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Using a Bicycle as a Bug Out Vehicle: Advantages, Limitations, and Possible Scenarios

Using a Bicycle as a Bug Out Vehicle

There are many things that need to be considered before using a bicycle as a bug out vehicle. There are a lot of limitations to using a bug out bike that you just don’t have with a car. But first, let’s look at the benefits:

-          Bikes are fuel efficient. All you need is calories to burn and you’re good to go.

-          They can go through areas where cars can’t, like narrow trails, alleys, and over logs.

-          The mechanics are really simple. You don’t need special skills or training to do most repairs.

-          The big one: they’re cheap. You can pick up a older mountain bike for under $100 easily and it can last you many years.

-          They don’t need to be registered, insured, etc.

-          They can easily be used as a barter item

What kind of bike should you go for? I’m a big fan of older mountain bikes and hybrids for bug out applications. Why? They’re durable enough to go off road and cheap enough where they’re not as likely to get stolen. I’d go with a well-known brand like Specialized, GT, Marin, or Trek. These companies made bikes in the 90′s that still function beautifully today.

Let’s look at the drawbacks of using a bug out bicycle. These should be pretty obvious:

-          much less cargo capacity and passenger space

-          slower than a car

-          you’re exposed to the elements on a bike

-          if you’re tired or hurt, you won’t get far on a bike

There are things we can do to a bicycle to make it a true bug out bike, though:

-          lights: mounting even a basic headlight will let you travel at night. I like the Bell Radian series. The lights are cheap, easy to mount and take off, and light up the road pretty well

-          cargo: a rack and/or basket does wonders for the cargo capacity of a bike.

-          a pump and a repair kit: these are very important for long distance trips, for obvious reasons

-          a trailer: yes, you can get a trailer. Even one of those baby-hauling trailers can fit a lot of stuff (or a small child)

When outfitting a bug out bicycle, you have to be aware of the fact that you’re limiting yourself enormously. In most cases, a motor vehicle is a much better choice for a bug out vehicle. There are only a few situations where I think a bike makes more sense.

1)      Earthquake aftermath – if roads are so torn up that cars can’t get through, a bike may be the only option.

2)      Evacuation traffic: if a high impact event like a tsunami is about to occur and an evacuation has been ordered, the streets and highways in your area may be jammed with people and at a standstill. A bug out bicycle may be better than a bug out car in this case.

I hope this has been a helpful article. Please visit my website for more info about how to put together a bug out bicycle

About the Author

My name is Ivan Korogod and I run a blog about how to buy and outfit a bug out vehicle for under $2500

SunLite Monostay Rear Bike Rack – Installation

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