Get me home bicycle

[Hamradioop]

there is a Raleigh 160 on ebay near to me, is that a reasonable choice Jansman?

[jansman]

I am not familiar with that model. I would say go and look. Check it fits you. Does it look sound? Put the brakes on and move the front wheel back and forth. Can you feel the headset rocking? That is the part between the handlebars and top of the front forks. You will need to do it but you will know. Are the brakes sound? Tyres? Is the price right? If so, sounds good. Many bikes are woefully underused, so can be a real bargain.

[jansman]

I should have said, if the headset rocks, it needs adjusting/or is knackered.

[featherstick]

there is a Raleigh 160 on ebay near to me, is that a reasonable choice Jansman?

Raleigh Pioneers are not bad utility bikes on the whole, but check it out thoroughly for bent wheels, headset, lateral play in the pedals, and excess wear in the sprockets - if the teeth are worn or the pitch between them is longer than it is deep. Those are the expensive repairs.

[Selkie]

I've been thinking about transport after an event,my worst case scenario would be a EMP or similar while away from home. As a working Engineer I'm often up to a 100 miles distant from home, my van is equipped with a “Get me home” bag containing most of the usual things, but in the case of EMP it could be a long walk, so a bicycle would be ideal.

What type, simple and straight forward for general use, with panniers to carry say 3 days worth of food and shelter .

Question is, what could I pack on a bike that could be stored long term ( Hopefully) in a box in the back of a van.

Hi Mongrel

I think given the area that I believe you cover you are probably the person best able to decide what bicycle is going to cope and what you would be comfortable with for cycling any distance. It may be a mistake to choose a folder which provides more room when a cycle you are well used to provides more comfort and the positive psychological feelings knowing a machine inside out has.
There are people more qualified to answer this than me regards prepping but ... since you don't want to tire yourself out as has been said and you don't have much space why not go for storing the 5 C's, clothes to protect you from heat & cold, a sleeping bag, repair kit for the bike,mini first aid kit for you and something like kendal mint cake and maggis noodles if you can squeeze them in.
Best wishes and all...

Selkie

[alwayscross]

Nothing expensive, keep it slim and light. Just a random list so feel free to take as you want, hope it helps. Bike maintenance kit, water bottle, snacks, wet wipes, multi tool, bic lighter, dust mask, goggles, helmet, knee/elbow pads, medical items, sleeping mat, bug spray, fold away back pack. That's really all I think is needed, maybe something you could think of. This way you can sleep, eat/drink, keep protected, keep the bugs away, keep the bike maintained and a form of carry if by foot.

[Hoipoloi]

Any further with this Mongrel? It's been 9 months now..........

I carry my bike trailer in a roof box on my van. My INCH rucksack will go in that on the back of the bike.
If the van fails I'll take to the bike. If that fails the rucksack goes on my back.

[Selkie]

Hi Hoipoloi

Cunning plan.

So far there has been some mention of not ladening yourself down so as to not tire yourself out; now you mention a rucksack and a trailer. I know myself when I used them both for work I would carry my kit on my back in a small wetsac and the bulky stuff in the trailer. In reality it never tired me out but it could be a beggar to park.

A solid trailer is also a handy box to store your kit in; I think mine also has a cover somewhere, it is a while since I used it. I believe someone may have appropriated it as a log box......

I have my own bicycle situation to consider; would you rekon that a trailer was more practical than loading the bike with paniers for carrying kit.

[Hoipoloi]

I have my own bicycle situation to consider; would you rekon that a trailer was more practical than loading the bike with paniers for carrying kit.

I take the view that any form of transport can be compromised and as such I try to allow for redundancy in my preps.
I have a caravan that I tow with my self-build campervan, if anything happened to the caravan then I would resort to the campervan which is well set up for survival. If diesel becomes a problem or mechanical failure means the campervan is a 'no-go' then I would move to the bike and trailer.
Now, to get to the bike set-up, if the bike is damaged beyond repair then it's down to travel by foot and carrying your kit by hand in panniers just isn't going to work so everything from the bike onwards is carried in a rucksack (Wisport Racoon) hence the need for a trailer. I do have panniers as there is stuff that is needed for bike travel but not hiking such as bike spares and tools, a larger water bottle, camo net etc. Also in the panniers are items that I would use first like more food, a hexamine cooker (until it runs out of tablets).
At the bottom of the list I would be walking with the rucksack and a 20L drybag.

[Selkie]

Thanks for the clarification Hoipoloi