Could Bicycle infantry still be effectively employed in combat

>>31601650
in theory yes
but we have mechanized infatry there's no point doing it again

why not

muh light infantry meme

bicycle paratroopers

I'd be curious how they'd patrol if they can't have their hands on a weapon, but other than that yes.

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>>31601755
Well, the japs did it in Malaya

Prolly good for rural areas with minimal infrastructure, just like how some armies still use horses, mules and other beast of burdens in mountaineous units

>>31601773
They'd still need periodic resupply, so they'd need to stay within reasonable distance of roads or have helicopters resupplying them

>>31601650

Well the average "light infantryman" will have 50+lbs of gear that is not pack related.
Since the single cylinder four stroke motorcycle engine and light frame of crossovers simply made it so a motorcycle or ATV could not be heard 100 meters away at trail speed without the sounds of war.

>>31601793
Literally every military unit needs that.

>>31601803
I misread what you said sorry.

>>31601755
What if we run out of oil?

>>31601840
>what is biodiesel

>>31601650
Why not?

>>31601773
Everyone did it. It's just simple logic. Dude = slow, dude on bicycles = fast.

>>31601946
You didn't see the krautz using bicycle during blitzkrieg

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>>31601961

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>>31601961
germ

>>31601983
Well, shit

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hungary

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bong airborne

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getting ready to D-Day

Bicycles are truly one of the most amazing contraptions humanity has invented. Light as fuck, can go fast as a horse, carries a ton of shit, and easy to build and fix.

>>31602005

Not a bad idea when you think about it. Easier to carry a heavy kit and you can march faster and further with no need for gas for the price of having to maintain the bike and deal with its presence in combat.

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WW1

I think motorcycle (dirt bike) infantry makes more sense

>You don't have to work harder to carry more gear
>Fast
>Still light
>Relatively cheap
>Maneuverable
>Decent range and good fuel efficiency

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More WW1

Didn't the French have rollerskate brigades in WWI?

>>31602098
Still have to be fueled, much more expensive and heavier. They can't be carried across water or untraversable terrain.

>>31601650
>Anno Domini 2016
>not coasting on the battlefield on a tracked hoverboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh2nLWYnxkM

>>31602105
that's gay

>>31602105
>Didn't the French have rollerskate brigades in WWI?

I know of dutch ice skaters & nordic ski troops. But roller blades? Got any source on that?

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>>31601755
>but we have mechanized infatry there's no point doing it again

Since the other guy raised question about oil... I'll raise the another valid question.

What about areas that do not allow use of heavy mechanized assets due to terrain or logistics?

INB4 pic related.

>>31602154
atv's or dirtbikes.

>>31602154
Hilux

>>31602154
Sorry mate, but I have to say your pic is related. You can't have a mountain biking Brigade. It would be so much easier and less intensive for the soldier to walk it rather than bike hard terrain. I assume you mean mountains and shit that a machine could not cross effectively, and if so bike crossings would be seasonal as snowfall would stop it dead.

>>31601840
Oil will only get more expensive, not totally run out. Alternative fuels will become popular as oil prices rise. Biodiesel, natural gas, hydrogen gas, electric. Biodiesel seems the best for militaries, liquid fuel is much easier to store and handle than compressed gas.

>>31602186
This. If oil hits the point of running out it would be reserved for the military before it goes totally out.

>>31601650
I was in the Infantry. I wouldn't join bicycle Infantry unless I could use my own mongoose BMX bike I had when I was a teen.

>>31601851
Biodiesel is not a realistic replacement for oil, it would take up too much farmland to do, especially for fuel-hungry military vehicles.

>>31602186
Synthetic oil from coal most likely. Biodiesel is only good for transferring tax money to farmers.

>fast
>easier to carry weight
>no need for fuel

The only problem i see here is a bike breaking and a guy having to walk. But maybe just 1 vehicle carrying replacement bikes?

>>31602094
I now want to buy a bicycle just to do that.

>>31602269
A good bike can take a lot of physical abuse before needing to be completely replaced. Most things that can go wrong can be fixed in a small parts kit (eg. patch kit, spare spokes, hand pump, a tyre) that can be strapped to the frame.

Also bicycles would be good on flat lands, mostly roads/dirt paths and similar. Trying to use a bike in grassy areas or harsh terrane with full gear would be a pain in the ass, but could still be pushed with some gear on it with not much hassle. A military could invest in some folding bikes as well for easy storage and helping pitch tents.

Hitler himself rode a bike during WW1

>>31602338
I can confirm this from my time with Hitler during WW1

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>>31602367
Which handlebars did he use?

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>The Dutch have gone to considerable lengths to gain the confidence of locals with carefully calibrated patrolling of the province. “We recently started doing patrols on bicycles in Tarin Kowt,” said a senior Dutch official. “The population was surprised but they reacted positively. It is much easier to come into contact with people on a bicycle than sitting on a Bushmaster [protected mobility vehicle].”

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Bersaglieri with folding bycicle.

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>>31602411

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>>31602416

>>31602142
You can buy a dirt bike for like $2000-$3000 whereas a quality mountain bike is $1000+

Sure you need to fuel them but they go a hell of a lot faster than a bicycle and you don't have the substantially increased calorie demand from needing to pedal

Dirt bikes can also traverse some decent terrain

>>31602696
>You can buy a dirt bike for like $2000-$3000 whereas a quality mountain bike is $1000+
You can buy a shit used dirt bike for $2000-$3000 whereas a quality mountain bike is $1000+ new. Shit used mountain bikes are $50 or less. If you weren't dumb I would've thought your post was disingenuous, but it's sadly too clear that you genuinely believe you made a good point.

For regular armies, probably not.

For local militias, yes!

>>31602370
Underrated

>>31601803
Yeah, but at that point, why not just have the helicopters carry them instead? If you're already flying things in and out of the area anyway...

>>31602154
german gebirgsjäger here

we use these things (hägglunds)
and they are good for transport in rough mountain areas, but they are not comfortable at all and you dont wanna get into combat with them. they are made out of plastic.

but hey: better them then nothing

>>31602728
http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/DR-Z125L/2017/DRZ125L.aspx

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/off-road/models/tt-r110e

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/off-road/models/tt-r125le

Used mountain bikes that are ridable are not $50 or less, shit Lord

A good used mountain bike from the 90's is often still over $200 used after being fucking stolen

>>31601650

Oh yeah. Think of how many you Could load into gliders!

>>31603609
>better them then nothing

Obviously. But the question is, is it better them than a bicycle?

Electric motorbikes are far more likely, all the benefits of a motorcycle and quiet

>>31603633
>Obviously. But the question is, is it better them than a bicycle?

depends on the terrain. and for how long you have to stay outside. a vehicle keeps you warm and you can dry your clothes. you can sleep in it without setting up tents and sleeping bags (it takes time)

so with vehicles you can stay in the area for a longer period of time and take more supplies (food, ammo, water)

>>31603673
this, modern warfar requires speed and precision, motorcycles have shown to be useful in modern war I can see how silence would also help as this is why bicycles were often prefered in past conflicts

>>31603673
special forces are using them already.

a friend of mine almost got run over by one. he couldnt hear it coming

>>31602871
Yeah, I think it would be extremely effective for a irregular force, or in a situation in which a milita/ security force is self funded.

I live in a smallish city. a little more than half a million people, and for the most part spread out over a 10mi x 10mi ish area. A centrally located bike fag can get pretty much anywhere well inside 20 minutes.

50 or 100 guys with bicycles would be very difficult to deal with. Sure, put those guys in mech infantry they are a whole other level, but the bike militia costs almost nothing and is logistically self sufficient. Only needs food and water.

>>31603484
bikes are quieter

>>31603709
>>31603709
see
>>31603673

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>>31602094
>>31602272

>>31602397
the dutch just like riding fucking bicycles

their women's legs are like a dream

>>31603484
Sometimes the chopper would land the unit quite a distace from the target for various reasons; from avoiding contact, maintaining the element of surprise to simply because there's no place to land

>>31601650
Sure. Beats walking

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>>31601650
Holy shit, absolutely!
>mfw playing pacific general back in the nineties
>mfw playing as the empire of japan
>mfw always choosing "plan south" to invade burma et cetera instead of "plan north" which was the pearl harbor attack
>mfw using bicycle infantry to blitzkrieg cities faster than the nazis
>mfw they move down jungle pathways faster than any other ground forces in the game
>mfw banzai

>>31601768
>not resting your carbine on your handlebars with your dominant hand on the stock
>not being in the braced shooting position leaning across your handlebars while silently creeping forward on well-oiled wheels
>not having a pistol
>not banzai charging straight into an ambush en masse to achieve melee dominance or instantly throwing yourself and bike off the trail and into an improvised fighting position when you make unexpected enemy contact
>not splitting unit into multiple sequential movement elements and performing bounding overwatch
>not strapping your bike onto your rucksack and wading through a swamp to attack your objective from an unguarded flank

>>31601650
Turbo Kid.

>>31602008
Eh, but it a nuke hits, who actually has the engineering and blacksmithing skills to make gears and chains.

>>31601650
Why not just ride giant stream of taxpayers money to a destination instead?

>>31605738
Anybody with a wrench that isn't to retarded to bigger rigs parts from every other belt or chain driven machine on the planet. Didn't know chain drives were 100% vaporized by emps

>>31601840
>Things that are never going to happen.

>>31606361
whys it never going to happen?

>>31606314
No, but if you go inna woods, it's not likely you will find piles of salvage, I'm asking if you know how to make a bike from scratch?

>>31602234
>Biodiesel is only good for transferring tax money to farmers.

That's not Ethanol.

>>31601840
solar powered electric bikes(trikes/quads?): would need much better solar pannels and batteries.
>>31602153
they have cops that use rollerskates today and i've seen them on segways: that was surreal.

>>31606545
Even if we had to switch totally to diodiesel or ethanol or algae or whatever, the energy density advantage of hydrocarbons is so huge that most militaries would still use them.

>>31601650
Sure with an electric motor.

https://youtu.be/2GdI8z5dWi4