Doug, it was really nice meeting you. Really a shame you couldn't join us for a ride.
Hearing Doug's and his friends' comments about their rental bikes (non functioning brakes, broken pawls on freewheels, road racing gearing, 25mm tires) makes me once again seriously consider starting a Bobish/ Rivish bike touring/bike rental company here in Thailand. Thailand is fantastic for mixed surface riding: the road network is extensive enough (unlike in Laos or Cambodia, for example) that it is easy to avoid highways almost completely even for point to point travel, but a fair number of the minor roads still turn into dirt roads as they cross the hills, to turn back to good pavement on the other side. And of course the food is excellent, and accommodations are generally comfortable, available in almost any small town, and reasonable (a clean room for two with private bath is usually under $20). Doing a rental business with Rivendells is probably not cost- effective, but how would a fleet of Surly LHTs appeal? I know I am not going to get rich with this scheme, but it seems like such a shame that one basically can't rent a good touring bike anywhere in the world, and Thailand is my favorite country so far for bike touring, having toured in California, Italy, Germany, Thailand and Japan. Let me know if you might be interested in such a service. I would probably be offering plain bike rentals, rentals with custom route planning and GPS rental, as well as fully supported custom tours with accommodations and support vehicle. If I did this, I would start with 4-6 bikes, so I wouldn't be able to accommodate large groups at first. Cheers, Gernot On Jan 27, 7:12 am, doug peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > From a recent field survey, I can confirm there really are three (3) > Rivendell's in Thailand: > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/33786397@N03/5391092687/ > > Paul, Gernot & Kip have posted info on their bikes and also think > there may be some Rivendells in Bangkok (if you're out there, let us > know!). We met at the end of my tour and was unfortunately too worn > out to go with them on their Sunday ride. > > Just completed 570 miles thru northern Thailand from Chiang-Rai to the > Mekong River, then along the border to the Golden Triangle (only got a > refrigerator magnet there, nothing stronger) and back to Chiang-Mai. > High point was Doi Mea-Salong (1,200m), the climb including long > stretches of 15-20% grades (one kick to 37%), requiring plenty of > hike'n'bike. Although intended to be a road tour, we got our share of > mixed surface in the form of multi-kilometer sections of road > construction (the clay is pretty good if dry; not so good when wet). > Conditions were generally good and drivers excellent. > > In an attempt to simplify logistics, the Atlantis stayed home & I used > a rental bike that proved over-geared and under maintained. However, > my trusty Baggins Bar Tube (never leave home without one) fits any > bike and keeps the camera and food at the ready. > > Thailand is truly a wonderful country with friendly people. With the > mix of city, country, mixed surfaces and challenging climbs, a Riv has > the versatility needed to enjoy this trip. > > dougP -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
