Globe Trotting on a Bicycle

[kohinoor]

Hi Folks How about having our own bicycle rescue Service all over the world.The benefit of travelling to those far away destinations that people only dream of and having no worries of a breakdown.The type of Service the motorist enjoy and much more.Your suggestions and comments Please.

[cerewa]

I guess such a service would be a nice option to have, if it were affordable. One of the great things about bikes, though, is that it's easy to be prepared for a bunch of possible mechanical problems. But you can't be ready for everything.

[Caspar_s]

What kind of service are you thinking of?

The beauty of bikes is that they are so simple to work on. If something breaks you need the part - so you need a bike shop. What service are you thinking of that would be different from a bike shop?

Cars need breakdown service because they can't just toss it in the back of a friendly pickup or jump on a train/bus with it and take it to get fixed. Also if the clutch breaks, you can't just remove some of the chain and ride it as a fixed gear until you can get a new part.

[becnal]

Having a mobile phone is enough to call a taxi. What more should a rescue service offer? Perhaps having a set of bike tools, and maybe a set of spare parts that would work on many different bikes.

What would be pretty useful too is having a list of every bike shop in a state or country, with their phone numbers and opening hours.

[gwd]

What would be pretty useful too is having a list of every bike shop in a state or country, with their phone numbers and opening hours.
We rented bikes in the Katmandu valley one year and my friend got a real lemon. He must have broken down 5 times that day. Not a problem. I don't know how it is now, but back then there was someone with bike tools within a quarter mile at every breakdown. They didn't have phones. As soon as a local saw you were having trouble they'd point to a tree or down an alley and there would be a person with a pan of water for finding punctures and a set of bike tools, some old bikes for parts and maybe a rock or a small anvil for pounding things into shape. We could wave down a taxi too if we had to. I hope there are parts of the world that are still like that, where phone numbers and opening hours aren't all that necessary.

[kohinoor]

I am thinking of accredited and verified mechanics who will carry some basic spares and is competent to repair most bikes and also act as a mentor to provide advance warning of any dangers.i.e. political and social unrest or any pysical changes in terrain.He could also provide information on accomodation etc.etc.In return for their good service bicycle parts salvged by us could be provided. A trial will have to be run in a selected country to gain more knowledge on how it is to operate.It should be more than a breakdown service a whole community with similar intrests. T.T.T. Travel Teaches Tolerance.