Anyone use bicycles?

[Pawn]

Can bicycles serve a useful purpose in Special Forces? They're parachutable, easy to hide, offer far superior mobility than foot patrol, and can load a lot more weight.

[JY]

Yup, but not the whole deck, we throw the Jokers out to save weight. Gotta watch out around MRE tabasco sauce though it'll eat the numbers off http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by JY (edited 03-24-2001).]

[Pawn]

The most I ever loaded on my bike for a long haul was maybe 150 lbs. It was a difficult ride, but definately easier than walking with it.

Didn't the VC used to ferry goods down HCM trail on bicycles? They're easier to care for than horses at any rate.

[jbrookins]

Pawn, you were obviously on a road.

[JSOCMarine]

Pawn,
Is your name Mike Sparks? This post and your other one on officer/nco tracks sounds an awful lot like him.

[Jeff Rambo]

I was thinking the same myself, just couldn't place the name with the url.

But the infamous3rd Amphibious Warfare Studies Group (Maritime):

[Proceed w/ Caution] http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/5265/



------------------
Sincerely,
Jeff Rambo
SOCNET Administrator
----------------------------
jrambo@specialoperations.com

[Ted]

How can you carry a weapon on a bike?

What is the IAD for a near ambush???? Fall off bike, have that 150 lbs of gear land on top of you, fumble for your weapon which is trapped under all that shit? For positive style points,while you're fumbling around for your weapon, you can kiss your ass goodbye.

Your analogy about the NVA using bikes is inaccurate. They used bikes to transport materiel until the Russki's gave them trucks. Are you proposing that our quartermaster and transport units go to bikes instead of 5-tons?

Riding around in a combat zone on a bike, while in the age of armored combat vehicles, is suicide.

The use of motorcycles and 4 wheelers has useful, but limited, applications.

[WS-G]

Originally posted by Jeff Rambo:
But the infamous3rd Amphibious Warfare Studies Group (Maritime)....
Any connection with The Onion <http://www.theonion.com> (http://www.theonion.com)? Or was this one a National Enquirer study?

Either way, this is tabloid soldiering at its finest.

(pedals off to the sound of the late Freddie Mercury singing "...I want to ride my Bi-cy-cle, I want to ride my Bi-i-i-i-ke. I want to ride my bi-cy-y-y-y-y-cle...." in the background.)

[This message has been edited by William M Salter (edited 03-25-2001).]

[Pawn]

What, you guys have to go off-road? http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/wink.gif

Thanks for the corrections. I just had to ask a question that's been on my mind for a while.

No, I'm not Mike Sparks. But thanks for the URL link.


[This message has been edited by Pawn (edited 03-25-2001).]

[guardguy]

Mike Sparks, Who is this guy?!
Go to amazon.com, the guy reviews under the name Sam Damon Jr. (From the book Once an Eagle) The guy's got 108 reviews on there. 108! If you check the dates, he'll sit down and review something like 10 movies and books in one day. Then look at his web site! Does he get paid to do this?! He even reviewed his own book on amazon.com.(Air-mech Strike) Guess what kind of review he gave himself?

[zeroalpha]

Originally posted by Pawn:
Can bicycles serve a useful purpose in Special Forces?

I stole one to get away from some MP's once. A few of us jumped a temporary camp ( Set up for an ex specific) fence to go to a nudist beach (you really had to be there, we had spent a long time in the bush) and the MP's came looking for us (someone saw us going over the fence)....3 borrowed a car (which concerned me slightly) so I borrowed a bike instead. I got away, the 3 in the car didnt....and got right in the shit Does that count as a useful purpose????

[Sharky]

I can top that. I hot-wired and "borrowed" a bulldozer. CID picked me up the next day. Charges were all dropped, luckily. CSM Jones wanted to crucify me. When I went to RTB later on CSM Purdy asked me about it. I told him my story and he just laughed and said "good initiative Ranger.....You should have been SF instead."

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F.I.D.O.

[Sharky]

Speaking of running from the MP's, Poly wasn't it you that........uhh..Never mind.

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F.I.D.O.

[Jon Rosa]

Originally posted by Sharky:
Speaking of running from the MP's, Poly wasn't it you that........uhh..Never mind.

While at CDQC, we went down to Sloppy Joe's and had a few brews. When the place closed down, we started stumbling back to the compound. A SF SSgt in the class decided that he didn't want to walk anymore. Key West has got friggin' bikes everywhere, so he saw one and started riding it. The owner saw us and followed. After passing through the front gate (Navy), the owner notifies the Shore Patrol, who go after him with Jeep Cherokees. He's ridin' his butt off and decides the only way to shake his pursuers is to jump into the water and swim back to the CDQC barracks. He had about a 2000 meter swim to make it back to friendly lines, but they waited for him at the school. The next day, SGM Bell read us the riot act on city-military relations. That day, this SF SSgt had a 1500 meter compass evaluation, and was still hung over! (he made it)

[bd]

Originally posted by guardguy:
Mike Sparks, Who is this guy?!
Go to amazon.com, the guy reviews under the name Sam Damon Jr. (From the book Once an Eagle) The guy's got 108 reviews on there. 108! If you check the dates, he'll sit down and review something like 10 movies and books in one day. Then look at his web site! Does he get paid to do this?! He even reviewed his own book on amazon.com.(Air-mech Strike) Guess what kind of review he gave himself?


The fact he's reviewing "UFO conspiracy" books certainly helps his credability. LMAO.

BD

[RAT]

Summer of 93 We were at Iwakuni Air Station, Japan. We had just finished TRUNK lock out's so we went to down a few. We were sitting at the bar of the golf course and some piolts wanted to drink with us. They( the piolts) want to show how big there dicks were so we started doing shots. after abhout 2 hours we were glowing. The culb closed and we were going to hit the town. The jet jockey's got on their bikes. One went about 50 meters and feel right on his face knocked out some teeth. The other one rode right into the ditch. The MP's came and gave them both DWI's After that night I never wanted to get on a bike again.

DWI for riding a bike. I saw it all that night.

RAT OUT!!!

[RogueExec]

No bikes. Not really feasible.

I'm all for skateboards though.

[zeroalpha]

Dditn someone post something about a tactical scooter a while back??

I can remeber seeing it somewhere, but dont know if it was here.

I kept falling off skateboards when I was a youngster so would prefer if they werent issued.

[abprar]

We used mountian bikes a few years back (Aussie Airborne).Only for quick reaction platoon on airfields never across country.It worked pretty well but the boys trashed the bikes during numerous PT sessions so they don't use them anymore.A new unairborne CO would n't get more.
Kevlar helmet webbing(LBE) was worn with weapon slung,they were real handy around airfields.

[Ted]

abprar, you might want to think about using motorsickles on airfield seizures, instead of bikes.

[This message has been edited by Ted (edited 03-26-2001).]

[VMI_Marine]

I couldn't resist browsing around on Sparks' site for a little bit. I started to post some observations about the site, but then I thought better of it. You've got to wonder where he comes up with the time to dissect "219 Reasons to Love the Corps", coming up with a response for EACH reason.

[VMI_Marine]

I couldn't resist browsing around on Sparks' site for a little bit. I started to post some observations about the site, but then I thought better of it. You've got to wonder where he comes up with the time to dissect "219 Reasons to Love the Corps", coming up with a response for EACH reason.

[dragonrain]

Pawn, The VC used porters on bikes to carry everything from food to ammo. But they were not (to the best of my reserch) riding around on them, they walked beside them it was just easer way to haul stuff.

zeroalpha The scooter was on Ilovebacon.com If you know how ti put pictures on this page you should do it so the rest of the guys can see it. its under the toys heading.

dr

[Door Kicker]

I don't know if it was ever used in actual operation, but when I was in 7th SF, I saw some Mountain bikes get rigged in a door bundle and dropped.

Also I have seen MT bikes dropped in the Para Point (halo)

[WS-G]

Originally posted by VMI_Marine:
You've got to wonder where he comes up with the time to dissect "219 Reasons to Love the Corps", coming up with a response for EACH reason.
(in character as "GySgt. Hartman" — FMJ.)
"Because God has a hard-on for Marines!"

Simply copy-and-paste that 219 times. Much faster and simpler!

[This message has been edited by William M Salter (edited 03-27-2001).]

[abprar]

Ted
We do but in the form of Quad bikes which we call DZ bikes.

[wolf129]

I heard through the grapevine a while back that LRS was going to start using MT bikes and they were looking for a folding MT bike that could withstand an airdrop. Long after I was in though...

-Wolf

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"One of the inescapable encumbrances of leading an interesting life is that there have to be moments when you almost lose it." -Jimmy Buffett

[E19]

Originally posted by GUY JONES:
Have you ever tried riding a bike with the gear we carry?

GUY
DOL

The 12 man SF OBDA (Operational Bicycle Detatchment Alfa) would look some thing like this:

1 18A CO
1 18Z Team Sgt
1 18E Commo Sgt
7 18D Medical Sgts
2 18R Bicycle Engineer Sgts

[FutureRanger2000]

http://www.uscav.com/Shop/uscitemdetail.asp?stk_code=WA20683

[STN]

Found this while surfing, about McSparks.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/michael_l_sparks

[Tracy]

Originally posted by E19:
The 12 man SF OBDA (Operational Bicycle Detatchment Alfa) would look some thing like this:

1 18A CO
1 18Z Team Sgt
1 18E Commo Sgt
7 18D Medical Sgts
2 18R Bicycle Engineer Sgts



In 1989, our ODA got a NATO OPLAN that required either Motorcycles or Bicycles to get the job done. No budget for Motorcycles, soooo we did the Mountain Bike thing.

Royally kicked our asses; for all the reasons cited above.

We notified Colonel Jesse Johnson this was a bad idea.

[Sharky]

You should've called us. We had plenty of Motorcycles that you probably could have borrowed. http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/smile.gif I always wished that mine had a Rocket launcher like Chuck Norris had in that Delta Force movie. The worst part about the bikes was trying to rig em for a door bundle. Cutting out all that honeycomb was a pain in the ass.

------------------
F.I.D.O.

[flashbang]

Just a couple of questions:

Do they still make training wheels? I think it would add to stability..both on the ground and in the air.

What paint scheme should the bikes be?

Would it be ok to use them without reflectors?

On a serious note...Prior to tet, Mr. Victor Charles, operating in a 5th collum role used bikes all of the time. Because that's what the civilians used.
In the famous words of Col. Bank: When in Rome, do as the Romans. Well, I think it was Col. Bank

[This message has been edited by flashbang (edited 03-28-2001).]

[Tracy]

Originally posted by flashbang:

...What paint scheme should the bikes be?

On a serious note...Prior to tet, Mr. Victor Charles, operating in a 5th collum role used bikes all of the time. Because that's what the civilians used.
[This message has been edited by flashbang (edited 03-28-2001).]

Actually, I still have the bike I was issued for the OPLAN. When the Wall came down, Supply said "What the Hell am I going to do with 14 ATBs?" So I snapped one up. Italian(?) Bacini; 18-speed, solid steel construction, with panniers. Ours had the NATO pattern on them. Each came with a packet of stickers with the Bacini logo in Pink and Blue. Now I turn heads everywhere I go...

The NVA didn't ride the bikes, they walked alongside of them and the load was place accross the handlebars and seat. Sometime they tied a bamboo stick across the handlebars that stuck out on the sides to help in steering and pushing up and down hills.

[flashbang]

Originally posted by Tracy:
Actually, I still have the bike I was issued for the OPLAN. When the Wall came down, Supply said "What the Hell am I going to do with 14 ATBs?" So I snapped one up. Italian(?) Bacini; 18-speed, solid steel construction, with panniers. Ours had the NATO pattern on them. Each came with a packet of stickers with the Bacini logo in Pink and Blue. Now I turn heads everywhere I go...

The NVA didn't ride the bikes, they walked alongside of them and the load was place accross the handlebars and seat. Sometime they tied a bamboo stick across the handlebars that stuck out on the sides to help in steering and pushing up and down hills.

Ok...let's try this again, I said VC..which as we all know, prior to Tet were not NVA in the true sense of the word.
The little basterds in the black PJ's were terrorists who lived among the civilian population and conducted unconventional warfare ops. against anyone who got in there way. A great many of them also worked the "trail" and remote areas using bikes as you described along with the NVA.
However, a great number of them went about their business durring the day, especially in more populated areas, riding bikes. Gathering intel. tossing the odd hand grenade in the back of duce and a halfs and generally causing mahem.
While I was not in Saigon at the time of Tet..I have been told, with some authority, that large numbers of VC arrived in the vicinity of the U.S. Embasy compound...Guess what, riding bikes.

While my first comments were ment to be a joke...The fact remains that bikes may well have a field expediant role to play.
I know that if I were terrorist (they concider themselves S/O you know) My first choice for transportation in a metro area would be a bike. No traffic problems, low profile, plus you can fit a lot of nasty crap in a back pack or a saddle bag. Sorry for the long winded rant.

[This message has been edited by flashbang (edited 03-28-2001).]

[This message has been edited by flashbang (edited 03-29-2001).]