The bike we tested from Vintage Electric Bikes is called the Scrambler S and costs around $7,000, which is by no means cheap, but still less than some other bikes in its class.Ībove: The use of an “off-road only” limiting plug gives the Scrambler a great edge over some of its competitors: It doesn’t have to be registered or plated like a car. But innovation and design features in this space come at a cost. I’ve tested electric bikes that look like pit bikes, bikes that are custom built and made for off-road, and bikes built for military applications where stealth and speed are paramount. When you have a pretty competitive and new space, you’re going to see a lot of unique setups. Most electric bike companies are taking aggressive approaches in making their bikes stand out.
Not having a dependence on resources that operate off the grid is a huge advantage. In those situations, getting gas wasn’t an option without risking your life. I’ve been in foreign countries where man-made disasters have led to chaos where militias were fighting for control over gas stations. Obviously in a catastrophe you’ll see the loss of electricity, damage or destruction to gas stations, and a surge of people fighting for turns at the pump. The advantage of a bike is its ability to navigate along roads that are jammed, easily taking alternate routes that vehicles can’t maneuver through. At least nine people were found dead in their cars after the aforementioned Camp Fire spread across crowded roads. With so many heading for the hills, you can imagine that when rush-hour traffic looks bad at peak hours, an emergency exfil looks vastly worse. This means hitting the road in their vehicle and creating as much distance as possible. Unlike “go-rigs” or full-size vehicles capable of getting off-grid, when the infrastructure or grid shuts down, people’s natural behavior is to displace themselves from the danger. There are several reasons why an electric bike would be a great option to get out of a bad situation, and they start with the size of the platform. We’ve tested and evaluated a few bikes, but this is the first one we actually assessed specifically as a “bug-out” bike. We got our hands on an electric bike made by Vintage Electric Bikes from Santa Clara, California. (For a firsthand account from a survivor we interviewed, read this web-exclusive article.) So, in considering the question of what you’d do right now, we have to look at our capability based on available options - here’s where an electric bike comes in. The fire destroyed nearly the entire community of Paradise and cost close to $16.5 billion in damage. On November 18, 2018, in Butte County in Northern California, the “Camp Fire” burned 153,000 acres and killed 85 people, including five firefighters. As an example, like I highlighted in the very beginning of this article, the wildfires in California present a real and present danger to citizens. It’s also critical to understand that in a natural or man-made disaster, you’ll inevitably become your own first responder. What’s your bug-out plan?Īs survivalists, we teach self-reliance by utilizing the proper equipment, leveraging our technical skills, and applying the proper mindset. I want you to ask yourself this question: What would I do if a catastrophe disabled and destroyed the infrastructure that my family is dependent on? No more cell phones, no electricity, no water, no gas, and everybody fighting for the same resources. The evolution and progression of technology has anchored our dependence on the power grid, and this is making us more vulnerable. These events are yet another reminder that our world is changing rapidly. Unfortunately, the most recent fire started when a tree fell on a power line in an area where power hadn’t been turned off yet. The idea was simple: If there’s no power running through utility lines, the risk of fire goes down. In the name of public safety, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) - California’s largest utility company - intentionally shut down power to hundreds of thousands of people. W hile I was writing this article, strong Santa Ana winds had caused catastrophic fires in several regions of California.
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