Yesterday I received my new Schwinn Heavy Duti Industrial Bicycle from a local Schwinn dealer in northwestern Ohio. I intentionally purchased this bicycle because it is extremely durable and has a simple monospeed easy to maintain. However, last night I considered a worst case scenario: my car won't run because a)it has no gas, b)has malfunctioned and replacement parts aren't available & c)was sabotaged or stolen. Now being an average American, I have to travel, and to walk at my speed of 15 minutes per mile may be steadfast, but gliding on a bicycle is faster and cooler. 8^) In the worst case scenario without a car, I would need to transport items such as wood, food, water and other amenities. This bothered me so much that today I decided to order wire baskets, extra inner tubes, and many other necessary replacement parts including a chain and lubrication greases. What prompted this new order for parts was that I noticed my Schwinn was made in R.O.C. Taiwan. I easily imagined the future shortages of parts. The manager of the bicycle shop said Schwinn had everything under control. Sure, and I can pop wheelies over the Grand Canyon. :( Can you imagine the major cities of America in a massive fuel shortage? I certainly can. What will take the place of trucks and automobiles to transport goods? The lowly bicycle. Yes, imagine all those images of bicyclers in China and India. They move massive quantities of merchandise, and their machines don't pollute our fragile atmosphere. IMHO, BUY A GOOD BICYCLE NOW! You won't regret it. Even if the Y2K/Great Depression isn't severe ( but it WILL be quite nasty, sorry ), at least you will be getting good exercise and fresh air.

-dinosaur

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 06, 1999

Answers

Hi Dino, agree with you completely.
Although, we live in the soggy drippy slick-slop NorthWest.
Bikes were great in Arizona, but here -- don't want a broken bone.
But hoping ppl will discuss best bikes & best tires so if we bug out by some miracle we'll know what to look for.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia, 1" per hour rain today, winds at 60 mph :P

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), February 06, 1999.

Bikes are good. But how on Earth do you manage without gears?

I had (before some $#$@ stole it) an 18-speed. That was nice. Lots of gears. A 12-speed would do. But I can not *imagine* using anything less than that.

As for getting broken bones, Leska- if you ride on the pavement, it's safe. Sure it annoys people, but it annoys people more when they have to call an ambulance for you.

Get a second-hand bike. They're available for a fifth or a tenth the price of a normal bike, and as long as it's in good condition..

Stock up on spare parts. Learn to change a tyre. If you want, if you have time, learn to take the entire thing to bits and rebuild it. If you're keen on the idea, get yourself a spare bike for parts.

--Leo

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), February 06, 1999.

And... don't forget:
 
A manually operated quality tire pump...
Extra tires, puncture-resistant tubes, and patch kits...
Spare handlegrips...
 
.. and for goodness sake .. get a comfy seat. Those silly razor-thin things they call "seats" might be good for racing .. but they're lousy for long trips (anything over mile or two for many folks) .. especially if you've been riding herd on a desk or other low-exercise device.
 
You might also want to consider a tow-behind bike trailer for larger loads. Baskets are ok for lightweight items but upset the center of balance (for "saddle-bag" baskets) .. and do even worse things for handlebar mounted carriers.
 
Most importantly of all .. start riding BEFORE you need to .. worst time to discover things don't work is when you need 'em...especially things like muscles, etc. For the "I haven't been on one of these since I was a kid" bunch, start slowly and work up.
 
There's a lot more that can be added ..
 
Just my $0.02 worth .. (the voice of experience here...)
 
From out in the woods ...
 
Dan

-- Dan (DanTCC@Yahoo.com), February 06, 1999.

Dinosaur,

That's a cool name, but in reality you may ahead of your time. I sold my last car a few years ago after it died and I didn't have the money to keep fixing it. Been riding a bike every day since and loving it. I have come to realize that automobiles are deadly poison-producing machines for lazy people, and refuse to buy another one until electric or solar powered vehicles become affordable for the common man. Rain, snow, sleet ... doesn't matter to me because the excercise and fresh air is great. I have not had so much as a cold in 3 years! Of course it helps if you live close to where you work and shop, but I recommend to anyone to relocate so that they can ride a bike and save tons of money. Most people in China and Japan commute by bicycle. Fossil fuel burning vehicles are a major cause of many of our problems in the United States, and people should be a little less lazy if they want things to get better.

I own three bikes now and I got my newest 21 speed with a front shock for $400 brand new. Can carry over 50 lbs. of groceries with my rack and a backpack, no problem. When everyone else is fighting over gasoline I'll be cruising around wherever I want to go. I only hope that things will not get so bad that people will try to kill me for my bike. Quit making excuses folks, get a bike now and you'll be glad you did, because they probably will go up in price, and you'll improve your health and the health of our planet.

-- (@@@.@), February 06, 1999.

Thanx for the responses. I didn't mention this earlier, but I also have a 10 speed Huffy bicycle which I ride for fun. The Schwinn Heavy Duti is for serious use during the upcoming Y2K Great Depression. This Schwinn has waterproof joints for the soggy extremes. I can manage without gears. Simply put, if all normal commerce slows drastically, then I won't be in any big hurry. I expect many Americans will choose to reamin planted in front of their TVs awaiting pizza deliveries.

Gears are very stressful. During the future chaos I want to experience the least tension as possible. Where I live, there are rolling hills, not mountains. I can get by without crunching gears. I used to do it on a StingRay as a child. If you can purchase a second-hand bike, then good for you! I got rid of my two old Puchs because they were beat up and no fun to ride. If you start to ride a bicycle having not done so recently, then you will experience pains in certain leg muscles. These will heal. Take your vitamins. The good news is your abdomen will become firmer, and you will lose weight and gain strength. I don't want to sound so gloom and doom, but face it, posters, the time will come when there WILL be fuel shortages, and you will be very happy to be cruising on your bicycle!

-dinosaur

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 06, 1999.

Great idea about the bike, but if Y2K is as bad as some think it could be[me included] I wouldn't want to be out on a bike. Someone would be sure to steal it from me, if I was lucky, or shot me for it if I was unlucky.

-- thinkIcan (thinkIcan@make.it), February 06, 1999.

You know, the North Vietnamese moved a lot of freight by strapping to a bike and pushing the bike along (they very rarely rode along the Ho Chi Mihn Trail). You still see bicycles used this way all over Asia.

Now for us "over-the-hill-gang types", maybe three wheels are better than two. I've worked in plants where tricycles are used for moving tools and repair parts between shops and work locations. Most of the trikes I've paid attention to are single-speed Huffys and Schwinns. These will haul a hundred pounds in the basket between the back tires without a problem.

If I've heard anything bad about a trike, it's that most only drive one of the rear tires and that causes some slipping problems on unpaved surfaces. But the things can't be too bad, there are plenty enough of them running around out there in senior citizen communities.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 06, 1999.

I own 6 bikes. WW is right about the Viet use on the HCM trail. Each bike was loaded with 200-300 pounds of material and pushed over rugged terrain for hundreds of miles. Dinosaur - put a front derailleur on and use 2 chain wheels. Smaller one should be 25-27 teeth. You can use a fixed rear with a tensioning system. You'll be amazed. A modern touring bike can carry a hundred pounds of gear with front and rear racks/bags. Doing 75-100 miles a day is not unusual.

-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), February 06, 1999.

I like the way this man thinks. Luckily, have a 5-speed in the back of the shop. Could be getting time to dust it off & tune it up. I can see it now, all those bikes on 95 at rush hower... Going to be a bitch in winter with my 20 mile 'mute! <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), February 06, 1999.

LEO:

You missed the level of rain and wind. this is NOT an aberation for them.

BTW Leska and Ashton, I assume your gill slits are fully functioning by now?? I know that in some natives, it takes a while in the rainy season for them to open up again. LOL!!! ;-)

Chuck

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), February 06, 1999.

Dan,

Where can one get one of those bike trailers? Never seen one, except for child-carry, but thought it might be handy sometime.

-- Bill (billclo@hotmail.com), February 07, 1999.

to thinkIcan:

Yes, I have pondered the potential of punks purloining pedal pushers. Several weeks ago I *saw* in my mind's eye a Y2K scenario. I was biking from the city out to my mother's house in the country, where the roads are spaced in one-mile grids with nothing but farms and woodlands between. (These asphalt lines are narrow channels for all transportation. When a tree blocks one of these roads, until it's removed, long detours must be taken.)In this mental image flow I was coasting down a hill when I suddenly spotted a large group of people, young and old, walking towards the city. I assumed they had no gasoline for their vehicles. As I got closer, I realized they were going to stop me and take my bike and provisions. Then I snapped out of this *day dream*.

Obviously, if this predicament presents itself, I'll do a 180 and head for home. I'm not going to carry a gun, just common sense.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 07, 1999.

Schwinn made in Taiwan!! Buy an American-made bike like Cannondale! Another reminder of the supply chain. Cdales are built like tanks - buy some spares too - some anti-puncture goo, plenty of tubes/tyres - it will be a target for theft so if the SHTF lay low to let Darwin do his work then, and only then, think about riding it.

I just moved to Denver and the bike trails are great for getting around - sleet or snow.

BTW another good plan would be to buy a small trail bike - up to a 650cc thumper - and store plenty of gas. Could be very useful in an emergency.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), February 07, 1999.

Absolutely get a bike trailer - good for kids, groceries, and stuff galore. More stable (for newbies) than backbacks and/or rack mounted pannier assemblies. Go to any bike shop, look around, look at their catalogs first. Most shops don't have display models readily available. Don't buy on a whim - check everything. Our trailer lasted nine years as our second car - gave it to my sister after that, they're still using it for their three daughters.

Don't actually buy one until you see it in person - compare brands, assemblies, and mounting techniques. Also, check response of trailer to bike tipping over - most will remain stable and upright - unlike bike seat (much better for the kids riding! )

Get one with a rain screen, cover to protect kiddo's and contents.

I'd recommend as many gears as you can possible get. Tried single speeds when I was little - didn't like tem, don't like 'em now for anything longer than 1/2 mile on flat ground. Note: 1/2 mile on flat ground is typical industrial use (inside factory) so that is why so much can be carried with little effort.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), February 07, 1999.

To Robert:

I intentionally purchased the Schwinn Heavy Duti because a coworker has used his every day year round over a decade. Nothing fancy, just very dependable. When I learned Schwinn was made in Taiwan, I ordered more spare parts in case shortages develop. I live in a small city, which is flat (in more ways than street level). I don't plan to bug out to Michigan wilderness on this bicycle, only ride to family member's houses, friends, stores, etc. I wanted a tough machine which can withstand abuse. Mutiple gears and I don't get along well. Besides, I have a mean left foot, which has bent previous bike pedals.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Thank you.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), February 07, 1999.

Leska -

Remember the Oregon "anti-tourism" T-shirts showing Ziggy wearing a rainslicker and riding a bike? "Last year in Oregon, 112 people fell off their bikes... and drowned!" On the back of the shirt was the message: "For vacation information in Nevada, call 1-800-NEVTOUR"

Back when folks in the Northwest just wanted to be left the heck alone...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), February 08, 1999.

Hi Mac! LOL! Come & visit but do not stay: official slogan.

Now it's "Things look different here." That's been good for endless remarks and cartoons. Come back up and visit, Mac. Supposed to snow next few days, but they're hardly ever right about that one. We're ziggyfied now too.

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), February 08, 1999.

Hey - I resemble that remark - I'm the nitwit who figured he could to ride to the shipyard on the bike to start my 24 hours of duty (cause roads were filled with ice/snow/sleet, the car could never get through).

Ended up I was the only to make it - and had to stay on duty the next 60 hours -- till things thawed out and I could get relieved.....

Never did figure out how come the next guy couldn't make it in if the guy I relieved could make it home though. Curious thing - that motivation bit, ain't it?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), February 08, 1999.

Get your horse now @

-- Here we (are@1900.again), May 16, 1999.

Robert, What a scream....!!!!! Laughing and smiling.....My hubby and I just went last weekend and bought 2 used mountain bikes, his friend owns a bike shop, we got each for 45.00 a piece. I havent been on a bike since I was well, for get that my age will show, but I did make it around the block a FEW times....hooorayyyy.....good suggestion about extra parts and wire basket though...Our climate is cold, here in Ohio, but hey, ya never know....For those of us in Cleve area, Fleet Bike shop on eastside has great used bikes for as low as 25.00 for a 10 speed and on up......

-- consumer (private@aol.com), May 23, 1999.

A bicycle would be pretty tough transportation to depend upon out here in the mountains, although they do train for the Olympics in our valley. Takes me 45 min. to get to work in a car over a high mountain pass. 20 min to get to the nearest town. 4-wheel drive and studded tires to negotiate roads in the winter months.

I do recall that about a decade ago, there was a man here that was part of a scientific group of engineers and physicists that worked on super efficient bicycle affairs. At least they looked like bicycles but were low to the ground and very fast. (Wish I could remember what they were called and could see if they had a website.)

One could also use a wind driven sail vehicle, like the kind in the movie "Martian Chronicles." (Just brainstorming here.)

Four wheelers and snowmobiles are the vehicles of choice for farmers and ranchers. Saw a 4-wheeler converted to solar in the last Backwoods Home magazine.

Could borrow a trusty horse or mule. People in our county invented the mule snowshoe to take heavy loads and mail over the mountains. We could bring them back and make a mint - lol.

-- marsh (siskfarm@snowcrest.net), May 24, 1999.

Hi Folks Took a spill on my 500cc Vulcan in December, only going about 25mph. Snapped over on my side in an instant and broke 4 ribs. Heard the helmet bang a couple of times on the pavement. Left leg to a beating as I, in true biker tradition, kept it between road and motorcycle. I was wearing boots, gloves, levi's and helmet. Even riding pedal power be careful,it can happen very fast even at 10mph. Post Y2K medical help may be scarce.

-- Bruce W. Blanchard (bwblanchard@ems.att.com), May 24, 1999.