woodcraft

Extensive show on prepping for the big one (California)

pointed out that in the aftermath, roads are likely clogged with traffic and debris

making it more or less impossible to say, pick up your kids in a car.

Keep that bike handy!

Gidgmom

Bike and bike trailer -- or a motorcycle -- would be the best mode of transportation in some disaster situations.

I've long thought that if D.C. (where I live) ever evacuated, the only way I could get my dog and I out of the Beltway in a reasonable amount of time was via bike and her dog trailer.

Her "Doggyride" trailer, replete with luggage rack, which also works as a stroller and a crate (the wheels pop off and the bottom is flat):

DoggyRide Novel10 dog bike trailer

Photos of the trailer in use are at the bottom of this page:

https://www.thegidg.com/Bikejoring_Gear.html


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BobbyG

Ironic, since the last two California earthquake movies I saw suggest helicopters, airplanes and personal watercraft are the way to go.

Even without an earthquake many roads are already clogged with traffic and debris. Just one of the reasons I bike commute.

jefnvk

I don't expect most folks are going to be able to pick up kids on a bike and make it too far with gear and the kid. Especially so if you are using a trailer, you've lost a lot of the zig-zag mobility that makes bikes relevant in a crowded urban mess. I'm not too sure I'd want younger kids riding bikes in a disaster situation, either

DaveLeeNC

When I first saw this thread, I was expecting a discussion of MTB suspension options

dave

Sangetsu

I used mine after the big earthquake in Japan in 2011. Tokyo suffered from rolling blackouts, so from time to time the trains would stop running, which could leave me stranded far from home. I had a folding bike which I carried with me to work, and could use it to pedal home if the train wasn't working.

FBinNY 

Do you mean something like this:

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Shot in Puerto Rico a few days ago. (note the blue speck in the foreground)


..... or this.

PatrickGSR94

I've always wondered why all these post-apocalyptic type of shows and movies NEVER show anyone cycling. There's no electrical power, governments have collapsed, no more fossil fuel and cars have all been left to rot. And yet the shows and movies always show people just walking or using horses to get around. They never show anyone cycling.

MidSouthBiker

It would be my luck that my house would collapse and bury all my bikes.

martianone

A bike probably will survive earthquake, hurricane, etc. Live in a rural area with dirt roads. During the winter, everytime it snows, some snow will pack on the road, which by mid-winter is pretty much solid ice. It is the only time of year the dirt roads are really smooth. A couple years ago an ice storm knocked out a lot of power lines and the road was plugged with trees and debris, plus rain on the ice roads made travel just about impossible. took my bike with studded tires to work, it was still a challenge riding around the mess - however got to work just fine.
Keep a mtn bike and studded tire commuter ready to go as part of our household disaster package.

CliffordK

There is a group of cargo bike races called DRT (Disaster Relief Trials) where one takes one's cargo bike around and collects and redistributes odds and ends around town including things like full water jugs.

Also a part going on dirt paths, and over obstacles.

In part they are fun, but there is an undercurrent of seriousness... and it is one of the reasons I went car-free.

indyfabz

Good point.


I do a decent amount of touring every year, so I have the racks, panniers and other gear to go self contained. And I always have a stash of White Gas/Coleman fuel in the house for my camp stoves. The Surly LHT I tour on has handled some rough, unpaved terrain. Bring it on!

rydabent

The OP has a logical point. Some kind of bike or trike and maybe a trailer would be a very logical way to get around.

As someone pointed out, in disaster movies, for some reason you never see anyone on a bike. But then that is Hollywood make believe.

wingless

When I weathered Irma, I kept my kayak, paddles and life jacket handy, along w/ other survival supplies.

The bike was used to shuttle my cars to a 30' tall elevated parking garage to survive flooding.

rgconner

Flats.

indyfabz

Yeah. There is no Stan's sealant post-apocalypse.

rgconner

But think about how the ground would be. Broken glass, garbage, metal bits everywhere, cracks in pavement/road going unfixed, weeds like goatsheads and other thorny plants growing wild.

And innertubes have a limited lifespan, with no replacements available.

After 2 or 3 years it would be tough to keep a bike running.

Cassave

The shaking during the 1994 Northridge Ca. quake literally broke the motor mounts in my car (live only a few miles from the epicenter) and a mountainbike I had at the time was the best way to get around for a few weeks afterward. No gas stations had power to run the pumps even if your car survived intact.

Wileyrat

Knowing my luck, I'd go to grab one of my bikes, and the tire would be flat.

Time for a good floor pump.

Cyclist0108

The only time I have ever had a bike stolen was when I loaned it to a friend to get home after the 1989 Loma Prieta shake. He got mugged in Oaktown.

rydabent

Might be wise to have a fat bike if you live in a quake zone.

manapua_man

I'm guessing you haven't been to some of the poorer parts of the world where people keep bicycles moving without constantly getting new tires etc.? Heck, there was a homeless guy who lived in a tree near me who had a bike with "tires" that were basically just old hunks of rubber and twine, and that was in the US.

rgconner

I did not say "impossible", I said "tough".

Specifically, tougher than a horse or walking.

Anyway, it is all speculation, since society has not collapsed just yet.

thumpism 

Give it a few weeks.

One interesting read in the sci-fi genre is "Lucifer's Hammer" about a comet strike and the aftermath. The thing most folks don't realize is that there's always the chance someone is more determined to have your stuff than you are.

manapua_man

Which it wouldn't be. Hell you could make a functional set of wheels out of wood pretty easily. Wouldn't be winning any races but it'd still work.