To look into the future, we only have to visit the past, and how other cultures adapt to their circumstances. Long ago and far away, I lived just south of Copenhagen, Denmark for a while, and then on the oldest and once largest farm still standing on the Island of Bornholm that was first in Swedish territory, and then Danish territory. The farm had been established in the 1700s. In the end, I was so immersed in the culture and language that locals did not believe I was an American. More often than not, given my accent, they thought I was a transplanted Swede.
Part of me will always live in Denmark. You may recall the old song, ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’. I left mine in Denmark — a Denmark that is no more.
Two-Wheeled Transportation in Europe
The disposable income for the average European was once less than it was for the average American, and it may yet be lower again soon. I purchased my first car myself at age 14 for only $149, as it was legal for 14 years olds to drive in Montana at that time back in the 1970s. I was already working on cars by the time I purchased my first, and when few Europeans used automobiles for most of their transportation needs, and typically not until their mid 20s, if even then. The early mopeds and bicycles of that time from the 1960s through the 1980s, and those at that time of my experience in the late 1970s were simple and rugged machines, so it was a cinch to repair or modify them.
How Europeans travel then and today is very much different than the American experience and life that is centered around the use of automobiles. The typical mode of transportation in Northern Europe, in particular in countries that are flat such as Denmark and Holland is of course, the bicycle. For some, it was a moped. Of course now it is the E-bike instead of the moped, if it is the more practical choice over a bicycle. Soon, the bicycle will once again dominate as it did post WW2 as the most used and useful means of transportation in Europe, and soon, in the good old U.S. of A. That is, of course, if they do not drop the ‘bomb’, the A-bomb, that is.
Bicycles in Denmark
Denmark is mostly flat land, but on Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic, there was much wind and rolling terrain making the moped or E-bike a worthwhile investment. Even in the age of E-bikes, I suspect the following can still be seen. Bicycles in town were often very sturdy and these heavy older models were typically single speeds and designed to transport heavy loads locally between business. Modern multi-speed bicycles are now the norm and E-bikes have replaced mopeds. In Denmark, the tallest hill did not exceed 600 feet. Given the Danish sense of humor, I am not surprised that it is named Heaven’s Mountain.
Do As the Amish?
How Amercians will travel will radically change in the near future. Some of us will increasingly live and travel as do the local Amish in my area. Most Amish, in particular the young, now predominantly use bicycles, and older folks tend to use a horse and buggy or cart. Upon marriage, the horse and wagon can be seen driven by the young couple as that is what they can afford.
By age 9, I had my own horse and I had many horses into my late 30s. I prefer horses, but they are now relatively expensive unless supported by a farm. And horses are dangerous if one is not well acquainted with them. My maternal grandfather supported a family of 10 during the Great Depression by working a 100 acre farm with a team of horses. My mother raised me like the hillbilly she was. Essentially, that side of the family lived and worked as if they were in the 1880s.
They were poorer and had it tougher than the modern day Amish and they could not afford to purchase a bicycle. At heart, I am a hillbilly and farmer, and I am very comfortable when in the presence of Amish. I suggest we do as the Amish in the future, but we had best buy bicycles before we can no longer afford them as demand will create scarcity that would drive up prices. Used bicycles in Montana are dirt cheap as we speak.
Back to Europe, Life on Mopeds and Bicycles
During my two years in Europe, I was well acquainted with bicycles and then purchased old mopeds in Ronne, Denmark that is located on the Danish Island of Bornholm. Where the term ‘moped’ is used, one can replace it with the term ‘bicycle’ as both are nearly interchangeable in purpose and function. Yet there is a difference. A moped is a gasoline fueled miniature motorcycle that does not require registration or the driver to be licensed in Europe and the U.S. To qualify for the exemption, it must have bicycle pedals, and cannot have a motor with a combustion chamber larger than 49 cc. And it must not be capable of exceeding 25 mph on the flat stretches of road or bicycle paths.
While on the farm, I purchased broken mopeds and hauled them from town 14 kilomegters away to the farm using another moped and repairing them to sell them in an attempt to make some pocket change. Because in America I had begun repairing motor vehicles by age 14, I was well able to repair bicycles and mopeds. I rode a moped even during the winter and covered approximately 2,000 miles on a moped on the island of Bornholm. On mainland Denmark, I rode a bicycle. Bornholm, BTW, would be a good retreat location for Scandinavians. Yet that would be a topic for another article.
On the Danish farm, before the next snow fall arrived, we would head for town for the last minute shopping for groceries. The best way to transport broken mopeds from Ronne, Bornholm, or to bring back to the farm a large supply of groceries was to attach an old cart used normally for farm work onto the backside of a moped with a rope directly attaching it to the moped. There was no bus service and we could individually not afford a taxi. Occasionally, and if the snow was deep, we would all chip in for a taxi and fill the taxi up in town with groceries.
The Puch Maxi moped invented and built by the Austrians is a tough work horse. It remained a very popular moped well into the 1980s as a result. Using a high mileage, well beaten and rusted Puch Maxi, we hauled another moped on top of a heavy trailer with this brand and model moped that had a flat rear driving tire through the driving wind and rain nearly 14km without damaging the moped. Occasionally these can be found in the U.S. for sale.
Parts are available and affordable
An E-bike or motorized bicycle is not built as ruggedly as the Puch Maxi. I currently own only one vintage 70cc Suzuki, a small motorcycle that would be tougher than a Puch Maxi. It is built for dirt bike racing. Small vintage motorcycles in very good condition would be a good substitute, yet these will require additional maintenance or complete restoration due to their advanced age. The Honda Trail 90 comes to mind as an example of a practical choice, yet vintage motorcycles are now fetching a premium and spare parts are getting hard to find.
Even as fuel efficient as mopeds are, the most fuel efficient mopeds can only go 80 to 100 miles on a gallon of gas. And they will require an investment in spare parts and maintenance to keep them on the road. ATVs are not nearly as fuel efficient as one might suppose and these advanced machines are not easily repaired by a novice mechanic. Yet mopeds, or bicycles, and even E-bikes would be less expensive than a horse. The winner in this lineup is in my estimation and experience, is the bicycle.
In the Present
Given this European experience and fast forwarding to current times, as a prepper of 20 years, I’ve stock piled many bicycles of different types that were purchased a rock bottom prices from thrift stores or yard sales in a range of $5 to no more than $25 each as was the most recent purchase.
I bought a modern mountain bike in good condition that currently sells new at WalMart for around $200. At $25, I received a huge discount for the dust and a little rust on the bike. I will as soon as possible buy replacement tires and 4 inner tubes, even though the current rubber is still good. Inexpensive rubber tires and tubes will not last nearly as long as the premium bicycle tires and tubes. The clock was run down and still running as the rubber deteriorate with age when I purchased this bicycle that is already several years old.
Because it has an articulated rear wheel and suspension and good tires, I improved the bike to make it my new Bug Out Bike by adding an articulated luggage rack of my own design, adding a like new set of panniers (saddle bags), and a large rectangular ice box made from nylon fabric to hold a sleeping bag and sleeping pad on top of the luggage rack. The narrow seat was replaced with a wide and cushy seat from an unneeded exercise bike. And a medium sized bag was attached above the front wheel.
The cost of the completed project was less than $50 because I could use parts from other bicycles already purchased, and purchased typically for no more than $10 each. And there are still plenty of good parts and tires remaining on these parts bikes.
Backpacks and Old Age
At my age and in my physical condition, carrying a backpack is the last option, and is not a good one. I know how to pack a backpack well and lightly, yet those days are over. In Montana where temperature extremes and swings can exceed 50 degrees not having the clothing or adequate sleeping accommodation such as a heavy sleeping bag, hypothermia is a serious possibility.
I have witnessed temperature drops of 70 degrees in the month of August. This means one should pack for cold weather even during the summer as it is all about maintaining a body temperature of 98.7 degrees especially when threat conditions during a collapse of the country would prohibit the use of fire to stay warm in a super shelter that is comprised of visqueen plastic sheeting and a large mylar reflecting surface to reflect the radiation from the fire back inside the shelter. This is the extreme lightweight option for cold weather survival at night.
The Bicycle As A Bug Out Vehicle
My feet are going bad and there is no way I would get far with only a 30 pound pack that is not adequate for cold weather operations. However, it is amazing how much additional life preserving gear and weight can be hauled on a bike. We can travel four times as far or four times faster, and move four more times the gear or weight in relative comfort, and use half the calories to get there.
Last spring, it was necessary for medical reasons to fast for nearly three weeks. It was more or less a Daniel’s fast. I did so without much discomfort and continued to do light physical work for pay during that time. The amount of food in the form of Mountain House dehydrated foods and other types that is in one side of the panniers could keep me in the field for a long time. Fats, and oils are most concentrated form of calories, and meat protein (in powdered form such as jerky, powdered egg and powdered milk) could keep one stronger than other sources of calories that tend to be bulkier, yet lighter in weight, yet lower in essential nutrition.
From personal experience, I have found that the body can remain strong and become stronger during a long period of time, measured in many months, when deprived of calories, but only if fed with highly dense in nutrition foods, in particular, meat sources of protein that is the highest quality food.
The bicycle makes it possible to go with heavier and more desirable options such as fats and oils and meat protein, preferably dehydrated. And the relatively bulky and heavy Katadyn pump type water filter that is far superior to the straw type filters can also be carried alongside an extra one gallon of water and an alcohol stove with one quart of fuel.
These two items, the Katadyn and stove, are very important if one would be as stealthy as possible during a collapse. One must not use a camp fire to boil or cook food lest they be easily detected. I carry trioxane fuel tabs in the emergency pack for that reason. They are key in a non-permissive environment. And because of this capability one can stay closer to a water source and not be forced deeper into the woods, so that a camp fire might go unnoticed.
With the extra one gallon of water in reserve, we can avoid detection by reducing our dependence on a water source by half. That is we only have to visit a water source every two days instead of every day. And because the bike affords one the ability to carry four times or more as much supplies and equipment, the odds of surviving a trek to a bugout location or alternative location is greatly increased.
Additional gear that would be important might include a full sized backpack (empty), and web gear that holds a few 30 round magazines and emergency survival gear that in miniature duplicates the essentials for life that allows one to ditch their entire outfit, and escape the danger at a moments notice, and possibly return fire after an escape to take back our life preserving supplies that would be stolen.
If traveling in a dangerous environment, I would wear this gear (think Escape and Evasion) at all times, even when sleeping up against a tree. A bicycle is the ideal bug out vehicle if the roads are too dangerous to travel or if one’s vehicle becomes disabled for any reasons, or is unable to get past a checkpoint or block road.
I would have three options for every essential function, or in this case traveling modes and routes that are a Primary, Alternative, Contingency and Emergency (PACE) routes and four methods of travel in descending order of importance: motor vehicle, bicycle, and on foot towing a golf cart bag carrier (back pack), and only as an emergency would dictates, a backpack on the back, no cart.
Behind my bicycle, I will haul a three wheeled golf cart with pneumatic tires that is much narrower than a trailer and has the ground clearance for rougher terrain and narrow trails should I have to traverse game trails by either bicycle and trailer, or on foot hauling a loaded backpack on the golf cart.
This cart is collapsible and has a locking emergency brake. If temporarily in very difficult terrain where few would pursue a victim, I would put the back pack on and carry the folded golf cart over obstacles. In an emergency, my load bearing equipment will have SERE gear that is alway on my body, but if time permits, I would reduce the contents that are in the main pack that was to be conveyed on the cart, and put it on my back (Emergency means).
The main pack should be long enough to conceal a semi-automatic magazine fed rifle that is fully assembled and ready for action. Of course, AR-15 and AR-10 rifles can be quickly assembled, reducing the depth requirement of the main pack if the threat conditions are so generous.
Bicycles are More Than Transportation
As a mechanic, I see my large supply of old bikes not as useless, but as parts supply that can be used to maintain many bikes and to create or improve upon a bicycle or to create a machine that can be used to power many mechanical devices. This is relatively easy to do.
As examples, with bicycle parts we can pump water in several ways such as turning a 1930s pump jack, to turning a Country Living Grain Mill, or a one-wire GM alternator, or to turn a Dankoff water pump head indirectly. I’ve made a Dankoff transfer pump using a replacement pump head for Dankoff Slow Pumps, by coupling it with an inexpensive 12vdc electric motor.
Using a bicycle to turn a treadmill motor (regulated by a solar charge controller), or a one wire GM alternator (regulated by what is called a Buck/Boost voltage and current regulator), that would then send power that is regulated to 6vdc, so that the pump head is not overheated by exceeding 900 RPM or the pump’s maximum output rating in gallons per minute. By this means, without batteries, solar or gasoline fuel, we can pump water by peddling a bike.
I have several spare pump heads for my Dankoff Solar Power Slow Pump, so the additional cost of this pump was less than $50 to build. The frame was fabricated using very heavy aluminum industrial grade cooking sheets that also function as a heat sink, and inexpensive surplus motors (buy spares) found online. There is an on-line specialty outlet for surplus electric motors for every imaginable application.
If one has only crude tools that allow them to fabricate, bicycle parts and pieces can be used in many ways to reduce or replace the need for fuel or solar power to create many labor saving devices. The ability to cut and weld steel can open up the possibility to fabricate trailers or other.
Lessons From Europe and Asia
As we can see from life in Europe, past and present, and life in Asia, two wheeled transportation is dominant as it is affordable and useful. I have personally used the two wheel transportation option as a primary or daily means in several important ways.
Only as the living standard in Asia rose has the typical Asian been able to purchase an automobile. As our country is clearly and seriously in decline. Our declining standard of living will require us to reinvent the two wheeled options already well known in most of the rest of the world.
And we can see that the bicycle was enormously important during several wars from WW1 and WW2 for the German Army, the Viet Minh, and the Viet Cong. The bicycle simply works, and can be adapted or made stronger to haul baggage or heavy weapons if need be while the operator walks alongside the bicycle instead of riding it.
It can be used in most terrain to move up to 500 pounds per bicycle as guided by the operator, or used to haul 500 pounds by the rider on flat terrain, or if motorized, further and faster, the same weight. Logistics are key and that is why certain armies of the past used the lowly bicycle to move man and machine. Invest accordingly. I expect my supply of bicycles and spare parts will become a premium barter stock.
For further study, the following is a short list of articles written as long ago as 2007. These are found in SuvivalBlog’s online archive or on the SurvivalBlog Archive USB memory stick where I found these articles. Enter the title in the search box on the blog or on another search engine, or in the case of the USB memory stick, in the search box after opening the archive.