Newer players will laugh when you tell them that the bicycle is one of the most useful vehicles in Heroes and Generals. However, it boasts many advanced features for example:
-Does infinite miles to the gallon
-Is impervious to small arms fire
-Lethal to anyone you run into - provided you're going fast enough
-Can fit both you and a passenger confortably on board
-You won't instantly die the moment it explodes (which it never does)
-Has a bell

Obviously, when designing the action game, Reto-Moto looked at the powerhouse that is the Civilian Bicycle and decided that they could not confine this vehicle to just one faction, for it would become overpowered.

Even making it purchaseable for all factions would still make the vehicle overpowered, and Civilian Bicycle owners would slaughter the peasants who either could not afford the $1,000,000 price tag, or had not unlocked it yet.

Instead, they not only made it a cross-factonal vehicle, they also scattered many of them about the map, for players to use at their will.

Of course, this means that there is no point buying a Bicycle for each soldier, as you can just use the ones on the map for free - in fact, you cannot buy one in the shop for any character, to avoid the disappointment of doing so just to find that they spawn naturally. However, there are other, nerfed bicycles called "motorcycles" that each faction has access to, which I will cover later on.

For now, on to the bicycle itself.

As a method of personal transportation, the Civilian Bicycle is the best form of transport for new players. This is not exactly surprising, as the transport methods available to new soldiers are few and far between. Ranked (from worst to best), here are the alternatives:
-AFKing in spawn
-Using grenades/panzerfausts to blast your way towards the enemy base
-Camping in a bush the entire game and getting a K/D of 0/0
-Crawling
-Crouching
-Accepting a ride from the one player who insists on getting the Civilian Truck. Spoiler alert - all he's going to do is drive around in circles in order to level up ribbons, or drive you into the middle of nowhere and start digging a grave for you. Neither are desireable
-Swimming
-Waiting an eternity for the Civilian Truck to respawn, then somehow driving it into a wall and blowing it up
-Walking backwards
-Walking sideways
-Walking in the wrong direction. Well, if you choose this option, you're probably more useful to the team dead than alive.
-Getting to the Civilian Truck first, only to get teamkilled by someone using a Panzerfaust because you accidentally caused 3 damage to him whilst driving it.
-Jumping
-Walking
-Running

Naturally, at this tier the Civilian Bicycle has very weak competition, and is by far the superior option.


This does not mean, however, that it should be completely ignored. Firstly, it is exceedingly common to find - almost every capture point has a few bicycles nearby. Also, only the Civilian Bicycle can drive over an anti-tank mine without setting it off,* making it the only vehicle in this game capable of doing so - effectively rendering Anti-Tank infantry useless at stopping you.

It is, of course, the transportation method of choice in highly built-up areas like dense forests and through back alleys of streets. And in the fields. And in the streets. And in the hills. And into rivers. In fact, the Civilian Bicycle is easily the best all-around vehicle in the game. And it's free.

(*works as of whenever this guide was written - no idea whether it still works like that)


The first stage, finding a bicycle, is typically easier done than said. This is due to the fact that there are multiple bicycles per map, and that once a bicycle has been taken, they respawn very quickly.


Here, I have just spawned at B1 on the Town Map (yes, this is an old screenshot), and immediately I can see one ahead. Once you get close enough, a diamond with a circle inside will be shown (not shown here), so you can easily locate your bicycle if you happen to lose it.


Once you have walked close enough to the bicycle, an unlocked padlock symbol will appear, signifying no-one has locked the bicycle (not that there is currently a way to lock it), and if you press E (or whatever you have mapped it to) you will mount the bicycle.
If there is someone already on it beat them with a shovel until they get off you will get on behind them, so you can use them as a meat shield against enemy fire (not shown)

Controlling the bicycle is similar to any other vehicle, and it behaves in similar ways. Holding W will accelerate the bicycle, holding A or D will turn it Left or Right, respectively, and S will deccelerate the bicycle. If you have fully stopped, D will operate the revolutionary reverse-gear of the bicycle.



Furthermore, Left-Click operates the sought-after bicycle bell., and moving the mouse around moves the camera about the bicycle. Doing both at the same time will create pitch changes from the bell due to something called the Doppler Effect, which works because of science. It also allows you to make basic tunes to occupy the bored soldier.

Dinging the Civilian Bicycle's bell is a lot like the Infantryman's whistle, in that it can mean several different things. Here are some examples:
(near to allies)
-"I am over here."
-"Stop ramming me, jeep guy!"
-"Would you like a ride?"
-"Getting to the battlefield takes sooooooooooo long."
-"My bike. Not yours. Get your own."
-"My bike is better than yours."
-"Anyone want to lose a race against me?"
-"I look far better than you do on your "Motorcycle", and we both know it."
-"I may have just ridden into a river, but I looked cool doing it."
(near to enemies)
-"Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!"
-"Surprise! It's me!"
-"Cower in fear, mortals!"
-"I fear no man."
(after getting a kill)
-"You might as well uninstall."
-"You got killed by a Bicycle. How does it feel like to suck that much?"
-"We both knew I was going to win."
-"Enjoy the repair bill!"
-"ez"

Naturally, the exact message may differ, but it is clear from this that one *ding* on the bell is the only noise the Civilian Bicycle needs to make to strike fear into the heart of the enemy, and gain the respect (and envy) of fellow soldiers.


Unique to the bicycle is that if you hold SHIFT, then your soldier will pedal harder and increase your top speed. If you are on a hill, he will merely stand on the pedals (shown below).


As far as I can work out, this speed boost made the Civilian Bicycle even more overpowered, and so Reto removed it. It was a justifiable nerf, and since the Civilian Bicycle is still overperforming in all areas of the game, not tragic for its userbase.

-Free to use
-Spawn all over the map
-Has a bell
-Almost silent - it is quieter than walking when not using the bell
-Effectively stop lighter tanks (used to work better before the big nerf)
-Easily fits through small gaps
-Has a bell
-Said bell strikes fear into the heart of every tanker, so also works as a Psychological weapon
-Can use them as a bullet shield in an emergency
-Inconspicuous, especially to planes, due to no exhaust gases
-Environmentally-friendly due to no exhaust gases
-Decent off-road
-And, most importantly, it has a bell


-Slow
-Only transports 2 soldiers max.
-Cannot spawn on one
-Not amphibious
-If the bicycle is destroyed with you on it, you will likely die or at least suffer damage.
-Not entirely shellproof
-Doesn't have a bipod
-Cannot mount a scope
-Lacks secondary (or main) armament

The 42WLA is a personal bicycle used by both the US and Soviet Factions. Unlike the Civilian model, this features an engine and a horn, as well as looking slightly more ballte hardened

Its advantages are that it is very fast and hard to flip over, however it can only carry one other soldier. However, if you are a US or Soviet soldier, this is your only option as far as motorcycles are concerned.

Compared to the regular bicycle, it is noisier, more expensive, and lacks a bell. In fact, there are only two advantages to the 42WLA - it is far more difficult for enemy soldiers to steal. But, since all enemies flee before the glorious civilian bicycle, there won't be any left to steal it.

US Skin

SU Skin

The first personal German motorcycle is very similar to the aforementioned 42WLA, but features a sidecar for extra passengers.

Its advantages are that it can carry you and 3 of your mates, and one of them gets a mounted MG34 to play with, however the bike is larger and much more unstable than the 42WLA.

This, of course, means it seats more passengers than your regular civilian bicycle. But why would anyone jump on your R75 when they could get a civilian bicycle instead? And, why do you need an MG34 when you can simply get off your bicycle, crouch down, and use it as a bullet shield?

The second personal German bicycle is the result of welding the front half of a bicycle to the back half of a toy tank. Ish.

(That is, of course, not how it was made, because of the simple fact that it is impossible to cut a Civilian Bicycle in half, or damage it in any way, shape, or form)

Its advantages are its superiour off-road capabilities, and it can still carry you and 3 hitch-hikers, along with a crate of your choice, but it suffers from being slow, having the driver (you) horribly exposed and being much more expensive than the other 2.

That, of course, makes it far more expensive than a civilian bicycle, which is superior in every way. The Sd.Kfz 2 'Kettenkrad' is better in only one way. It is better at exploding.