Bring on the Rain!

1 June 2019 - Rachana Khatri

Riding a bike is almost non-negotiable when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint; we can stay healthy while making sure we don’t contribute towards Kathmandu’s already-hazardous air pollution. With monsoon rolling in soon, however, bike-owners around the valley will start being weary of how Kathmandu’s unrelenting rain might wear down their bicycles.

On 18 and 19 May, 2019, Pangro organized a bicycle monsoon maintenance workshop. The course was designed to prepare bike riders for the coming monsoon; they were taught how the rain would affect their bike, and how different types of ailing bicycles might look.

Bike-riders were able to learn basic preventative maintenance skills, where the trainers introduced problems they may face and showed solutions to these problems. They then guided the bike-riders in practicing those same fixes on their own bikes. The training was geared towards people who would be both day-to-day commuting and mountain biking this coming monsoon. It was beginner friendly and was suitable for both Nepali and English speakers.

Diwash Pradhan of Pangro said they used to teach people “what to do” before, but now they were moving more towards teaching the “why,” so that people could understand the mechanics of their own bikes better. The training included types of oils and cables that would be good for different purposes, given the number of choices in the market. The training also included Do-It-Yourself tips where the bike riders got tips on using tools and goods available at home; these included using toothbrushes, limes, and soapy water to take care of their bikes even before anything happened to them.

Pangro, run by a group of outdoor enthusiasts, has hosted and organized some of the biggest and best known outdoor sporting events in Nepal, such as Himalayan Outdoor Festival, and Godavari Running Festival. They have designed and assembled hardwearing working bikes for Kathmandu and some of their trainers and members conducted maintenance training courses for bike owners and bike mechanics in different parts of the world.

To learn more about Pangro, check out their Facebook Page!

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