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Old 03-25-2019, 01:45 PM   #11
SteamBub
 
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

https://youtu.be/lYZHvP4tKzU
I think this video is appropriate for the topic on hand.

Jokes aside, bicycles are a lot less maintenance intensive compared to motorcycles. And there are gas motor kits for bicycles if you really need something more with power. Having it run on ethanol and being more simple than a normal engine would be a plus.

And a side note, can't cork be a replacement for rubber tires? Wouldn't lining the outside of a wooden wheel with cork help?

Also most post-apocalyptic fiction usually go by the rule of cool, and bicycles are not cool.
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Old 03-25-2019, 03:37 PM   #12
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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And a side note, can't cork be a replacement for rubber tires? Wouldn't lining the outside of a wooden wheel with cork help?

You'd need something layered on the outside of the cork or it'd only last a few km--cork is soft and crumbly. But leather can do this job.

You'll still be replacing the leather and cork a few times a year.


Something like Nexo tyres cast from natural rubber mixed with soot would actually do a pretty good job and probably last a year each.
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Old 03-25-2019, 03:55 PM   #13
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

The other rather substantial problem is producing bicycle suspension and transmissions. Producing a reasonably modern axle (with ball bearings) is not something you do with cottage industry, and the same goes for a bike chain. You can use a lower tech axle and transmission, of course, but you get rather rapid efficiency loss.
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Old 03-25-2019, 05:50 PM   #14
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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You'd need something layered on the outside of the cork or it'd only last a few km--cork is soft and crumbly. But leather can do this job.

You'll still be replacing the leather and cork a few times a year.


Something like Nexo tyres cast from natural rubber mixed with soot would actually do a pretty good job and probably last a year each.
Or you just cut strips from deflated auto or truck tires, since you're cutting those up for boot soles, anyway.
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Old 03-25-2019, 06:22 PM   #15
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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Or you just cut strips from deflated auto or truck tires, since you're cutting those up for boot soles, anyway.

I hope you've got a grinder or bolt-cutters....
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Old 03-25-2019, 08:26 PM   #16
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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I hope you've got a grinder or bolt-cutters....
Covering a knife or chisel blade in oil helps with everything except the steel belt.
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Old 03-25-2019, 09:55 PM   #17
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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Covering a knife or chisel blade in oil helps with everything except the steel belt.
Aren't tires laced with steel meshing?
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Old 03-25-2019, 10:11 PM   #18
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

Are people still using cars for some inexplicable reason? If the answer if yes then push bikes don't pose a problem.
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Old 03-25-2019, 10:20 PM   #19
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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Aren't tires laced with steel meshing?
That's the steel belt I was referring to. A belt of steel mesh which is a pain in the proverbial to cut.
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Old 03-26-2019, 01:10 AM   #20
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Default Re: [AtE] Bicycling in the Post-Apocalypse

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The other rather substantial problem is producing bicycle suspension and transmissions. Producing a reasonably modern axle (with ball bearings) is not something you do with cottage industry, and the same goes for a bike chain. You can use a lower tech axle and transmission, of course, but you get rather rapid efficiency loss.
That's why I mentioned cannibalizing broken bikes. Keep in mind that in a post scenario, the population is a small fraction of the current one.
Millions of people with billions of bikes. Also, scavenging is rightly a trope.
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