Originally Posted by genericbikedude

I've spent a fair amount of time in various parts of sub-saharan africa. I'd be a little skeptical of the peace corps bikes, as you can't find parts for modern bikes in villages at all, and it is probably difficult enough in capitals. Most of the bikes that I've seen are Indian replicas of old rod-brake english cruisers, all 26x1 3/8" with balloon tires.

So in that sense, a simpler single-speed bike could make a lot of sense. Bring extras of everything, like cogs/freewheels, chains, chainrings, headset bearings, tires, tubes, hub bearings (cartridge hubs), spokes, a bottom bracket, chainring bolts, brake pads etc etc etc.

But a lot of it depends on where you will be. If you are in Ghana, just stick with the trek -- there were a fair amount of MTBs there. If you're in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania or DRC, bring your own bike, as you want something you like, and you won't be able to find replacements for the Trek anyway.