Bicycle enthusiasts—whether we sprint to finish lines, cross cities or continents or simply appreciate technology and fine workmanship—are ripples in the ocean of the bicycle world.
That fact is easy to miss or ignore if you live in a Western/Global North city with bike lanes and well-stocked shops, or if you do all of your bike-related shopping online. It didn’t become real to me until I went for a ride in the Cambodian countryside with a native and both of us rode bikes like the ones people in the area ride.
People who haul their stuff and themselves—I’m not talking about someone in Williamsburg or Portland picking up artisanal bread at the local farmers’ market—don’t ride the latest high-tech carbon fiber wheels and frames with 12- (13?)-speed electronic shifting systems. For one thing, they can’t afford such things. For another, in the Global South—especially in rural areas—there isn’t a shop stocked with the necessary parts, equipped with the required tools and staffed by mechanics trained to use them—or any bike shop at all. And two- or three-day shipping isn’t available in those areas, even if the shop or an individual has internet access and can order.
Moreover, roads tend to be less developed and maintained, if they exist at all. A laden bike might be ridden on a trail or even on parched or sodden earth.
Bikes lead hard lives under such conditions. Therefore, reliability and simplicity are the paramount qualities.
World Bicycle Relief—an organization I’ve mentioned in previous posts—understands as much. In response, they’ve developed the Buffalo Bike, consisting of a rugged steel frame and a coaster brake.
In addition, WBR has trained over 3000 mechanics to keep those bikes rolling, mainly in Africa and South America. Trek has partnered with WBR to ensure distribution and repair of those bikes.
According to WBR, it takes $165 to provide one of those bikes and keep it rolling. That is less than what most department store bikes sell for in North America or Europe, and Buffalo Bikes are sturdier and require less maintenance.
