THE LAST CYCLO (Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭)

Whatsupdoc · Post by **Whatsupdoc** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:17 am

Nicely shot and edited short documentary about the remaining cyclodrivers in Phnom Penh.
Well done, Conrad Richardson.

timmydownawell · Post by **timmydownawell** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:42 am

That was really interesting. Interview with Pu and Bong was lovely. 88! I recognised Pu and a couple of the others. I've been pondering whether it is possible to fit gears to the cyclos to make it a bit easier for the old guys. I asked at a couple of bike places at Orussey but they said no (but it's possible they didn't understand).

beaker · Post by **beaker** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:11 pm

timmydownawell wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:42 am That was really interesting. Interview with Pu and Bong was lovely. 88! I recognised Pu and a couple of the others. I've been pondering whether it is possible to fit gears to the cyclos to make it a bit easier for the old guys. I asked at a couple of bike places at Orussey but they said no (but it's possible they didn't understand).

It would be possible to gear the cyclos. One of the easiest mod would be to just lace the rear wheel to an internally gears hub.

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:21 pm

It would of course be possible but these machines have only survived because they are simple and require little maintenance. Once you add gears etc they become that bit more difficult to keep running and these old guys are scraping by as it is.

In 1999, there were more than 1,500 cyclos in Phnom Penh, according to the Cyclo Conservation and Careers Association (CCCA). The number has drastically dropped, with approximately 300 cyclos remaining active. Left to the status quo, the number of cyclo drivers and cyclos are expected to further decline due to the effects of the pandemic.

Within the Kingdom, two organisations are at the forefront of supporting the struggling cyclo industry. Founded in 2009, the CCCA seeks to support cyclo drivers by providing access to basic healthcare, education and housing at no cost. Today, the association supports 280 cyclo drivers between the ages of 32 and 82 in Phnom Penh.

Similarly, Prime Minister HE launched the Cyclo Foundation in 2018, providing cyclo drivers who register with the Foundation access to free medical treatment at public hospitals and a subsidy of $52.50 to cover rental fees and meals each month. Serving as the charity’s honourable chairman, the prime minister has committed to donating 120 million riel (about $30,000) annually.

Cambodia’s cyclo industry has arrived at an inflection point. Despite efforts to improve the livelihoods of its drivers through both organisations, the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges facing the cyclo industry. With the sharp decline in tourism, cyclo drivers earn roughly 10,000 to 20,000 riel per day. For perspective in pre-Covid times, tourism contributed to 70 per cent of Cambodian cyclo drivers’ incomes.

Today, cyclo drivers are among the poorest of the urban poor in the capital. With dwindling tourist numbers, their socio-economic status is likely to fall further.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/opinion/s ... extinction

atst · Post by **atst** » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:25 pm

Fantastic doc well done

timmydownawell · Post by **timmydownawell** » Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:55 am

beaker wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:11 pm
timmydownawell wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:42 am That was really interesting. Interview with Pu and Bong was lovely. 88! I recognised Pu and a couple of the others. I've been pondering whether it is possible to fit gears to the cyclos to make it a bit easier for the old guys. I asked at a couple of bike places at Orussey but they said no (but it's possible they didn't understand).
It would be possible to gear the cyclos. One of the easiest mod would be to just lace the rear wheel to an internally gears hub.

Yeah maybe that's possible. Perhaps the easiest thing to do for some of these guys would be to buy their cyclos for them. I didn't realise they rented them.

Ot Mean Loi · Post by **Ot Mean Loi** » Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:23 pm

Very interesting and brings back memories of my time as an infantry corporal in C Company 3rd Bn Royal Australian Regiment in Malaya in 1963/64.

British Malay/Malaysia also had cyclos, known locally as cycle rickshaws or pedicabs. The difference in design being that the passenger part was alongside the bicycle bit much like a side car for a motorcycle is.

On pay day every fortnight, if not on operations in the jungles of coastal peninsular Malaya, protecting against incursions by Indonesian forces, we would have a great night outing Melaka/Malaka. But how to get back to our unit inside the large 28th Commonwealth Brigade military garrison, some of which was still being built around us, at Terendak some 13 miles/23Km north of Melaka/Malaka?

Well, some how or other someone would organize a group of pedicab drivers and negotiate a price for this fairly long journey for us well lubricated Brit, Aust and NZ soldiers. However, it was always made in to something of a race by us offering a significant amount on Malaysian Ringt as a prize to the fastest "driver". All politically non pc in this day and age but that was the way it was back then. But regardless, as this was a frequent occurrence the pedicab drivers had agreed a fairly generous price to themselves for such an endeavor.

They were great days as an NCO in a great battalion in Malay during Confrontasi with Indonesia.

OML

timmydownawell · Post by **timmydownawell** » Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:29 pm

I asked how much cyclos cost to buy, at the 'cyclo cemetery' near Wat Koh. $300-600 depending on condition. Surprisingly high. Or maybe that's the barang price.

Ryan754326 · Post by **Ryan754326** » Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:47 pm

beaker wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:11 pm
It would be possible to gear the cyclos. One of the easiest mod would be to just lace the rear wheel to an internally gears hub.

Or you could go one step further, and fit a rear wheel with an electric hub motor.

beaker · Post by **beaker** » Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:57 pm

Ryan754326 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:47 pm
beaker wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:11 pm
It would be possible to gear the cyclos. One of the easiest mod would be to just lace the rear wheel to an internally gears hub.
Or you could go one step further, and fit a rear wheel with an electric hub motor.

Yep, my wife and I each have one they are our only vehicles and they work great.

THE LAST CYCLO (Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭)

THE LAST CYCLO (Phnom Penh, Cambodia 🇰🇭)

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