Posted by Vlad
on August 3, 2009, 5:18 pm
After SHTF not many bike riders will
will wear skintight spandex and warp
five helmets. They will get plenty
of exercise just trying to catch
something to eat. The bicycle with
or without trailer will replace
the pickup truck.
If you carry loads of 250 lbs or more
on wheels with aluminum rims
before long something breaks.
Under my 280 lbs three aluminum rims
- one Alessa 559-22 and two Sun Mammoth
(unmarked)- and numerous spokes broke.
Four years ago my pal who weighs 220
bought a new Fuji bike and has yet to
break a rim or spoke.
For about $100 you can make a sturdy bicycle
to carry heavy loads by installing
a wheelset of thick steel wheels with
11 gage (0.120"
spokes rated at 400 GVW.
As much of the load is on the rear wheel
you may get by with replacing only
the rear wheel, and putting bulky but light
objects on rack over front wheel.
Husky industrial bicycle offers these wheels:
http://www.huskybicycles.com/index2.html
WHEEL 26x2.125 rear coaster brake, 120g, steel (HD-120)
Code:500-222 Price: $42.00
WHEEL 26x2.125 front, 120-g spokes (HD-120), steel
Code:500-230 Price: $27.00
BTW my pal who lives in San Antonio rode my
bikes with airfree tires and liked them. I urged
him to ask the local bicycle shop owner there his
opinion of airfree tires. The nice man, who
sells tires and tubes and charges $10 to fix
a flat, gravely warned him that airfree tires
ride like a sack of rocks and will break his
rims and spokes. My pal asked which airfree
tire he had bought, and if he returned the
tire for full refund. The LBS man then admitted
that he had never ridden on an airfree tire
-- but every schoolboy knows they are no
damned good. (I use the same two Sierra Unidirectional high resilient +30% airfree tires on my Trek since Sep 2004. No problems yet.)
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