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They are more complicated to repair. But they are also more resilient. Broken glass is less likely to disable them. If you have a fairly new car and you can

They are more complicated to repair. But they are also more resilient. Broken glass is less likely to disable them. If you have a fairly new car and you can get fuel, you might be able to travel thousands of miles without a repair. And they come with a spare tire. And you can carry tools and extra oil and a mechanic.

astrodust 14y ago
If all hell is breaking loose, I'll ride on the rims of some crappy old bike rather than plod along with a backpack.
- ygra 14y ago
  That probably lasts just a few km before the rims are broken ;-)
kragen 14y ago
I'm skeptical. FWIW, you can carry more spare inner tubes on a bike than spare tires on a car, and although I've had bike inner tubes punctured by goatheads, maladjusted brake pads, tacks, and a burr on a spoke nipple that cut its way through my improvised post-apocalyptic rim strip made of electrical tape, I don't think I've ever had a broken-glass puncture. I think both bikes and cars have highly variable resiience to hostile conditions. You can get bikes with big fat BMX tires, put Kevlar strips and thick inner tubes inside, and pour in a bit of Slime, and you probably don't have to worry much about punctures or pinch flats or blowouts, unless you have misadjusted rim brakes like the ones I mentioned before. And there are plenty of cars that aren't fairly new and can't travel even dozens of miles without a repair.
- ygra 14y ago
  The last puncture I had was on the rim-side of the inner tube and probably was there when I bought the bike. Before that ... I think that was years ago. Most touring bikes these days also come with tyres that have a puncture-preventing layer [1]. Racing bicycles are probably not well-suited for post-apocalyptic duty. But as far as repair equipment goes, I think I think a bicycle repair kit (should be good for half a dozen punctures and they last years) and a multitool (for removing wheels and the like) should suffice for a lot, even if certain occasions need special tools. ____ [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlarreifen.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlarreifen.jpg
  - masklinn 14y ago
    > Most touring bikes these days also come with tyres that have a puncture-preventing layer And "airless" tires are starting to appear as well. > Racing bicycles are probably not well-suited for post-apocalyptic duty. Probably not, a touring or XC-type mountain bike is probably a better idea (or an hybrid, more efficient than an XC but with more "all terrains" abilities than a straight touring bike).
    - kragen 14y ago
      Airless tires are quite a lot older than pneumatic tires, actually. But the introduction of the pneumatic tire made bicycles practical for a much wider range of people and uses.
      - masklinn 14y ago
        Yes, I meant airless tires which can actually compete with pneumatic on efficiency and comfort, obviously you could always have a back-breaking full cylinder of rubber.
        kragen 14y ago
        Oh? How do those work? Obviously they're physically possible (you could fill a tire with Utility Fog) but I didn't realize they were yet technically feasible.
        masklinn 14y ago
        Flexible spokes, same principle as Michelin's tweel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel Although they still have the issue outlined in http://www.livestrong.com/article/222689-airless-bicycle-tires-review/ http://www.livestrong.com/article/222689-airless-bicycle-tir... (on the subject of the previous airless generation, using flexible foam instead of rubber fill): shocks can't be spread around as they are in pneumatic tires (where the tire gets overpressured all around and most of the shock's energy is spread around the tire unless it's so big it reaches — and damages — the wheel's rim)

astrodust 14y ago

If all hell is breaking loose, I'll ride on the rims of some crappy old bike rather than plod along with a backpack.

ygra 14y ago
That probably lasts just a few km before the rims are broken ;-)

kragen 14y ago

I'm skeptical. FWIW, you can carry more spare inner tubes on a bike than spare tires on a car, and although I've had bike inner tubes punctured by goatheads, maladjusted brake pads, tacks, and a burr on a spoke nipple that cut its way through my improvised post-apocalyptic rim strip made of electrical tape, I don't think I've ever had a broken-glass puncture. I think both bikes and cars have highly variable resiience to hostile conditions. You can get bikes with big fat BMX tires, put Kevlar strips and thick inner tubes inside, and pour in a bit of Slime, and you probably don't have to worry much about punctures or pinch flats or blowouts, unless you have misadjusted rim brakes like the ones I mentioned before. And there are plenty of cars that aren't fairly new and can't travel even dozens of miles without a repair.

ygra 14y ago
The last puncture I had was on the rim-side of the inner tube and probably was there when I bought the bike. Before that ... I think that was years ago. Most touring bikes these days also come with tyres that have a puncture-preventing layer [1]. Racing bicycles are probably not well-suited for post-apocalyptic duty. But as far as repair equipment goes, I think I think a bicycle repair kit (should be good for half a dozen punctures and they last years) and a multitool (for removing wheels and the like) should suffice for a lot, even if certain occasions need special tools. ____ [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlarreifen.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlarreifen.jpg
- masklinn 14y ago
  > Most touring bikes these days also come with tyres that have a puncture-preventing layer And "airless" tires are starting to appear as well. > Racing bicycles are probably not well-suited for post-apocalyptic duty. Probably not, a touring or XC-type mountain bike is probably a better idea (or an hybrid, more efficient than an XC but with more "all terrains" abilities than a straight touring bike).
  - kragen 14y ago
    Airless tires are quite a lot older than pneumatic tires, actually. But the introduction of the pneumatic tire made bicycles practical for a much wider range of people and uses.
    - masklinn 14y ago
      Yes, I meant airless tires which can actually compete with pneumatic on efficiency and comfort, obviously you could always have a back-breaking full cylinder of rubber.
      - kragen 14y ago
        Oh? How do those work? Obviously they're physically possible (you could fill a tire with Utility Fog) but I didn't realize they were yet technically feasible.
        masklinn 14y ago
        Flexible spokes, same principle as Michelin's tweel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel Although they still have the issue outlined in http://www.livestrong.com/article/222689-airless-bicycle-tires-review/ http://www.livestrong.com/article/222689-airless-bicycle-tir... (on the subject of the previous airless generation, using flexible foam instead of rubber fill): shocks can't be spread around as they are in pneumatic tires (where the tire gets overpressured all around and most of the shock's energy is spread around the tire unless it's so big it reaches — and damages — the wheel's rim)