Cycling Plus had an article from a guy who rode through India last year. Bought a local bike. Found little "fix-it" shops in every village that could fix flats and make minor repairs. "Yellow Jersey" sells an Indian bike here in the USA for $300. The design appears to be a copy of a 1913 Ralaigh DL-1, going strong after about a century.

www.yellowjersey.org/EASTMAN.HTML