Putting bicycles to work...again

Just Cliff · #1 04/24/10, 07:22 AM

This Quote is from Mr. Hogwallop in The Book of Eli thread

Meh, with the right motivation, people will rediscover the multiple uses of a simple bicycle.

or what you can build out of 4 or 5 of them if you can find/steal a torch.

Even a simple 2 wheeler can truck a good load. The weakest part of the thing is the rider and how out of shape he/she is.

But a few weeks of near starvation and hard work will cure that. Hunger and fear do wonders for an out of shape body.

I agree to a certain point. Has anyone payed attention to the quality of new bicycles?...... Junk. I have been looking for older bicycle parts to build stuff out of and I am unable to find any in my area. I do have a Schwinn Typhoon 2 speed that is older than me that is a great bike.

mellowguy · #2 04/24/10, 08:22 AM

I've often tought of building a 4-wheel bicycle (a "quadcycle" I guess) contraption to truck things around my property, instead of using the ATV + trailer. It's definitely possible, and with off-the-shelf bicycle sprockets, cogs and derailleurs, it would definitely be possible to create a low-torque gearing system that could pull heavy loads slowly and easily.

I agree about the quality of newer bicycles. One would need to plan an almost limitless set of replacement parts.

texican · #3 04/24/10, 10:34 AM

Become friends with waste disposal guys... at our local waste transferral station, there's always a few old bikes piled up. Officially there's a no glean policy, but it's not iron-clad.

If you buy cheap, you get cheap.

There are some bomb proof bikes out there, but they start around 500$ and go up. A prudent fella, if he was wanting a good bike, would get one.... an extra prudent fella would get a couple extra sets of chains, bearings, shifters, etc. I had an expensive mtn. bike that I used for ten years or so, riding through rivers and down mountains... finally couple sets of bearings went out, and never got around to repairing em. Reckon I should order the bearings, new tires and chains...

Scott in Florida Panhandl · #4 04/24/10, 12:20 PM

Was it in Lights Out that he had a bike with an outrigger made to allow riding on the train track? Pretty slick idea.

Just Cliff · #5 04/24/10, 12:56 PM

[QUOTE=texican;4402387]If you buy cheap, you get cheap.QUOTE]

I have been looking at Worksman bicycles. I worked on one years ago when I was a bicycle mechanic. They are tough! Have been threatening to buy a couple plus the spare parts.
http://www.worksman.com/

Wisconsin Ann · #6 04/25/10, 08:04 AM

Since the thigh is the strongest muscle in the body, it makes sense that the bicycle would be a VERY useful object around the home(stead). At the energy fair last year there was an exhibit on various appliances run by someone on a bicycle. Washing machine, blender, mixer, etc...anything that has a rotating center. They also had one hooked up to a series of lightbulbs (well...to a generator creating the electricity for them) to show exercising can charge a series of batteries.

Remember the lights that didn't need batteries? generator lights? They've made a comeback

It's the "new thing!".

oh...TREK bikes has gone retro, btw. They've started making steel frames again (don't know if this is new for them, or just a line that they're pushing now) and the things are built like a tank. Built in the U.S. and Canada, too. Always a plus, in my book.

Just Cliff · #7 04/25/10, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott in Florida Panhandl

Was it in Lights Out that he had a bike with an outrigger made to allow riding on the train track? Pretty slick idea.

Hey Scott.
Check this out!

wyld thang · #8 04/25/10, 10:45 PM

I have a 25 year old DIamondback mtn bike, that thing is a tank!

tamsam · #9 04/26/10, 12:10 AM

I would love to make a good 3 or 4 wheeler and put a good weed eater motor on it. I am in no shape to ride so have to be engine powered. Just love those old bikes. I had an old one that had a horn between the 2 bars from the seat post and the front handle bar sleeve. Sam

cowboy joe · #10 04/26/10, 05:13 AM

Seems there are always 'old' bikes on the curb around here. I was rebuilding for a while, then donating to the local VOA or giving them away via the freecycle site. Personally, I have a 15 yr old mountain bike that is built like a tank.

In addition to spare parts, I would also keep a bottle of 'slime' or similiar product around in case of flats...

http://www.slime.com/product/82/Tube-Sealant.html

I put this stuff in my tire tubes just in case I run over a nail or other sharp object. Beats the heck out of walking or having to change a tire in the middle of no where.

Freeholder · #11 04/26/10, 11:06 AM

My pastor was a policeman in Los Angeles for many years, and much of that time he was a bicycle cop. He said to prevent flats to use a combination of slime and the rubber liner strip -- I'm not sure what it's called. He said he almost never got flats once he started doing both those things, and he used his bike pretty hard.

Wouldn't be a bad idea for your garden cart tires, too.

Kathleen

marinemomtatt · #12 04/26/10, 11:22 AM

Not only are they not making quality bikes like the 'olden days' but they're also not making tires like back then.
I got a flat from a Blackberry thorn...A BLACKBERRY THORN! That's NOT right!

There are some OLD Schwins on the property and a couple of them still have air in the tires...these bikes have been out in the weather the 20 years we've lived here. We keep mentioning them to the property owner and all he says is "Oh, really. I wonder where those bikes came from, I don't remember them". We are SO tempted to adopt the bikes and refurbish them....What a waste. I would LOVE to have a bike with pedal brakes.