[Kromm]

I'd call bicycle infantry Mounted Rifles (p. 21). Bicycles are different from beasts, but the net effect is the same: You can carry more and move faster, but you need more logistic support. Comparing MR to ordinary Riflemen:

† Mounted Rifles get Mounted mobility to the Riflemen's Foot mobility. This is a +50% speed increase, giving +1 in the Reconnaissance Contest. Nothing else changes here, so bike troops will win the Contest more often than they lose. They will most often have the initiative, which lets them make the battle a pitched battle and thus claim a Defense Bonus, most often +1.

† Looking at the TS differences between Mounted Rifles and Riflemen, we're dropping from TS 40 for Riflemen to TS 20 for MR, but picking up Cavalry capability that can provide superiority (via flanking, in this case). In a head-to-head conflict between one element of each, the Riflemen would get +4 for 2:1 relative TS. The MR would get +3 for 5:1 or better Cavalry Superiority, and +1 for DB, or alternatively, for selecting Mobile Defense or Raid to get an extra +1 from Cavalry Superiority. Each side has +4, making them an even match despite the TS difference.

† Looking at the cost differences between Mounted Rifles and Riflemen, we're talking about (100K - 60K)/10 = $4,000 per man to raise and (20K - 12K)/10 = $800 per man to maintain. Interestingly, the Swiss phased out such units in part because of the high cost of the bikes, which are being sold for $1,000 as surplus.