Buying A New Bicycle

[praglen]

I'm looking to buy a new, but basic street bike(fat tires) for local riding in Jomtien. Which department store(Tesco,Big C or Carrfour) has the best prices and how much should I expect to pay?

[funfun]

I'm looking to buy a new, but basic street bike(fat tires) for local riding in Jomtien. Which department store(Tesco,Big C or Carrfour) has the best prices and how much should I expect to pay?

big c 2nd road got a good range, you can pay 1,500 up to about 6,000, if ya gonna use it a bit get the 6,000 one has metal, brake, and gear levers etc as opposed to plastic, and has front and rear suspension!

chris

[Sommaz]

Prices don't vary that much between the stores you mentioned. Expect to pay about 6,000 THB depending on frame size. I would be also tempted to look in a bike shop located on Thepprasit Rd. It's located near entrance to Soi 8 (on the left hand side if you are driving towards Sukhumvit Rd). They've got a decent selection of bikes, although they're pricier than Tesco etc.

[mr_hippo]

Have you ever wondered why bike shops do not sell cans of beans? It is because they specialise in bikes and not beans!

If you only need a bike to go to the local 7-11 then get one from a supermarket. If you are an average size Westerner or if you want to go further - then don't!

Bikes are not toys. What after sales service will a supermarket offer you? Do they know about bike sizing? Was the bike assembled by a qualified bicycle mechanic? How long is the frame guaranteed for?

Wow, a full suspension bike for £90 or US$170 - now what sort of components can you expect for that price? High quality, medium or crap? How long will they last? Will you be able to replace them? At what cost?

[ZZZ]

There are usually some good quality bikes, 2nd hand, advertised in Pattaya Mail at greatly reduced prices.

[donna]

i bought my Mongoose from super sports. cost me about 13,000 all up, down from around 20,000, and i love it.

you get what you pay for.

[mgjackson69]

If i want just a basic bicycle, I have no problem buying from Big C or Tesco-Lotus.

If I want a more up-market model, then I will go to a bicycle shop.

I would not buy the aforementioned "6000-baht" model from Big C...it is likely to be the same cheap crap with a fancier wrapper.

[dotcom]

If you have access to Supersport or Sports World they have nice Mountain bikes (fat tires). I paid about 10,000 for mine.

[Rimmer]

i bought my Mongoose from super sports. cost me about 13,000 all up, down from around 20,000, and i love it.

you get what you pay for.

Exactly right

Bought my Santa Cruz full suspension from TWA Singapore, full XTR Marzocchi air shock, Fox rear shock, sub 24lbs S$10,000 that's around 250,000 baht, but at that time I owned the shop .

Stay away from Big C Lotus chain store bikes, mechanics call them bikes from H*ll! Impossible to work on heavy and cheap generic shimano look a like parts. Worst thing is they usually have a one piece BMX crank and the crank arms are shorter than a normal bike which means that even on a small hil you got to get off and push.

[pattaya_girl]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

[mgjackson69]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

...As opposed to a tandem for one person

[pattaya_girl]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

...As opposed to a tandem for one person

I said it was for two persons as some people might not know what a tandem is, and also, you never know, you might be able to get them for three persons here, anything is possible in amazing Thailand. (maybe) hehe

[mr_hippo]

I said it was for two persons as some people might not know what a tandem is, and also, you never know, you might be able to get them for three persons here, anything is possible in amazing Thailand. (maybe) hehe

Tandems for three people are called 'triplets' - Triplet pictures

Family transport England post WWII

[NanLaew]

^ mr_hippo! yr a genius! u have found the answer to the pattaya baht bus and motocycle taxi mafia problem.

hold on while i pm jingthing

[Samuian]

you get what you pay for.

..spot on!

But as in another post... depends what you want to use it for...

[mgjackson69]

you get what you pay for.

..spot on!

But as in another post... depends what you want to use it for...

Yep....The wife and I picked up a couple of cheap bikes (Coppi brand I think) in the village for about 1300 each. Simple 24" bikes, single speed. The only thing that I have changed, other than partially dismantling them and putting them together properly, was to add a quick-release for the seat adjustment.

These bikes are just right for touring around the village, going to the market, etc. I am not going to be so upset if Somchai runs over one of them...and I might have a chance of him, or his sister's farang husband, replacing it for me. Now if it was a nicer unit at 15-20000 baht I would be a lot more upset and very unlikely to get it replaced.

I do miss my Trek mountain bike...hanging in the garage at my house in USA

[Chang_paarp]

The bike shop on Sukumvit at Nakeua 3 doors from Soi Chiapornvitti (opposite the school) has some good bikes falang sized one start at B5000. He also has Mongoose and some others at over B10,000. The man I spoke with speaks OK English and know his stuff, it was a place recommended to me by Kurgen.

[whitethai]

Ya wanna be careful

I just got knocked off my bike (UK) I bought just two days eaerler some freakin young kid opened his car door and I got knocked off hospital etc really really hrut my body going just four miles per hour back home cannot believe the damage and pain I have from just three or four miles per hour. Claiming insurance damage of course however they take so freakin long to go to court my damaged body would have healed up by then and I will get a measly few quid I can see.

Anyway as I know its pretty hectic around Pattaya just be careful. However my body is very easily damaged the slightest knock makes me swell up for days.

Really its not funny I cannot walk past twenty yards for pain and back of my shoulders man oh man to think itll get worse when I get older!

Edited August 10, 2008 by whitethai

[Bangyai]

I'm looking to buy a new, but basic street bike(fat tires) for local riding in Jomtien. Which department store(Tesco,Big C or Carrfour) has the best prices and how much should I expect to pay?

If you're not a front wheeling cyclist like Mr. Hippo and just want the bike for local use then I don't see a problem with a department store bike. I would go for the Turbo brand rather than L.A as slightly better quality for the same money. I've had my 5 speed now for 3 years and its still good as new.Cost then was 2800baht. If the bike hasn't got one invest a few baht for a quick release seat height adjuster.

Interestingly, an Aussie friend spent about a 1000+ dollars on a bike last year with 28 gears. Went out riding with a friend on a 5 speed L.A. Going along a muddy track the 28 speeder got clogged up and had to be carried over the muddy stretch. The L.A. was fine.Sometimes you get more less than you pay for.

[Samuian]

....spent about a 1000+ dollars on a bike last year with 28 gears. Went out riding with a friend on a 5 speed L.A. Going along a muddy track the 28 speeder got clogged up and had to be carried over the muddy stretch. The L.A. was fine.Sometimes you get more less than you pay for.

It didn't had reverse gear or 4x?

28 would simply confuse me, had one with shimano gears and the lot, got stolen, the fancier they are, the more you have to look after them as well - another set back!

Friend of mine sports one with carbon fiber wheels .... name it, every technology there is on the cyclist market he got it, still he has to make it move - why is that I wonder?

[sotsira]

I'm looking to buy a new, but basic street bike(fat tires) for local riding in Jomtien. Which department store(Tesco,Big C or Carrfour) has the best prices and how much should I expect to pay?

For what you describe as a basic street bike, i would look for front suspension, strong wheels with road tyres and a light frame.

This would give you a benchmark on what you need to look for when considering the road conditions that you'll be riding on.

Fat tyres are usually used for off road which would add resistance when ridden on tarmac.

[CHdiver]

I'm looking to buy a new, but basic street bike(fat tires) for local riding in Jomtien. Which department store(Tesco,Big C or Carrfour) has the best prices and how much should I expect to pay?

For what you describe as a basic street bike, i would look for front suspension, strong wheels with road tyres and a light frame.

This would give you a benchmark on what you need to look for when considering the road conditions that you'll be riding on.

Fat tyres are usually used for off road which would add resistance when ridden on tarmac.

Pattaya has no good roads, I call it off road city . A mountain Bike is the best thing you can buy to drive around.

[mr_hippo]

If the bike hasn't got one invest a few baht for a quick release seat height adjuster.

Why? If your bike is set up for you then it will not need to be adjusted. Having said that, they can be useful: lock your bike up and take the saddle with you and they are very useful for thieves!

I just got knocked off my bike (UK) I bought just two days eaerler some freakin young kid opened his car door and I got knocked off hospital etc really really hrut my body going just four miles per hour back home cannot believe the damage and pain I have from just three or four miles per hour.

As car drivers are taught to leave plenty of room for cyclists (but rarely do!), were you ever taught not to ride too close to parked cars?

For what you describe as a basic street bike, i would look for front suspension, strong wheels with road tyres and a light frame.

This would give you a benchmark on what you need to look for when considering the road conditions that you'll be riding on.

Fat tyres are usually used for off road which would add resistance when ridden on tarmac.

Why do you need front suspension? It adds to the weight and cost for little or no benefit for street riding. Strong wheels? You do need a good set of wheels and alloy rims are far suoerior to steel. 'Fat tyres' - it depends on your definition of 'fat' - for normal road use 26"x1.5" or 700x35 are suitable.

My words from a previous thread:-

I am not a big fan of supermarkets for bikes but if you just want it for I km or less from your apartment to the skytrain, if you are light enough and small enough then go for a single speed roadster - forget full suspension, gears and all that.

As Donna said earlier " You get what you pay for."

[Carib]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

...As opposed to a tandem for one person

I said it was for two persons as some people might not know what a tandem is, and also, you never know, you might be able to get them for three persons here, anything is possible in amazing Thailand. (maybe) hehe

How about....

[pattaya_girl]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

...As opposed to a tandem for one person

I said it was for two persons as some people might not know what a tandem is, and also, you never know, you might be able to get them for three persons here, anything is possible in amazing Thailand. (maybe) hehe

How about....

Wow, now that what i call a bicycle - could you imagine cycling around Pattaya on that baby !!!!!

[Carib]

A very good friend of mine has bought a tandem for two people. looks good. get back to me if you want to know where he got it from lol.

...As opposed to a tandem for one person

I said it was for two persons as some people might not know what a tandem is, and also, you never know, you might be able to get them for three persons here, anything is possible in amazing Thailand. (maybe) hehe

How about....

Wow, now that what i call a bicycle - could you imagine cycling around Pattaya on that baby !!!!!

I can only think of getting (a)round on that bike, but not getting anywhere.

By the way , this is the bike issued to many government workers world wide, it is to give them the feeling that they put in a lot of effort to their jobs....without them noticing that it doesnot lead to anything.