Four years unsupported

[SlimJim]

I have this friend... He is moving to Vanuatu (an island near Fiji) as a missionary. "No roads, no lights, no motorcar, not a single luxury." anyway, he has secured a mountain bike to use, what spares, parts,tools should he bring to keep it rolling for four years without any outside support? What skills?
Some details: he's not really a biker, so is starting from scratch. Vanuatu is a tropical island, trails have coral, volcanic rocks, broken bottles, etc. Theft can Be an issue.

The bike
a mid nineties steel Mongoose IBOC with front suspension, rear rack, grip shifters, v brakes, 3x8 speeds, all pretty functional, but very basic by current standards. Sealed bearings in hubs, bb & head.

What do you bring to equip a bike for four years on a tropical island? What maintenance schedule? Keep in mind, this is NOT hypothetical, and money is tight.

Slimjim

[boddunn]

I'd say get some rigid forks (Project 2's don't sell for much second hand). Maybe swap the shifters, Gripshift tend to get get brittle and crack, maybe some old thumb shifters. Several sets of cables especially the front mech cable, salt sits on top of the pinch bolt and corrodes the cable (mine kept breaking in winter and I couldn't figure out why until I put it under a microscope and saw all the salt crystals and corrosion right where the pinch bolt held it). The salt will eat anything metal so if the frame is steel get some Framesaver or linseed oil.
 That's a start, sure there'll be lots of other people who'll have some good ideas too.
  Matt

[donmeredith74]

I'd seriously consider dumping the shifty bits if he's not a biker. Either that or get some serious training on how to properly set up and maintain the derailleurs, cables, etc. A single speed setup would be much less failure prone, obviously. +1 on the rigid fork. Tires / tubes are obvious, brake pads. Understand how to true the wheels, set up brakes, adjust all bearings.

[SlimJim]

I've been thinking about friction thumb shifters, cause they only need limit adjistments, not indexing. They also work with any kind of drivetrain.

[bartspedden]

+1 on the rigid fork
+1 on the single speed

salt is clearly the big issue here. My grandparents had a little vacation trailer at the beach with a storage shed in the back.  Each year the bikes would be totally rusted from storage.  Back then we used motor oil for the chain and fixed the bikes as they broke.  Tires would dry rot pretty badly too.

Essentially it comes down to this.  Remove as much as possible from the bike that "could" break and have spares of everything else.  

I'd go over the frame and sand down and prime/paint the whole thing with marine quality paint.

If money weren't tight I'd say go for a frame that doesn't rust (aluminum/Ti/carbon) and use a belt drive and rim brakes.

On that note, I'd probably also review the remaining components and see what they are made of. Things like handlebars and stem and seatpost are most likely aluminum, but if not, there's lots of cheap replacements to be found.

As far as tools are concerned he should be able to take the bike apart and put it back together. I'm not familiar with the bike so it's tough to say for things like headset and bottom bracket... However... assuming a single speed with rigid fork...
  - full set of allen wrenches
  - chain break
  - tire levers
  - high quality pump (floor pump and travel pump if possible)
  - bottom bracket tools (almost every current BB requires a custom tool)

In my mind your best defense is a good offense, which in this case would be the non-rusting path.  But since the cost prevents this I would think that the best defense would be EXTREMELY regular maintenance that includes disassembling the bike, greasing everything, and putting it back together.  

As a kid my best friend and I would do this kind of maintenance every week or two.  It doesn't take long once you're in the habit and the bikes end up running to near perfection!

And lastly, I would think about storage.  Maybe get some type of "bike bag" to cover the bike up with if it can't come inside.

[SlowDave]

In the third world the secret is to keep it simple.  Aluminum oxidizes in salt air so stick with steel.  Get a cheapo used steel single speed, a Schwinn if available.  If not beach cruisers can be had for a couple of hundred bucks.  Talk to a bike mechanic about getting a good rear hub.  Bring an extra tire, tubes, patch kit and sealant.  Put a rear rack on the beast and you are ready to go.

[neve_r_est]

http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product_info_b.php?cPath=2448_2457

[sjanes]

Tell him to buy one after he gets there,  he will be a lot less stressed and be able to purchase a bike that is compatible with the spare/replacement parts that are for sale in the country.  After he is there, he can figure out the best way to access american bikes and parts if he feels the need.  With a population of 234,023 in 2009,  there will be bikes. 

this advice coming from a missionary kid who spent 6 yrs in the Caribbean. 

[bikemad]

along with oxidizing, swapping out shifts and forks ect. you should tell your friend to invest in some good tires that are lined well and plenty of thorn proof tubes. i can only imagine the terrain may carry bumps along the way and maybe something pointy too. nothing is worse then getting stranded by a flat tire.
another thing that he may want to consider is making sure most of the hardware is universal. try and make sure all the hard ware is the same size, it will minimize the tools you need to carry with you.
upgrade the pedals. ill take a good guess and say the mongoose has plastic pedals and that you have little grip and they will break.
fenders would be a goo investment as well
think from the ground up

steve
www.intrepidequip.com
intrepid handcycle and recumbent specialist