Now that I’m almost done finalizing my wardrobe for the apocalypse, I’m evaluating my preferred mode of bicycle transportation. Ever since Jan Heine published The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles, a pictorial history of French bicycles and builders, I’ve been a fan of “porteur” style bicycles. This 1947 Alex Singer, for example, is a stunner. Aside from delivering newspapers, the porteur would be well suited for transporting quantities of food and supplies over long distances in trying times.
In play form, I participate in the sport of randonneuring which is a practice way of preparing for the apocalypse by bicycle. Randonneurs ride for hours, even days, following a cryptic cue sheet directing left and right turns, as dictated by the Department of Defense or Dr. Strangelove. Our rando bikes are semi-slimmed down versions of the standard porteur model. Here’s a link to friend Peg’s new Tony Peirera. And here is Winter Bicycles latest “Audax” model (to debut at the San Diego Custom Bicycle Show).
In lieu of a porteur or brevet bike, I might opt for the fixed gear hauler friend Rick and I test rode at Clever Cycles in Portland, Oregon (photo below). The Clever Cycles hauler would work perfectly for mission critical cargo transports–as long as post-apocalypitc conditions did not force us into hilly territories or escape scenarios which required ultra rapid transport.
Another role model
great post! my mom, stephanie who emailed you. got a bike from clever cycles.
Hey Foster. Which bike did she get–Brompton, Dutch City Bike or X? It’s a great shop. I have enough photos for a future Archival Fieldtrip sequence.
I’m looking out for patterns for that logger’s smock.
LL
She has the Dutch City bike. It was a complete impulse buy. its just sitting in our garage unfortunately.
I protest, it is just aging like a bottle of wine right now. I was not thinking of doing hills though when I boughtit and if I need to get out of where I am now fast I will have to opt for my beater 18 gear. the bike I got was the grandma. I can ride it no hands for blocks of flat lands. It is a bummer to put on my bike rack.
Those Clever Cycles dutch city bikes are great. But yes, they do do best on flat as a pancake terrain. Foster, we need to see some photos.
i disagree about dutch bikes doing best on flat terrain. they are even better on moderate downhill grades, a quality they share with almost every other bike, but to an even greater degree.
the oma/grandma we carry has a low/granny (get it?) gear of 25 inches. plenty low for the volcano we live on and haul our kid, groceries, 50lb. chicken feed, etc. up on a daily basis: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleverchimp/2984697037/ . just saying.
what do you do for zombie avoidance? We’ll have a GREAT conversation on Saturday…
I had a bike for a while that I called the Armageddon Bike. I lived in DC, and always knew that if the stuff hit the fan, the only viable option would be to get on a bike and head for West Virginia. This was, perhaps, 2001-2005, maybe.
It was right in line with some of your picks…an old steel mtb w/ high-up bars, low gears, big front and rear racks, big tires and fenders, etc.