Any thoughts here on configuring the best bug out bike?

(or bugging in, as has been noted before, bikes would be priceless in some urban disaster scenarios in which roads are blocked by fallen trees or fuel is scarce.)

Do you start with a road bike? Mountain? Hybrid?

Frame preference? Steel?

I only have mountain bikes. Terrific for where I ride but the knobby tires would be slower on miles of pavement.

Pull a trailer? Panniers? Basket? Backpack?

Not THE answer, but here is one guys idea. Sycip Custom Bicycle Messenger Bike.

I like my bike for this app: Cro-Moly frame & fork, road bike derailleurs (Shimano whatever), mountain bike headset and tires that can do well on pavement because you'll mostly ride pavement, but not so narrow like dedicated road bike tires. I like the Slickasaurus, but there are other tires that also fit the job description -- wide enough but easy rolling.

When I first rode my bike in Alexandria, VA I got on those cobblestones on Prince Street near Union and that sold me on the wide slicks. Dedicated road tires don't do well with ruts, train tracks and other road hazards. Wider tires are much more forgiving IMO.

I wouldn't mind a Moulton Pylon but with the Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed Internal-Gears and a Brooks Ti Saddle and some upgraded pedals for a BOBike.

I won't even drive on those streets.

Dang.

Just learn to ride your bike over the cobblestones like these old timers on their racing bicycles.

That is so interesting, Izzy. I'd never heard of that before. I Googled and that attack commenced one hour and twenty minutes before Pearl Harbor.

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/articles/singapore.aspx

"...the Japanese had issued their soldiers thousands of bicycles. Western Malaya had good hard surfaced roads, and the Japanese soldiers rode down them, as much as twenty hours at a stretch. The Japanese had sold many bicycles in Malaya before the war, so they were able to find parts and repairs in most towns and villages. When they could no longer repair the tires, they rode on the rims...."


http://www.ibiblio.net/hyperwar/PTO/RisingSun/BicycleBlitz/index.html#III

"...bicycles rather than horses as a means of troop and light material transportation. This decision allowed the foot soldiers to travel farther, faster, and with less fatigue. Due to the vast number of rivers on the Malay peninsula, and the British propensity to destroy the more than 250 bridges they crossed during their retreat, bicycles allowed the infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders,or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.

The British could not escape the troops on bicycles."

Another tire you may want to check is the Continental Travel Contact Tire -- semi-slick, good reviews w/ 5 star rating at REI (that's good BTW).

Those certainly would be a nicer ride on pavement.

We do bikejoring in snow, on the Mall and the C&O so need the knobbies for that. I suppose they'd eventually wear down on pavement.

Interesting to see the 72 year old British Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub gear design is still in use even today and still working after 90,000 miles use.

I would avoid the extremes in both road and mountain bike designs.

The extreme in road bikes are designed to be ridden tucked in and their tires are extremely thin to cut wind and rolling resistance on a hard-smooth surface. Gearing tends to be focused on speed with only a limited low end. Extreme mountain bikes are quite acrobatic and rugged but they can be a pain to ride any distance and quite cramped and their gearing is mostly low-end for acceleration and climbing. Mountain bikes are often so short that it is impossible to mount accessories like cargo racks and panniers without interfering with petal motion and/or steering. Neither style are known for their comfort or ability to carry cargo.

What you need, IMHO, is a hybrid/touring bike. Something that can be ridden in a fairly upright posture for situational awareness. Wheel size should be fairly large. Tires should have enough width so they don't sink into soft ground. With both enough tread to get traction in mud and sand and but narrow enough with high enough air pressure to be acceptably efficient on pavement. A stiff ridge down the center to allow it to be smooth on hard surfaces is good.

Touring bikes typically have provisions and frame length for panniers, front and back if need be, and racks for bulky objects. The frame on a touring bike will be a bit longer to accommodate these while allowing you to ride and petal without your feet running into the panniers and/or racks or steering being an issue.

Moderation in design, raggedness, simplicity, but with fair efficiency is what I would go for. I would also avoid a bike that looks too nice or is obviously expensive. Having other decide they want it more than you do is not good. An ugly and distinctive paint job might help.

I would start with a simple chrome-moly steel frame. Cheap simple, tough and reliable. I would invest in the crank, gears, derailer and brakes. Heresy to racers I would invest in a good stand, one that works on soft ground. I have had luck with a 'frame-stand', a tiny and light unit that flips down and locks the front wheel making the bike much more stable.