Flats, breakdowns and bike shops in Korea

Carry this, fix most things

• A spare tube in YOUR size — check before you fly. Rural shops stock common sizes and lean toward Schrader valves; if you run something exotic (or Presta-only rims), bring two tubes.
• Tire levers + a mini pump or CO2. The riverside benches every few km make decent workshops.
• A multitool with a chain breaker, plus one quick-link for your chain speed.
• Zip ties and a strip of duct tape — the universal Korean farm-road fix.

The puncture drill

Convenience stores do NOT sell tubes — don't count on GS25 for anything beyond snacks and zip ties. Fix it yourself or roll/walk to a shop. Asking for help needs zero Korean: point at the flat tire and mime a pump — it works every time. And remember you're never really alone out there: fellow Gukto Jongju tourers are famously quick to stop for one of their own.

• To find help on the map, paste 자전거 수리 (bicycle repair) into Naver Map — no pronunciation required.
• Some major riverside parks and weir plazas have free self-service stands (셀프 정비대) with pumps and basic tools bolted to them.

Finding a bike shop

• Search 자전거 (bicycle) in Naver Map — results with 수리 (repair) in reviews are what you want.
• 삼천리자전거 (Samchully) — Korea's oldest homegrown bike brand, a household name for over 70 years — has dealers in almost every town on the route: basic parts, tubes and repairs. Pointing works fine.
• Real service shops (Giant, Trek, Specialized dealers) cluster in the cities: Seoul, Chungju, Gumi, Daegu, Busan.
• Small-town shops often close Sundays — if something feels wrong on a Saturday, deal with it that day.

When it can't be fixed roadside

• Bus bail-out: intercity terminals line the route — bike goes in the luggage bay, and you restart from a city with a real shop. This is the standard escape hatch.
• Kakao T (taxi app): a 'Venti' / van-class taxi takes a bike with the front wheel off for shorter hops. Card-friendly, English UI.
• Worst case, motels will happily store your bike for a day while you fetch parts from the nearest city by bus.