captain
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Post by captain on Dec 8, 2021 2:38:31 GMT 10
Hi all,
just curious, is there anyone here into long distance touring on a bike - pushy not motor? I am and just wondering if other preppers have thought of this means of travel too. If so, I am interested to see how you have fit out your bike…ie go pro, radio, side bags, tools, spare parts, food/drink storage etc.
note - I realise a pushy may not protect you from marauders etc, but it does allow you to travel after an emp and you are not restricted by fuel. If properly fitted out, and you are fit enough, a pushy can be a great way to travel long distances. So I am not wanting this thread to be about the poor protection on a bike, instead, I want to discuss how people have built a bike to travel long distances.
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Post by Stealth on Dec 8, 2021 13:20:11 GMT 10
So I know it's not really entirely what you're discussing, but I do have an electric push bike. A lot of preppers would see that as not really useful, you still have to charge it after all. Obviously you can ride it without electricity but you're pushing an 18kg bike along without it. It definitely would slow you down going uphill but on flats it isn't that different to a regular bike when you're running off-juice. I bought it specifically to save cash on riding to work and back, running costs, and parking for my car.
With solar options for charging it's definitely something that I've put on my list of preps. I'm not just thinking of 'bombs have dropped' situations. My primary concern when picking a prepping vehicle was I need to be able to USE it (bonk knees lol) and it needs to be more effective than going somewhere on foot. It needed to be something that I could carry heavy loads with and wouldn't be a cumbersome effort that would slow me down. If it weren't for my physical troubles I definitely would have bought myself a good hybrid mountain/roadbike instead. We have several people-powered pushies in our household so if power weren't an option at all we would still be able to get on the road. The elec version just opens our options up even wider.
So I have two panniers to carry things. Heavier stuff gets thrown into those and I don't even notice the extra weight. If I need to I can also carry a backpack. I need to get an on-road repair kit (yeah, I'm THAT person, I still haven't gotten around to it despite riding the damn thing regularly lol). I can travel about 60km through hilly terrain on turbo which is the highest assistance level of four levels, before I need to charge the battery. I can travel about twice that if I use the lowest amount of assistance. And that's if I don't turn assist off entirely for periods where the road is flat and smooth. I haven't done that before as I haven't needed to but I certainly have that option as well.
And finally, the electric options was high on my list as a prep item purely because it's alternate power source means that regardless of how I'm feeling or what's going on with me, I can still move faster than I could on foot. For example, if I had a busted ankle or leg, the weight of my other leg going down on the pedals or even the slightest push gives me great forward momentum and maintains it with very little effort on my behalf. A bike trailer could be extremely easily fitted. Solar panels on top of the extra cargo and a spare battery plugged into it to charge and it's definitely a great solution for faster movement with lower profile.
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Dec 8, 2021 17:49:45 GMT 10
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bug
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Post by bug on Dec 9, 2021 8:55:13 GMT 10
So I know it's not really entirely what you're discussing, but I do have an electric push bike. A lot of preppers would see that as not really useful, you still have to charge it after all. Obviously you can ride it without electricity but you're pushing an 18kg bike along without it. It definitely would slow you down going uphill but on flats it isn't that different to a regular bike when you're running off-juice. I bought it specifically to save cash on riding to work and back, running costs, and parking for my car. With solar options for charging it's definitely something that I've put on my list of preps. I'm not just thinking of 'bombs have dropped' situations. My primary concern when picking a prepping vehicle was I need to be able to USE it (bonk knees lol) and it needs to be more effective than going somewhere on foot. It needed to be something that I could carry heavy loads with and wouldn't be a cumbersome effort that would slow me down. If it weren't for my physical troubles I definitely would have bought myself a good hybrid mountain/roadbike instead. We have several people-powered pushies in our household so if power weren't an option at all we would still be able to get on the road. The elec version just opens our options up even wider. So I have two panniers to carry things. Heavier stuff gets thrown into those and I don't even notice the extra weight. If I need to I can also carry a backpack. I need to get an on-road repair kit (yeah, I'm THAT person, I still haven't gotten around to it despite riding the damn thing regularly lol). I can travel about 60km through hilly terrain on turbo which is the highest assistance level of four levels, before I need to charge the battery. I can travel about twice that if I use the lowest amount of assistance. And that's if I don't turn assist off entirely for periods where the road is flat and smooth. I haven't done that before as I haven't needed to but I certainly have that option as well. And finally, the electric options was high on my list as a prep item purely because it's alternate power source means that regardless of how I'm feeling or what's going on with me, I can still move faster than I could on foot. For example, if I had a busted ankle or leg, the weight of my other leg going down on the pedals or even the slightest push gives me great forward momentum and maintains it with very little effort on my behalf. A bike trailer could be extremely easily fitted. Solar panels on top of the extra cargo and a spare battery plugged into it to charge and it's definitely a great solution for faster movement with lower profile. Practically the same here. I charge mine when it is sunny, so it's for free. I'm more concerned about being able to easily get around when there's a fuel shortage. You can get a kiddy trailer for them which would easily carry other things as necessary. Would be useful for going out and collecting firewood if a car wasn't an option. Battery range is about 40km over hilly terrain. Could easily put a spare in the trailer if need be. If electricity is not an option, I kept the old pedal and sprocket and can convert back to a regular bicycle if necessary. On the 'busted leg' scenario, my bike has a pushbutton that will run the motor even if you don't touch the pedals. I had to use it last year when I lost a bolt on one of the pedals and couldn't use them. You have to be careful with it, but it's usable.
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malewithatail
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Location: Northern Rivers NSW
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Post by malewithatail on Dec 9, 2021 11:55:09 GMT 10
If im going a long way from home, i put in a pushbike for emergency bug home transport.
Genius has its limits, stupidity doesn't.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Dec 18, 2021 2:57:55 GMT 10
Up here they do, promote a lot of bicycle stuff... Lots of dedicated lanes along streets, and the like...
When the summer weekenders are out they can be a pain in the neck to traffic on the country roads, especially our area around the chain of lakes..
We refer to them as "meals on wheels" for the bears...
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Post by Stealth on Dec 18, 2021 12:54:59 GMT 10
Meals on wheels... HAHAHAHA That's perfect!
The city I'm in is supposedly 'cyclist friendly'. While there's a lot of bike paths compared to most places, there's a heck of a lot more than most Australian towns/cities. That being said I rarely dare to go onto the roads. People are aggressively willing to murder you simply for being on two wheels instead of four. To the degree where I really don't mind if someone passes me by at speed but with a half meter distance (the legislated distance is 1m here) but they will actively try to skim you as they pass. OK, so they probably aren't trying THAT hard to hit but dang if it doesn't feel like it! And the rage is always "Well pay rego, road tax etc. etc.". Excuse me, I DO! For my car. That I drive regularly. So now I stick to dedicated bicycle paths where possible, and footpaths when otherwise. They aren't great for bikes but we're allowed on paths here and I'd prefer to risk that than being cleaned up by an overly aggressive tradie in a clapped out Hilux (translation: tradesman in a busted-ass truck lol).
But as an emergency method of transport it's pretty low profile, easy to use and you can definitely go a lot further for a lot longer on the same amount of energy.
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captain
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Post by captain on Dec 18, 2021 20:29:06 GMT 10
Meals on wheels... HAHAHAHA That's perfect! The city I'm in is supposedly 'cyclist friendly'. While there's a lot of bike paths compared to most places, there's a heck of a lot more than most Australian towns/cities. That being said I rarely dare to go onto the roads. People are aggressively willing to murder you simply for being on two wheels instead of four. To the degree where I really don't mind if someone passes me by at speed but with a half meter distance (the legislated distance is 1m here) but they will actively try to skim you as they pass. OK, so they probably aren't trying THAT hard to hit but dang if it doesn't feel like it! And the rage is always "Well pay rego, road tax etc. etc.". Excuse me, I DO! For my car. That I drive regularly. So now I stick to dedicated bicycle paths where possible, and footpaths when otherwise. They aren't great for bikes but we're allowed on paths here and I'd prefer to risk that than being cleaned up by an overly aggressive tradie in a clapped out Hilux (translation: tradesman in a busted-ass truck lol). But as an emergency method of transport it's pretty low profile, easy to use and you can definitely go a lot further for a lot longer on the same amount of energy. Canberra?
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bug
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Post by bug on Jan 3, 2022 15:37:02 GMT 10
Meals on wheels... HAHAHAHA That's perfect! The city I'm in is supposedly 'cyclist friendly'. While there's a lot of bike paths compared to most places, there's a heck of a lot more than most Australian towns/cities. That being said I rarely dare to go onto the roads. People are aggressively willing to murder you simply for being on two wheels instead of four. To the degree where I really don't mind if someone passes me by at speed but with a half meter distance (the legislated distance is 1m here) but they will actively try to skim you as they pass. OK, so they probably aren't trying THAT hard to hit but dang if it doesn't feel like it! And the rage is always "Well pay rego, road tax etc. etc.". Excuse me, I DO! For my car. That I drive regularly. So now I stick to dedicated bicycle paths where possible, and footpaths when otherwise. They aren't great for bikes but we're allowed on paths here and I'd prefer to risk that than being cleaned up by an overly aggressive tradie in a clapped out Hilux (translation: tradesman in a busted-ass truck lol). But as an emergency method of transport it's pretty low profile, easy to use and you can definitely go a lot further for a lot longer on the same amount of energy. Sounds just like here. Had a hilux driver look and drive directly at me once. He was clearly happy to kill me for the sin of going through a green light whilst he was waiting to turn. I don't ride on the road any more.
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