Let's talk BICYCLES!

[vision-master]

Why do you ppl ride these old clunkers?

NOTE: New SUV seen with Huffy on back. 

Good luck overhauling your hydraulic fork and brakes in a PO world. You should read the ENTIRE thread.

Brian

But I have some old school forks with rubber bumpers and an extra fork (parts) for future repairs. Rock Shox Indy SL's.....
Also, the Cannondale M300 is in wait..

[Chip Haynes]

And I guess you could ride that hi-tech mountain bike with a dead suspension.

 

[vision-master]

And I guess you could ride that hi-tech mountain bike with a dead suspension.

 

C above.

[Chip Haynes]

Hey, nice rigid mountain bike!

Just the thing for those post-oil jaunts into the countryside.

[booter]

Buy a 'hardtail' mountain bike and mount a pair of 'skinny' treaded tires (26 X 1-1.25") for the best union of on-road speed / off-road stability.  If you can find a 'rigid' fork for the front end, you'll save wear & tear on all your component bearings, whatever advantage you gain from a suspension fork, you lose in energy making the suspension work.  A 'BIG FAT' front tire is 'cheap suspension' for your bike.  Do yourself a favor, WTSHTF and your bike becomes your primary form of transport, you'll be putting in some serious mileage so your body/bike interface will be VERY! VERY!! IMPORTANT!!!  Get yourself to a 'Pro Shop' and have an accurate fitting setup done for the efficiency you'll need in the coming times, not to mention when your mileage increases, you will increase your risk of injury from a badly fitted bike setup.  Remember you may not have the luxury of being able to go to a Treating Physician/Emergency Room, for your medical care!       

[Chip Haynes]

I've often thought that the perfect wheel/tire size is the English 26 x 1 3/8th. (The classic English three speed.) But I also have a nice five-speed bike that runs on American 26 x 1.75 road tires, and it is a delight as well.

You have to balance high pressure/low rolling resistance with grip and comfort.

(Says the guy who pedaled to work today on seriously harsh 20 x 1.50 100psi tires.)

 

[fingo]

i  vote for any  or 3speed commuter bicycle.

i saw people pedaling these even on dirt roads in cambodia so it's doable.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZhFOCNlQa-lKXWhUyfyFEg?feat=directlink

see photo i took in the bubble's early heyday... summer 2004

[fingo]

from above link

[Chip Haynes]

The trick with the three-speeds (as it is with almost any bicycle), is to make sure you have gears you can use. For the most part, that means lowering the gears the bike came with. On a any internally-geared bike (one and three-speeds) that can be as simple as swapping out the rear cog for one larger. That can make all the difference in the bike's rideability and comfort.

[booter]

As with anything, things will eventually wear out so plan accordingly.  Starting with the consumables; tires & tubes (if you can find artist's liquid latex to paint the tire with completely as a preservative or else they will dry out & crack, take the tubes out of the boxes & dust with tire talc stored unfolded and loosely in a ziploc, or else they will rot & decay from the creases) place everything in triple large trash bags & store in a cool - dark location, don't store anything on top of this! the rubber is too soft.  Purchase: bulk cable housing, gear & brake, along with replacement inner cables for both, chains & rear cluster sprockets (most riders ride only with a few favorite gears, look for wear patterns) the thing is chains & clusters develop wear patterns and NEED to be replaced together at the same time or else whatever the new component is will wear out right away!  If you can ask your local bike shop, you should be able to find the appropriate freewheel body for you hubset, when this wears out there's now way to repair it, you should be able to find the parts you need from takeoff / crashed / outdated bikes.  Spare spokes & nipples for the: front wheel, and 2 sizes for the rear wheel (the right/cluster side of the rear hub is 1mm. shorter than the other side, "doesn't sound like much but believe me it is"), a spare set of wheels is the best especially if you have multiple bikes, the more interchangability between bikes the better, with different tire tread styles on your spare wheels you can swap out to save wear & tear on tires/bearings.  Also if you can keep a dedicated chain with each rear wheel/cluster things will last a lot longer (the front sprockets don't wear out as fast or the same as the rear 'rings), do yourself a favor and buy a good chain breaker (with extra pins) have a reliable mechanic teach you his tricks as to how to use it, then get an old chain and PRACTICE, you have to get a feel for how far to push the pins 'both in & out'.  Have & use the: proper tools, lubricants & grease, cleaning solvents, perform regular & preventative maintenance, you never know how long you'll need to (on the plus side you'll pick up a necessary new skill/trade which could prove invaluable) if you are really far thinking and can afford it, you could buy enough to be able to barter & trade in the future.

My background goes way back when I was a kid I taught myself to wrench on bikes, I've worked as a cycling team mechanic for the: U.S. Pan-Am Teams, U.S. & Brazillian Olympic Teams, 8 years working with the Kona IronMan as the Tech Inspector, 4 years as the Service Manager for the old Mammoth/Kamikaze mtn. bike races at the mtn. bike park, which I helped establish.  "Not bragging, just laying down my creds."             

[Chip Haynes]

I do take some small comfort in knowing that we had bicycles before oil was such big deal (or even a medium deal), so I do expect to see bicycles still out there and working for a very long time after the oil gets ugly.

I hope.