29" MTBs – Which Tyre Size, Valve Type, & more

[henrik2000]

Hello, next month i (experienced tourist in TH) want to buy an 29", 8000 THB, mountain bike (MTB) in TH and carry it by rental car around central Thailand for lots of day trips out of provincial mid-range hotels for hopefully 2 months of touristing. I did this in the previous winter and it was great for me. So here I don't need general travel planning advice, just specifics as mentioned.

I would like to bring some special spare parts from the west, only I am not sure if they will fit. Thus my questions:

1) Typical tyre size: 29x1,75?

I might want to bring

- special "protective" tyres

- replacement tubes (even if available in TH).

The two mountain bike models I'm eying currently (below) have 29x1,75 and 29x2,10 respectively.

2) Typical valve: Presta/Sclaverand/French – OR – Schrader/car valve?

I want to bring a small pump. Last time in TH I didn't manage to find a decent SMALL pump in provincial Thailand, only huge stand-pumps. I believe my last TH bicycle had a Schrader valve.

Photos of valve types mentioned, on bicycling.com

 

 

== That above was the important part. Thanks for an informed reply! ==

 

About dealer and hydraulic disc brakes

I want to buy from an on the ground bicycle dealer that I know and trust. I had his 8000 THB 29" Zeus Maxiumus MTB last winter, and it worked well. For this time, he offered me 2 different bicycles by LINE-messenger (before I walk into his shop next month) both for around 8000 THB.

But his English is not good. I don't write Thai, it is difficult; also I don't trust Google Translate especially with technical questions. Face to face we do get along well with spoken Thai/spoken English. It seems his bicycle offers are available 1000THB cheaper on shopee, Lazada etc., but I don't care, I will buy in that shop. He offered me:

Offer 1: Zeus Maximus 29" ER, 8000

It has 29x1,75 tyres (preferred over 29x2,10), hydraulic disk brakes (not wanted), double-layered rims (good!)

Full description in Thai on shopee (Google site translation doesn't work in my browser, I don't see company website in EN)

Offer 2: Java Terra 29" 21speeds

Unlike the Zeus Maximus above, it does have Shimano parts (important or not?) and "mechanical disc brake" (good!). I don't see if it has the desired double-layer rims (or is that standard anyway?).

It has 29x2,10 tyres (too fat for me) – if I bring my own "protective tyres" of 29x1,75 – would they fit? Or would even smaller ones fit (rim wideness not specified)

Full description in Thai+English on shopee (Google site translation doesn't work in my browser, I don't see company website in EN)

Hydraulic disc brake ("oil break", ) standard?

The mentioned Zeus Maximus 29" ER prides hydraulic brakes. But I don't want them.

The Java bicycle is mentioned with "bicycle Mechanical Disc brake" – better.

I will take the bicycle's front wheel off several times a week to get it into the car between hotels. I understand with hydraulic brakes there's a danger of a "blocked" brake, if you take the wheel off and don't keep brake things apart with some small thingy. But I would either

- forget to apply the thingy and/or

- loose the dedicated thingy (even if you could also use some non-specific thingy)

Thanks again!

[BritManToo]

You can always fit narrower tyres.

Mechanical disc brakes are really horrible, you need to squeeze so hard it'll give you cramp in your hands.

[henrik2000]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Mechanical disc brakes are really horrible, you need to squeeze so hard it'll give you cramp in your hands.

Thanks for commenting!

So far i only had mechanical disc brakes or the very old style ("block brakes") and didn't find it tiresome. (I don't cycle super fast or steep downhill usually.)

I only worry about mechanical disc brakes getting easily distorted when heaving into the car's back and then getting noisy/slowing while riding the bike.

[frequentatore]

15 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

I only worry about mechanical disc brakes getting easily distorted when heaving into the car's back and then getting noisy/slowing while riding the bike.

Easy to do. Good explanation on Youtube by SickBiker: How To Improve Cheap, Mechanical, ONE Piston Disc Brakes For More Braking Power

 

Check also RJ The Bike Guy

 

 

 

 

[henrik2000]

1 hour ago, frequentatore said:

Good explanation on Youtube by SickBiker: How To Improve Cheap, Mechanical, ONE Piston Disc Brakes For More Braking Power

Thanks!

[Luckyman999]

buy good tires (e.g. the brands  Continental or Schwalbe) from a bicycle dealer in Thailand. NOT lazada ..many bicycle tires from lazada are fake. A good tire costs around 1.500 Baht.

 

For a price of 8.000 Baht its impossible to buy a good bike. A acceptable bicycle starts around 20.000 baht (with hydraulic breaks). Thai clima kill a cheap bicycle very soon.

 

I go in Thailand every year around 15.000 km with my bicycle...

[bobfish]

Your preferences are of course your own. Most of the advice so far is sound.
 

Take a look at 888bike.net [ english menu ]. I've used them on a number of occasions. Both your bikes are listed there at Bt6900, less on Lazada. Hydraulic disc brakes will almost always be better than cable, unless you need maintenance somehere out of the way like the Atlas Mountains. Any Thai shop can sort hydraulic brakes. A tyre lever easily sorts the inadvertant lever pull with the wheel removed. Out of those two bikes though, I'd choose the Java. Cost savings have to happen somewhere - gears trump brakes - and the Shimano Tourney shifting beats the L-Twoo offering for performance and spares. 

 

It is true that for around Bt8000 you are not buying an actual mountain bike. Just something which looks a bit like one. A rigid fork will be more reliable bolted to a practical hybrid frame. If you don't like mail-order, I'd suggest you check out the nearest Decathlon offerings on arrival. Their Riverside doesn't have a crappy 'suspension' fork or cheap disc brakes and is a steal at Bt5000. Comes with 700[29er]x38 tyres. Pick up a Shrader/Presta combo minipump while you're there.

[StreetCowboy]

If you buy a bike with Schroder valves, and you want to fit Presta tubes, put a valve nut on the valve stem (inside the wheel rim) before you fit the tube on the wheel, so that the edge of the larger Presta valve hole is not pressing on the rubber of the tyre.  I think it took me two tubes before someone in the bike shop explained that to me.

 

I agree with Bobfish.

 

Rim brakes are OK

Cable pull disc brakes are fine

Hydraulic disc brakes are better.

Use a sharp knife to separate the pads if you forget to put in a piece of cardboard when moving the bike with the wheel removed.
If you are buying a cheap mountain bike, you will hopefully not be needing the suspension.  If you can find a hybrid (no suspension) for the same price, the money saved on the suspension will probably be spent on more useful better components elsewhere.
I have never been less than delighted with my Shimano gears, at the high level and the budget level, although the SRAM gears on my mountain bike are the best of them all.

 

Back in the day, I paid much more for my first bike here than I had planned, so I had to ride it much more to get the value out of it, and that was the best decision I ever made.  But I can see it might be different if you are committed to a short-time ownership...

[henrik2000]

Luckyman, Streetcowboy and Bobfish, thanks for more detailed advice!

[StreetCowboy]

5 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Luckyman, Streetcowboy and Bobfish, thanks for more detailed advice!

Let us know how you get on - it’s always a pleasure to read about other people’s adventures