I believe bicycles will be an important transportation necessity in the latter days. We are facing critical times If the grid goes down, many will be without transportation because of the technology that our cars now have. That is… if you don’t have a bike.
Not only should we prepare for the future, but taking care of our health is vital if we desire to live a long life. I am on my 88th trip around the sun and am still riding a mountain bike. About five years ago, my family helped me buy an e-bike. I call it my “assisted living” bicycle! I have about five thousand miles on it now. It is an extremely well-engineered bicycle made right here in Linden, Utah, by Fazzari (now ARI). A bicycle has been shown to be the most efficient means of transport.
After getting my e-bike, I helped Fezzari fine-tune some FIRMWARE issues, and it was fun. There is a saying in the computer programming world, “There is always one more bug”. The folks at Fezzari appreciated the help. They like me for that and over time I have purchased three bikes from them. Plus, I am an “assisted living” mountain biker!
Improvements In Bicycle Technology
With the vast improvements in bicycle technology has come the need for high-tech maintenance and repairs. The prices have inflated as well. My family helped me buy my e-bike about five years ago for $2.5k. I looked at an e-bike the other day for $6k. Given the rising price trend, I was thinking about how to reverse that—having low maintenance and low cost. I asked myself, does anyone make a low-maintenance—highly reliable, and reasonably priced bike?
I found one on sale at COSTCO for $500. Made by Brilliant, it has a carbon-fiber belt drive that should last forever, and a simple and very reliable three-speed shifter in the hub—like the old Sturmey-Archer. Again, my family is helping me buy it for an early Father’s Day gift this year (2024). It only weighs 28 pounds and is fun to ride around town. It is NOT a mountain bike!
I put a lot of miles on an old Schwinn Sturmey-Archer 3-speed shifter many years ago. I was so impressed with that technology that I took the hub apart. It has a simple planetary gear system pulled by a spring-loaded cable. In the center is a direct drive. Gear 1 shifts down and number 3 shifts up. This Brilliant bicycle is configured similarly with a three-speed shifter in the hub. I am hoping it lasts forever as well.
Again, I believe bicycles will be an important transportation necessity in the future. It’s wise to have a good patch kit, spare tires, and tubes. It will be helpful to have on hand a simple means to maintain and repair these low-tech bicycles.
Strengthening Your Health
In 2018, I wrote an article on bicycle efficiency and health. As I mentioned, the bicycle is the most efficient means of transport. It also opens the door to fresh air, enjoyment of God’s creations, excellent near-far eye exercise while mountain biking, and great meditation time as the heart and lungs are exercised aerobically, and the brain works better.
I used to be an early morning jogger to get my aerobic exercise. When my knees started giving me problems, I went to bicycling. My knees got better. Our director for the lab in Boulder, CO, was Bob Kamper—a good friend and colleague. He was an avid runner and had won the Pike’s Peak climb race more than once; this race is more than a marathon in endurance. He told me a few years ago that he had begun biking instead of running because of knee problems. His knees had gotten better, as had happened for me.
Our bones are piezoelectric. They generate a voltage as they are used, which signals the brain to accommodate your exercise. I believe using your bones properly keeps them elastic in case you fall. Thus, avoiding osteoporosis. It has done that for me. This is another benefit from riding a bicycle, as you bounce along a mountain trail—enjoying the scenery and communing with the Lord. Occasionally, I will take a tumble. I have learned over the years how to fall, and I almost always come up smiling.
For those having balance issues, adult tricycles are available as well.
Prepare for the Future
Before the Lord comes again, we may see some difficult times requiring strong faith in the Lord. An EMP attack could take down the grid and cut off transportation. It is wise to prepare for the future. Our Creator created us to be creators. I believe every problem has a solution, and the Lord knows the answer, ours to understand, as we seek Him in humble prayer (Matt 7:7-8).
We have the great promise that He will gather us as a hen gathers her chickens under her wing if we come unto Him, humble ourselves, and call upon Him in mighty prayer (D&C 29:1-2). I believe we live in the most exciting time in the earth’s history, as we anticipate His coming and the ZION ideal society that the Lord will bring forth with those who are true followers of His Beloved Son.
Let’s enjoy the latter-day RIDE.
David W. Allan
Photo: David Allan – My Bike