rdlange

https://survivalblog.com/2023/06/06/...e-kim-kipling/

blacknbluebikes 

peddling preppers. yep, we got those, too.

brianinc-ville

I didn't quite read the whole thing, but I would say that the dude needs to think a little bit more about both front and rear racks. Attach to the frame, man. You don't want to rely on a seatpost clamp when the commies come for you.

PhilFo 

Olive Drab and flat black are invisibility cloaks, just like a Klingon bird of prey.

Uspsated

Needs a Punisher Logo

I-Like-To-Bike

This bike that I had in Kandahar was nothing special but did have a neat logo.

ATL720

I always wondered why there weren't more (or any) bikes in zombie apocalypse movies. Everyone's driving cars like nothing changed. Can't think of any that feature a bicycle.

I-Like-To-Bike

Bicycles aren't "featured" in the 1982 movie Blade Runner, but I remember that they made an appearance in some of the street scenes of an LA in the future.

cat0020

Something like this for the "heavy load"

https://electrek.co/2023/07/18/briti...ket-launchers/

Duragrouch

Oysh. S&W has branded and sold all kinds of consumer goods they don't actually make, which is a shame, because their revolvers, at least when I sampled some in the 1980s, were fantastic quality, so this is real brand dilution. How good a bike can that be, with a one-piece steel ashtabula crank, horizontal dropouts (to compensate for poor frame alignment in manufacturing), and most probably a claw-mount rear derailleur on the other side? Walmart quality in a battle zone. Well at least, no big loss if stolen or left behind in a bugout.

I-Like-To-Bike

Good enough!

A utility bike needs to be available and good enough to get around, priced right (free) and have no need for LBS provenance or bragging rights. These available bikes served me well with no fuss or muss while working on large bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ScottCommutes

This dude gets it. We could debate the specific merits of his bike, but if the zombie apocalypse hit, a bike is the best mode of transportation. Cars and trucks rely to a large extent on roads, bridges, and fuel. They are generally stopped by traffic, roadblocks, or electromagnetic attacks.

A bike, on the other hand, can be lashed on your vehicle and cannot readily be stopped, even if the vehicle is. The bike can even be carried through water, lifted over obstacles, rafted downriver, etc.

Duragrouch

Yeah... sorta. I agree that a bike is great for emergency situations. And I agree that in a war zone, where things could get stolen, need to be left behind, etc, and not needing to bike far, a cheap bike is the way to go. But it's completely contrary to the philosophy of every piece of military equipment, which is durability and function when it counts. If I have to traverse a long area in an emergency, I want a bike that won't let me down. Now, doesn't need to be a handmade boutique tourer, but not walmart quality either; Needs good quality frame, notably with good dropouts and not very thin and just crimped or spot welded in place, and good quality parts.

I-Like-To-Bike

The most recent successful use of bicycles in military operations has been for carrying cargo by troops/porters through extremely difficult terrain, specifically the Japanese in the Malay Peninsula in WW2, and the Vietnamese post WW2.

Heavy duty cargo carrying capability and availability (including whatever bicycles could be stolen from the civilian populations in occupied countries in the case of European WW2 operations) was probably the primary philosophy in selecting bicycle equipment for military use for the past 80 years. Pictures are extracted from The Military History of The Bicycle by John Norris