I just did a 25mi test ride last Fri. and didn't have a problem I'm 48 yr old now and only own bkes I don't drive anylonger. I will be getting that chain though and I appreciate the imput. I could probably upgrade the bike but with Wally worlds all over hell and gone and bikes well under $200 and being able to get ones even cheaper at pawnshops I don't really see a need for those expensive brand bikes. I've done 600mi trips on El cheapo Schwinns before with no problem.

I have a suspension front fork so the panniers wouldn't work unless I change the who front out. I will though add a chain and I appreciate the info on wear, I hadn't considered that aspect. I am keeping my eye out for cheap used steel frames so that I can build a custom setup that has my own tweeks.

I'm feeling like an ass right now, so allow me to express my assness and just get it out:

I always roll my eyes when people mention the 'good book' in their bugout preps. It just REEKS of christian narcicism. Like the people who keep a bible on the coffee table, tilted at an attention-catching angle, with a bookmark placed PROMINENTLY at a believable level of pages into the book. Gag.

I think there is definitely value in preserving the bible in a long-term scenario. I don't know if I'd be spending much time in a bugout situation, flipping through pages when I could be doing something more pertinent to my immediate survival. Bugout, by definition, is not long-term. It is a short-term evacuation, or provisions to hold you over during an A to B emergency travel plan.

Keep a bible at home. Keep another one at your retreat. The space/weight limitations in your bugout bag would be much better spent copying a two-sided page of some of your favorite, or inspirational passages if you HAVE to have scripture with you, and fill the rest of the space with pertinent equipment.

And trust me. The world is in no shortage of bibles. Even in a nuclear holocaust/massive plague/worldwide firestorm or whatever, I can promise you that millions of copies of the bible will STILL survive. Every hotel room. Every house. Every library. Every church. Every funeral parlor. In cars. In cabins. In airplanes. You will never find yourself without acess to a bible, trust me it's not something you need to worry about in your bare-minimum-escape to safety preparations.

And jesus still knows you love him, you don't need to advertise it to everyone.

Thank you. That is all.

Hi Patrick welcome to the tribe and the thread. I haven't even thought to weigh it because it's all carried on my bike (with the exceptions of the folding knife) If I weigh it I will post the results.