Breakdown

We´re down to zero tires and zero tubes. Ben has a hole the size of a ping pong ball in his rear tire (currently patched by a piece of leather) and if we pop another tube we might be thumbing. The issue is wheel size. Ben and Thea are taller than average and have larger, road bike sized wheels. Nobody rides road bike wheels in South America. We knew finding replacement tires for the big wheels would be a problem but we brought them anyway. This is because we are Americans and it is our right, some might even say our duty, to do whatever we want wherever we want at all times. This begs the question; is it possible to ride a culturally insensitive bicycle? Or is it possible for an entire nation to be mechanically biased against tallies? Should we feel guilty, or slighted, or both?