have a bicycle among your preparation gear? If so, what type of bike is it and why did you choose it? What features does it have that will aid you in a survival situation? If you don’t have a survival bicycle but are now thinking about getting one, what type of bike do you think would suit you best? It would be great to hear from you about this subject.
A bicycle is a great idea for emergency transportation but keep in mind your own fitness and ability to ride and pull anything I used to ride everywhere for fun on a weekend. I just realized that things have changed when trying out my system today. I rode only 1/2 mile before I needed to stop and go home. I was too out of shape to go any further. My new plan is to ride everyday and get in shape again. Our best preparation plan should be our own physical fitness, skills we acquire and not just more stuff to accumulate. Just like the fire starter, the camp stove or any other item that you plan to use, you must test them and your own skill to see how it will work for you.
it’s ALL interesting but …………. being prepared for life after you pass from here is just as important as being prepared for life here. no matter where you go, one day will be your last……
as a Christian, I just felt compelled to mention it
Great point, Jimmy. This life is short. Eternity is forever. The Bible is the greatest prepping guide for life!
Provided we can not use our 4-whellers or snow machine, everyone has a good mountain bike with travel trailer. Even my 4year old has a small wagon he pulls behind. True he can only really pull his teddy bear and a few light weight things, but it is a start and he knows how. And to him, it is all fun. We made his trailer out of a bucket turned on its side with the top part cut open. A hing put on with a latch for the lid and then small bike tires. Light weight and done right, it floats and is water proof. Think kayak with wheels!
When I was sixty, I tried riding a three wheeled vehicle and it was too much for me, with no baggage on it. So there is no way that I could ride one one now at seventy five. I think that a gentle horse would be better choice for me, with a child’s trailer for baggage. I have been looking for some land with a stream on it to put a small camper on it. I have celonoid silver and a generator for it to filter water. Our ancestors used to drop a silver dollar into milk before lowering it into a spring to keep it from spoiling. God’s blessings to all of you who are prepping for when the time comes.
Carol, about shooting firearms…ask at your friendly gun shop for someone to teach you how to shoot. I think you said you were a teacher…you will get good and safe with a little practice. Just knowing how to safely handle a gun will make you an asset in a SHTF event. When the event occurs, someone wi hand you a firearm.
Where is everybody going to be going when we all have to go somewhere?
Good one Marilyn. Staying right where you are could be your best bet.
If it is an EMP and cars won’t start, I’m stuck. I’m 65 and have no relatives around but what’s scary is I live far from any water source plus live only a mile from the section 8 projects. I do have the Clearly Filtered Water pitcher from the Patriots but they told me I can’t use salt water in it and that’s the only local water source.
I am a 63 yr. old single woman w/ no family anywhere nearby in the area. I also have 6 pets that are “family”, so I would not really have anywhere to go, nor wish to leave them. I would like to ask if you recommend filling up the bathtub sized vinyl survival water reservoir I recently purchased now? Also my water coolers? How much Chlorox should I add per gallon to make sure the water stays pure?
I am also in process of adding partial solar to my house (to run refrigerator, microwave outlet, one outlet in bedroom for a lamp and small heater, outside outlet for my German Shepherd’s heat lamp in winter. This is all I can presently afford on my teacher’s salary, but planning to add more solar later as I can afford it. Between canned meals and Patriot meals, I have enough for 4-6 months of food—planning to add more as I can. Water is a problem if survival mode extends beyond that. (Please answer to my home email—thanks.)
Have never owned a gun, never, ever thought I could ever bring myself to actually shoot anyone. Also, a gun and lessons cost $$ I’m wanting to put towards solar right now. Any suggestions?
Too bad there isn’t away to connect. Many of us our alone. Gun lessons. . . no problem.
I would be willing to give free lessons on gun safety.
You make a good point. Many of us who prep don’t advertise it, obviously, but there must be some way we can find others who think like us, that we could contact, help each other in a crisis. I think i will respond to the person who wrote the main story and get ideas from him. By the way, I living RI, eastern portion. Anyone near there?
Carol,
I don’t know what your space situation is but if you have a basement you might want to consider buying a few used blue plastic barrels from somewhere like Craigslist that were used for something like fruit juice or soda syrup. Clean these out and fill them up. About 6 drops/ gal of chlorine .
On learning firearms, check with local gun shops and also any local sportsman or gun clubs. Talk withthem and ask around, you may find people wiling to show and teach you the basics of safety and operation for free. If you do need to pay a small fee, take a break from your storage for awhile and take care of this critical task. What good is a years worth of food if you have no way of defending yourself or it?
I have a couple bikes rigged to carry water from the reservoir less that two mile away in case the supply is interrupted. I have a good filtration system.
I am 74 and live in a senior area. We have over 1 million people here in our city. Can bottled water be stored in a garage safely with temperatures flixuating. i want to store food also. I am a widow, but biking away to where, doesn’t make sense. I live in the desert.
Food and seeds won’t store as long with fluctuating temperatures, but your water should be fine. Some plastic containers will leach particles into the water in higher temps, so you should be considerate of your containers.
I recommend a BMW GS 1200 Adventure
Though the BMW is for sure cool, that’s an awful expensive not to mention heavy option for most. A more economical, and likely easier handling route might be a used Kawasaki KLR 650 or any of the 250 to 650 range dirt bikes depending on a person’s size. Just swap to with some combo on/ off road tires, add a rack and panniers and your off. Also tone down the exhausts to not stand out so much. In a SHTF situation don’t think you’ll need to worry much about if it’s “road legal” with tags and insurance.
You are right about the GS being too much. Besides, the new GS is a computer with wheels. I have a 2003 R1150GS Sport that is heavy and complex. A better bet would be my ’93 R100 GS/PD since it’s not fuel injected and would probably survive an EMP. I also have a 2009 Yamaha WR250R but that is fuel injected and might not survive the EMP. My first choice would be my 2007 Suzuki DR650 with the FCR pumper carb and the Safari super tanker fuel tank. All of my bikes have bags and bungie cord straps o carry just about anything. I can’t see me choosing a bicycle with a shed full of capable motorcycles to choose from.
any pedal bike tire needs to be filled with form so no flat tires
form?
You can get solid (as opposed to inflatable) tubes. They look like normal tubes but are filled with a foam type material. They add some weight to your bike but are good on terrible roads with debris, off-road, etc. I got mine at Wal Mart :-)
I think he meant foam.
foam
I live in a small Town in Eastern OR. I have been prepping for this for a few years now. Before you leave your home make sure you have a safe place picked out & easy for you to get to. Tell your family where this is and to bring their Survival Equipment also. A good Food & Water supply be really equipped for survival if you don’t know what you need their are sights for you to get a list. as for Bikes not for me. You can’t take bikes every where not like Mules & Horses. Have a couple of Pack Mules, & Equipment & Sturdy Horses. Ones that are used to long distance riding. Horses can go most any where with no problem. Check out all option’s don’t for get anything your life depends on it. Oh make sure you do get a good water filtering system they have those too.
Personally, i like the chainsaw motor conversion. While you would have to be very careful about the noise, it can propel you fairly fast and with very good fuel efficiency.
Now granted, the noise of this could announce your presence some distance away, but if you ran at 1/4 or 1/3 throttle you could still move at considerable speed with MUCH LESS noise.
For my uses, the electric assist is too heavy and too underpowered. The batteries are expensive and short-lived. AND the electronic motor controls as well as whatever battery charger could be destroyed in an EMP.
Just my $0.02.
What about a “Zero Motorcycle” electric bike that you can charge with a small portable solar panel/tender? As long as you live in a fairly sunny area!
I think if you research some you’re going to find out a “small” panel would take forever to charge. Likely you would need several large panels and then could still take a long time. Look into the charging needs, but charging via the grid takes, as I recall 6 to 8 hours. Might still be viable but your not going to do it with a small roll up panel in your back pack.
I have no intention of leaving home in a bad situation, but do have contingency plans. My wife and I have Trek mountain bikes with thorn proof tires, tubes, and liners with slime in the tubes. My son has a BMX bike with similar tires. We have repair parts to convert to single speed, some extra pedals, chain splitter, and some master links, and obviously tools. We also have one of those aluminum kid hauling trailers for gear.
We also have two of the same model old carbureted vehicles and lots of repair parts in faraday cabinets in my metal shop. And 2 two stroke dirt bikes, and a Honda Odessey, with repair parts.
Like I said I don’t intend to leave, but I’m constantly working on my contingency plan.
So you call yourself a Prepper. You are prepared for anything; hopefully everything. If an emergency strikes, one of the first things to be affected is transportation.
People will wander out to see the damage, check on family and friends, then their neighbors. If fuel is unavailable you can bet that food and supplies will also be nonexistent. So what happens next, people will sit and wait for assistance. Meanwhile their meager supplies will start to dwindle and disappear. They ran out of gas for the car or they don’t have enough to go outside their community to get more. Or perhaps there is a major traffic jam on the freeway that no one is moving because they are out of fuel. So what will you do.
You can walk out of the area in search for greener pastures. You can stay put and wait it out with little or no supplies. Or perhaps the situation has become dangerous because of scavengers, looters, thugs and worst are waiting for you to resupply them with your goods.
Transportation, you need reliable transportation that doesn’t require large amount of fuel. So what is available. ATV, all terrain vehicle, it has 4 wheels and can haul ass if you need it. You can rig up a small trailer to carry some essentials and gear. Next, a motorcycle is very mobile. You are, however, limited on the gear that you can carry. You can outfit it with saddle bags and a box. You can ever put a small trailer or side car on it. However, the trade off is mobility through the maze of abandoned cars and trucks. You have mopeds but you are limiting yourself to carry small stuff and gear. Then you are brought to the bicycle. There are several types out there that you can get. Trikes that have three wheels and they can carry small amount of gear or supplies. They are however, difficult to peddle when going up a hill. Then there is the bike. You can only carry what you have on your back. Or again, what you can carry in the saddle bags or the basket in front. You do have the mobility, but you are subject to the nice, calm folks looking for something to ease their situation. How fast can you get away? I’ve seen many people on bikes get thrown off their rides and beaten up, or even killed just for what they were suspected to have or may have on them on them.
There is no easy solution. But there is a simple scenario to this problem. Look around your community and see what it will take for you and your family to leave safely. Then set yourself up to win by having several different vehicles at your disposable. When it comes to “Get the HELL out of Dodge” then you have options available to you.
I know you folks knew this already; but, perhaps you needed someone to say out loud what you have been thinking all this time. I wish you good luck with your decision(s).
“I’ve seen many people on bikes get thrown off their rides and beaten up, or even killed”
Where did you see all this happen??
How much can you move around on a Bike?
Just ask the VC and NVA that used bikes on the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to move supplies and ammo.
Has anyone thought of the recumbent bike where you sit on a seat and the pedals are in front of you, usually three wheels? I tried my neighbors and it seemed like a much better setup. Also well suited for electrical assist equipment.
Recumbents are horrible on hills because all the weight is in the back. I did a trip on a well-groomed trail on a recumbent loaded down with camping gear, water and food, and trying to get up a relatively small upgrade (2-3% ) was VERY difficult, and I am in good shape.
I’ve done some bicycle camping at Big Bend Ranch west of Big Bend National Park. Thorn resistant tires are the thing to have in rough country. My hybrid bike has Kevlar banded tires, “Mr Tuffy” tube protector liners, thorn resistant tubes, and 4 ounces of “Slime” sealant inside each tube. I never had to fix a tire after this quadruple upgrade.
Depending on distance, the less weight you have to pack/pull with a bike, the likelier you are to get there. One possibility is a battery-powered push trailer. (various plans are available online) You’d need a means to recharge to get very far, but depending on your age/condition, it could help.
There is a four wheel bicycle made in TN that could easily be retrofitted with solar electric assist. My biggest concern is that in a severe crash of the economy and anarchy/chaos that follows such equipment would likely be stolen, or forcibly taken by less scrupulous folks.
I think a bike is a great idea. I like ken’s idea of electrical assists with a small solar panel to help with recharging the battery
I still own and maintain the 2 mountain bikes my wife and I used when we lived in Denver Colorado 20 years ago,but now in our 60’s and living in hilly middle Tennessee I would not count on going very far.
You’d better have some leg muscles built up before you need to ride that bike that’s pulling a small trailer loaded with stuff.
Have a bicycle, but won’t need it. I live 30 miles from the nearest stop sign and 70 miles from the nearest signal light. River runs in front of my house. Water supply is gravity and springs. Lots of fish and game and plenty of garden. Heat with wood. Could care less about the grid, doing hydro for electricity. I bought your 4 month supply of dehydrated food in case my grand kids can get here (two potato bags were busted, what a mess, and 3 granola bags weren’t sealed) and for a widower like me, I’m pretty much set. I really feel for folks who live in towns and cities. Two days without the trucks running and they will be out of food. They will be out of water as soon as the fuel supply is interrupted. They will call the result anarchy. A bike is a darn good idea. Get a couple just for the heck of it.
May I ask where you live? Cause it sounds perfect:) I currently live in the peoples republik of NY and I am actively seeking an exit. Stage left.
Bo
Your place sounds like Heaven. God Bless.
Don’t know where you live, but I wouldn’t mind living a mile from you–or two
I can relate Phil. I’m also a widower, live far from the nearest town, have solar and hydroelectric, excellent spring water, and about 30+ years of food storage. For those looking for safe locations, the forested mountains of eastern TN and western NC is a good place to be. Property is inexpensive,cost of living is low, population density is low. Wood stoves and fireplaces are legal in most counties and you can pretty much do as you please on your own land.
Happy New Year everyone.
Bikes are nice but my half draft horse weighs in at 1650 lbs. He can drag a tractor around. We can cross creeks and rivers up to 5 with me staying dry. 25 miles = 14 hours or less being kind to him allowing some rest. Also he has a brain. Bikes are not intuitive to danger whereas a horse is.
AMEN I was thinking the same thing. I also own a 1/2 draft horse and a donkey. Both can carry alot.
Wow never thought of that thank you for the idea. I really appreciate the idea. COOL
I have a mountain bike to provide transportation if fuel is not available.
Nix the trike,all Iv’e seen have poor componants,A tough steel frame maybe but that could be too heavy it’s all mass you have to propel.a decent quality aluminum or steel frame road set up for touring or a cross bike,a few repair items and tools pump, patch kit, tubes, put sealant in the tubes now
To help avoid flats .check Craig’s list and other add listings and look for a used quality trailer for child child hauling or a touring trailer ,watch out for low quality big box items
Better consider a tire pump and or a can of flat fix sealant in your gear
If yore serious, checkout the V-3 Mundo cargo Bike. Rock the Bike web page or just google. Also the paratrooper folding bike at safecastle.com.
A tricycle bike would be a better utility for this purpose especially a multi speed one for climbing a grade and hauling ability. add a battery and power inverter you can then be able to power it up reducing effort on hills to climb, 800 watt power inverters are only 75 dollars at Home Depot. A deep cycle motor home battery would be perfect for this application.
Adding an extremely heavy RV (60-80lbs) would be ridiculous. A rider would have to lug that extra weight around ALL the time just to be able to use it on the hills. No thanks.
Don’t forget extra parts and the tools to install them as well!!
I have thought of this since there are many after market electric assists that can go 20 miles on one battery charge. Great help in the weight of stuff to muscle ratio.