Wow! Thanks, everyone, for posting links to all these cycling component vending machines already in existence.
honestly, I dont see how it could work economically. The cost of the machine and whatnot to me would never be covered by how much stuff would be bought by folks. I am totally a bike guy, but it just doesnt seem feasible or realistic to me to be able to sustain itself.
I agree. I'm always listening to people tell me that if I think my ideas for supporting bike touring are so great, why don't I start a business to invest in them. Indeed, the risks of setting up a small bike-only camping facility, a remote bike shop, or just such a vending machine with bike parts at a bike-only camping facility would be a big risk for uncertain returns.
I think the only way such bike-touring oriented facilities will happen is if cyclists create them as co-op efforts, find a way to get them exempt from taxes and insurance, etc. Otherwise, a few bike-tourers would end up bearing high costs among just a few people. Sadly, the costs of doing business are oriented toward popular/mass products and products with a smaller market become unaffordable in comparison.
Still, I think if you compare the cost of setting up an entire bike shop or kiosk, complete with worker(s) to that of having a vending machine and DIY instructions, the DIY system would cost less.
Originally Posted by
Machka
Also a lot of little towns have sporting goods shops and/or hardware shops where you might be able to cobble together a temporary solution.
Did you read the very first sentence in the thread: "Have you ever been somewhere on a tour with one or more stores, restaurants, and service stations
but no bike shop or even a store that carries bike parts, tubes in the size you need, etc.?
You have to work with what's available but given the evolution of technologies, why not make use of them for the sake of unmanned retail distribution? Granted you have to deal with all the 'jobs-not-automation' people but pretend for a moment that those people could reach a point of job-satisfaction and they wouldn't grumble about giving clerk and attendant positions away to machines and robots. At that point, wouldn't more vending machines be a good thing?