Gernot, This would be awesome! I had the same thoughts when I was in Japan. I just wanted a good bike to ride around, but the process of bringing one with me seemed really difficult or expensive.
Long Haul Truckers. That's what you should rent. And I wrote that before I saw that you mentioned it in your post. To clarify, I don't have any plans on going to Thailand, but the idea in general is something that I think would be appealing, and I completely agree with you that tourers for rental is something that should exist. -Jim On Jan 27, 2011, at 10:37 PM, Earl Grey wrote: > > 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 <dougpn...@cox.net> 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 rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
