it's not really my fault, the idea only came into my head yesterday.
in case you missed the post on another thread, i'm trying to take two xc-racy type bikes back to the development squad in the lao national mtb team as training bikes.
these kids are uber-poor but quite talented. both girls and boys. plus they love the sport. for that reason alone they deserve your support.
don't say 'send money instead'. the lao cycling federation (as with every organisation in laos) is so corrupt they'd steal it and use it to buy junk for themselves. the western ngo's are just as bad.
what they need / all i can carry back is:
(2) light chro-mo or alloy hardtail frames, size small or at least not over 18"
spare hangers if frames have replaceable ones
(2) p2 forks or similar. there are no bouncy fork service centres in laos that i know of.
(2) aheadset or normal headset plus any servicing tools / spare bearings
(2) alloy bars / stem. no carbon.
(2) double or triple chainset / bb, ditto on specific servicing tools and spare bearings.
(4) flat pedals, no spd. spare bearings.
(2) sets of f+r 'v' brakes / levers, decent cables.
(2) front and rear mech and cables, spare rear mech would be cool
(2) sets gripshift plus cables
(2) 12-32 freewheel or similar, couple of chains with chain splitter would be handy.
(3) sets of f+r lightish rims/wheelset capable of taking 2.2" tyres f+r
spare spokes/bearings for wheels
spare q/r for wheels
(millions) large volume lightweight tyres and tubes.
(2) flexy titanium seatposts (gotta kill the shock somehow)
(4) specialized body geometry or similar saddles, both male and female – we can swap them around
(4) helmets. medium should be ok.
doesn't matter what the kit looks like as long at it works and there's a reasonable amount of life left in it. but i'll obviously take the best kit i can, so if someone offers their titanium hardtail race bike with a shedload of spares, don't be offended if i turn you down 🙂
so, assuming you're all overwhelmed by a sense of generosity towards your fellow mtbers in laos, how do we do this? i arrive in the uk early june, probably go back end june therefore we have a month to sort things out.
go ahead, tell me how it should be done…