Are you going just for the trip? Or would the bikepacking be part of a longer trip? Honestly, it doesn't seem that worth it to go all that way for a week. Save the emissions and do something local.
Mileage per day. 20-30 miles of moderate touring I’ll do on almost any rig (I’d likely bring my own saddle though). All day on the bike? I’d want my own whip.
I wonder if it would be possible to find a decent used bike on CL or FB, ride it, donate it. Or maybe find a Kona Dew, etc dealer down there and ask to rent it for 4-7 days then give it back, paying half the new price of the bike.
For travel, nothing beats a bike with [S&S Couplers](http://www.bantambicycles.com/ss-couplers), or get a [Ritchey break-away](https://ritcheylogic.com/bike/frames/break-away-outback-frameset). They can be [retrofit on a typical steel (or even TI) frame](https://www.ticycles.com/sands-coupling), or you can buy a frame with them preinstalled.
With these, you can pack a full-size bike into [a suitcase that is small enough to avoid extra airport fees](http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_hard.htm). I've done it, and the extra cost of the couplers was recouped in just a few trips.
It also helps outside of flying - one time, I had to take a shuttle bus to get through a part of Serbia that was snowed in, and way too dangerous to tour through - the snow plows did the bare minimum, so no room on the shoulder of the road to ride.
The shuttle I booked said they took bikes, but when the van arrived, it didn't have a bike rack - so I quickly detached the two halves of the bike, folded it in half, and threw it in the back of the van. Problem solved!
I highly recommend a coupler-equipped bike if you plan on being a world traveller. Otherwise, you can get absolutely screwed by airline fees. Some of them salivate on charging extra for bikes, and bikes alone.
Bike rentals in south america are very uncomon, and 99% are city bikes. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll find a bikepacking worthy bike.
Are you going just for the trip? Or would the bikepacking be part of a longer trip? Honestly, it doesn't seem that worth it to go all that way for a week. Save the emissions and do something local.
Mileage per day. 20-30 miles of moderate touring I’ll do on almost any rig (I’d likely bring my own saddle though). All day on the bike? I’d want my own whip.
that's a great approach, thanks.
Which countries are in your list?
I think just Colombia
I wonder if it would be possible to find a decent used bike on CL or FB, ride it, donate it. Or maybe find a Kona Dew, etc dealer down there and ask to rent it for 4-7 days then give it back, paying half the new price of the bike.
If you're getting to where you're taking light aircraft to go where you need to go, you probably won't find rentals at the other end.
For travel, nothing beats a bike with [S&S Couplers](http://www.bantambicycles.com/ss-couplers), or get a [Ritchey break-away](https://ritcheylogic.com/bike/frames/break-away-outback-frameset). They can be [retrofit on a typical steel (or even TI) frame](https://www.ticycles.com/sands-coupling), or you can buy a frame with them preinstalled. With these, you can pack a full-size bike into [a suitcase that is small enough to avoid extra airport fees](http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_hard.htm). I've done it, and the extra cost of the couplers was recouped in just a few trips. It also helps outside of flying - one time, I had to take a shuttle bus to get through a part of Serbia that was snowed in, and way too dangerous to tour through - the snow plows did the bare minimum, so no room on the shoulder of the road to ride. The shuttle I booked said they took bikes, but when the van arrived, it didn't have a bike rack - so I quickly detached the two halves of the bike, folded it in half, and threw it in the back of the van. Problem solved! I highly recommend a coupler-equipped bike if you plan on being a world traveller. Otherwise, you can get absolutely screwed by airline fees. Some of them salivate on charging extra for bikes, and bikes alone.
I would imagine Columbia has a pretty good cycling scene/infrastructure, especially around the bigger cities.