Professional Approach
In 1998 HMB initiated an apprenticeship-training program, the first seen in Nepal and the Asian region, to develop the broad skills required by a mountain biking guide.
Everything from bike skill development, fitness, dress codes, mechanical skills, workshop procedures, communication skills, first aid and guiding skills have been embraced and built into a curriculum which is taught, tested & examined.
International professional mechanics, racers and guides have been invited to Nepal by HMB to lead parts of our curriculum and offer a broader perspective to our skills base rather than it becoming introverted given Nepal’s geographic location.
HMB’s tiered system of tours allows guides to start from the bottom rung of workshop maintenance into day tours, multi day tours and international tours as their skills mature. The incentives of more prestige tours, international travel and better pay keeps the boys motivated.
In the past 12 years HMB has trained and employed nearly all-Nepalese guides that currently operate in the industry.
Dedicated Service.
In 1998 HMB opened a dedicated & fully serviced bike workshop with full-time staff and mechanic. Although HMB has had a mechanic for many years, the bike service center was a new venture. It is kitted out with a full variety of specialist tools to complete almost any repairs.
The workshop in addition to keeping our own tour bikes serviced also carries out repairs and maintenance for the biking community of Kathmandu. It is often the focal point of many visiting long distance bike tourers, part way through a 2, 3 or 4-year mammoth ‘round-the-world’ biking holiday or fund raising program. On most occasions it’s HMB’s workshop and mechanic that keeps them on the road with running repairs, spare parts, tune ups or machining replacement parts that cannot be bought. HMB has sales & tour offices in Thamel – Kathmandu and in Pokhara (Nepal’s 2nd largest city)·
All HMB’s bikes are fully imported recognized brand mountain bikes with front suspension. The current fleet of 24 bikes is Bianchi ‘Grizzly’ models that were customized with LX and XT components.
In a country as remote as Nepal, being landlocked, the only sure/quick means of spare part & bike delivery is by air (rather than long overland freight from India) it takes a dedicated and persistent approach to get and maintain spare parts for the fleet of bikes and client repairs.
HMB’s safety record is 100% intact and given the remote and hash regions toured it shows a commitment to client safety, comfort and planning of contingencies. All tours are designed to provide the maximum possible safety and rescue services available. HMB staff is First Aid trained and has a comprehensive first aid kit on tour.
In the year 2000 Nepal will see the opening of several large 5-Star hotels open that are part of worldwide chains. I.e. Grand Hyatt, Le Meridian. Others like Radisson, Holiday Inn, Fulbari Resort and the Taj Group also operate in Nepal and HMB services each of these hotels with mountain biking packages.
Ph : 977-1-4212860
Fx : 977-1-4212861
P.O.Box: 12673
Kathmandu, Nepal
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