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Two Letters Re: Getting from Point A to Point B
Mr. Editor,
First, [E.I.D. presented] lots of good hints. I like the idea of getting good
trail bikes and using them regularly to keep them and your self in shape. But
I have
long though the best comprise for distance, energy cost, and speed is a four
cycle “road/trail” motor cycle. I emphasize four
cycle so you don’t have to go looking for two cycle oil. Most get well
over 200 MPG and
have 2 gallon or larger tanks. That is a long ways. Most of the moped
type things he suggests are two cycle engines. Not a good thing. I like the
Honda 250 [cc] to 350 [cc]bikes because of reliability and high sales volume
means easy parts
availability, new or wrecks. Fill the tires with “Slime” for flat
protection. If you have family members that have trouble with getting started
with a clutch type vehicle, change the rear sprocket for a lower gear. It will
limit top speed, but we are after distance not running races. You should rarely
go over 30 MPH. [JWR Adds: Another important tradeoff is engine
noise. The larger the displacement, the more noise. Some might prefer a smaller,
quieter two cycle engine.]
The suggestion about the little 12 volt [vibro] tire compressors is useless
in this day of tubeless tires. Once the bead seal is broken, they will not
inflate a tire unless you were a forward thinker and put tubes in your tires.
( Assuming you can even find tubes these days.)
For a gas siphon hose, go to your local sports store and get a 5/8ths-inch
outboard motor hose. The one that goes from a 6 gallon carry on tank and the
motor.
It will come with a “primer bulb” that has the one
way valve in it to make starting the siphon easy. This will keep the gas out
of your mouth, and that is a good thing!
Magnetic key holders are largely a thing of the past in this day of plastic
cars. There is no easily reached ferrous metal to stick them to, even assuming
you could find one in a store to buy. Plastic wire ties work better and give
you more flexibility as to hiding places. (Don’t use the trailer hitch
[channel] on the back of your SUV or inside the gas filler door. Those are
the first two places anybody will look.)
Be very careful [about transmitting] on CB or any other kind of unsecured
radio. The bad guys have them too. - Keith S.
James,
Just a few notes in regards to E.I.D.’s article on bug out transportation,
particularly the section about using bicycles. I totally agree that an automobile
is preferable. But if a bike is used as a backup or your only means of transport,
then I have some advice from my bicycle commuting and touring days.
Riding efficiency is not the top priority. You want reliability and resistance
to failure. Road tires and tubes are thin to reduce weight and increase speed
for the given effort. Just commuting to work on paved roads I found I was getting
flats every week from broken glass, metal debris, and even a carpet of acorn
shells in the autumn. I switched my road bike tires to slightly wider and thicker
semi-knobby tread, and used a thorn resistant inner tube. No flats since then.
A mountain bike is even better and will have even thicker and wider tires to
carry heavier loads and absorb shocks of uneven ground. Potholes and sewer
grates can bend or break a tire rim in an instant of inattention, but the bigger
mountain tires are much more resistant to those dangers. Even with mountain
bike tires you still want the extra thick thorn, or puncture, resistant tubes.
The tube patch kit should be one you have used successfully before. Some are
easier than others and seal better than others. Better yet is a spare inner
tube. I used to carry just a patch kit, but after trying to patch tubes in
the pouring rain or snowy slush, or even 98F burning sun, I decided it was
worth the weight and bulk to carry a spare tube as well. You may want the thinner
regular tube as a compact spare since the puncture resistant tubes are fairly
bulky.
As far as a toolkit you don’t want anything bulky or excessive in weight,
but you want enough to handle tire changes, loose nuts, and brake adjustments.
Most bike shops will sell a variety of bicycle multi-tools with screw driver
heads, hex wrenches, etc. In addition you want an adjustable wrench (“Crescent” or
similar) for all the little nuts and bolts. I like a 6” as a minimum
but usually carry and 8” wrench. You also want to carry a couple of the
special thin open end wrenches specific to bicycles that fit on the hub adjusting
nuts, these are usually about 14mm - 16mm. You need two, one for each side
of a hub. You may want a small needle nose or electrical pliers for cutting
and pulling or holding onto brake and shifter cables. A regular pliers/multi-tool
is fine if you have one. You also want two of the small tire irons for lifting
the tire bead off the rim to change the tire without poking holes in the inner
tube. Lastly, you need to have a small spoke wrench. Then you probably want
some plastic electrical tape and plastic zip ties, too. A small bicycle repair
manual would be good for long distance trekking.
When I was in high school many years ago I road my bicycle across the state
of Washington for the DOT one
summer. I rode many east-west and north-south highway routes. The major equipment
failure I had was that at every mountain
pass was breaking a few spokes. Long uphill climbs of 20 – 25 miles
puts enormous strain on the bike hubs and spokes. They never broke going uphill
for 12 hours. But it was just after cresting the pass and starting downhill
my spokes would start to go sproing! You are dead in the water
with a just few broken spokes. I would carry a half dozen or so, as they are
so light weight.
[JWR Adds: I've found that taping 4 to 6 spare spokes
directly bike frame is a good way to keep spares handy, and protecting them
from getting bent, as they often do if stored in panniers.] For a long trip
you might want an extra set of brake pads, an extra brake and derailer
cable, and maybe even extra hub bearings, chain oil and hub grease.
When preparing for your planned bug out trip on bicycle, imagine the worst
possible conditions. You could be traveling in pouring rain, some snow, or
searing sun. Will you be traversing mostly level or rolling hill terrain? Or
over a mountain pass? Forest Service roads can be very dusty and the gravel
can be near impossible for road tires. Even paved roads may have a lot of debris
or require cross country detours in an emergency situation. Plus, you are very
likely to take at least one or more nasty spills trying to avoid a vehicle
or while encountering treacherous terrain.
Do you have a wrench to be able to re-adjust the handle bars? Do your hubs
have quick-release handles on them for easy removal? Do you have any sort of
pedal clamps or other means to secure your shoes and feet to the pedal? You
probably don’t want specialized biking shoes and pedals that interlock,
but I found the U-shaped metal shoe clamp with leather straps allows me to
have them loose enough to easily slip my shoe in and out of them for maneuvering,
but still hold my shoe securely enough to get good pull as well as push effort,
so that both legs work together on each half of the pedal revolution.
I wouldn’t want to have to use a bicycle to bug out since you are open
to attack, your hands are kept occupied, you go relatively slow and cannot
carry much weight. But if you end up needing to use a bike then a few simple
tools and choice spare parts can make the difference between being stranded
halfway or only having a short delay. You need those tools for ongoing maintenance
anyway, so you might as well have the small essential tools with you at all
times. I fit my entire tool and parts kit into one of those small under-the-seat-pouches
you can get at bike shops. - JB in Oregon
