Bicycle Shop In Chiang Mai?

[rikki]

thanks for all the info

TCA have a special offer on last years FOX40s, (14000), if you're a downhiller

Anyone know where I can find a Maxxis HiRoller 2.35 singleply ? (not UST)

chitawat say the bangkok distributor has none

[T_Dog]

Regarding forks, I've had Rock Shox, Manitou's, and FOX, and can say that the FOX are absolutely the best. I've got a four year old F100/RLT and a 100 RLC at the moment and they have never needed service except for a bit of air every few months. I also use FOX rear shocks and they seem to need service more often, but not abnormally so.

CobraST, do you have some more specific directions to TCA? I need to check them out. I've been pretty happy with SPIN out on Canal Road near Night Safari, and even yesterday I cruised in there for some spokes as I broke one. They gave me two for free and off I went as I buy stuff there. Nice owner, but the mechanic could be friendlier. (The old mechanic was great.)

[T_Dog]

cycle service in CM?

i need to have a wheel rebuilt.

any recommendations?

how's the service at TCA? i've had service at velocity - not impressed.

SPIN quoted me 300 baht to re-spoke a wheel.

[drtreelove]

Be careful of any warranties that Jacky may promise you. I'd personally stick with Chaitawat or Tom as they're also able to get hold of higher end parts, but, more importantly, are so much more pleasant to deal with.

I had similar problems with Tom, Chaitawat, LA, Cycle Sport, Probike and others about warranties and promises.

Mr Eat (the fat guy who had a couple shops (15 years ago) before and was again around when Velocity started was a master in lies.

Tom,.... pleasant????????? "What can I sell to you today" are the first words you hear when you enter the shop. "If you find cheaper we pay you back" I'm still waiting after 11 years. He used to be 10 to 20 % more expensive. Chaitawat is a very pleasant person (I'm not talking about his wife, ... not our problem go to BKK)

Jacky is not as pleasant untill you know how to deal with him. He is not prince sharming nor Mr. sweet mouth.

I believe Tom sold or partnered for Top Gear ownership and moved back to Canada; I saw him at the Taiwan airport in December and he had just opened a photography shop in Edmonton. Anybody have experience with new management, prices, service?

Most shops are a mixed bag of experiences as the preceding posts indicate, good for some things not so good for others. You have to shop around and find what suits your needs. I've used Top Gear, Jacky, Chaitawat, Velocity and Cherry over the years, depending on what I needed at the time. The one thing that sticks as a negative experience, as another member indicated, is Jacky's reluctance to honor guarantees on even basic defects on new products. His selection and prices are often the best, but buyer beware.

[BBbUn]

Oh yeah fox is easy to find in CM.

Jacky, Chitawat and the new place TCA near Santiam.

Chitawat seems to have a little lower prices although Jacky will give a discount if you pay in cash and has been flexible with me. Chitawat will give a small discount if you ask for it.

If your thinking F series Fox forks then the RL is more affordable but has less adjustability. The RLC is the more expensive model and much more tunable with rebound, lockout and compression dampening . Read up at the Fox website before you pull the trigger.

The last time I looked the range was about 14K to 18k baht... but was a while since I priced them.

I would definitely lean toward Fox for quality, and ease of maintenance. T

Rock Shox have been redesigned and work pretty well but maintenance is more of a hassle.

Marzocchi is all made in Taiwan or China now and poor quality in comparison.

Thanks for your comprehensive answer, Cobrasnake. Just checked out the TCA post, it DOES look good! I will go and check it out.

I couldn't find more info on Chitawat, could you give some details on it? Is it the one with Thai name opposite Same Same guest house near Rachadamnoen ?

Just spoke to K. Neung at Top Gear today. He is always a pleasure to deal with, and does good work. I have had him change cables and cable housings, true wheels and replace a chain. All good experiences, and certainly not expensive, at least not compared to the prices I'm used to paying in Singapore. E.g. 80 THB to change 2 cable housings & cables.

[ChouDoufu]

SPIN quoted me 300 baht to re-spoke a wheel.

would that be the labor charge only?

i've got quotes from 800-950 baht to build a wheel with dt spokes,

includes the labor and the nipplies.

[BBbUn]

Thanks everyone for info on Fox shocks. I am more convinced than ever to get one.

[T_Dog]

SPIN quoted me 300 baht to re-spoke a wheel.

would that be the labor charge only?

i've got quotes from 800-950 baht to build a wheel with dt spokes,

includes the labor and the nipplies.

That price has to be labor only. He had a good selection of DT spokes and I was surprised he had the length I needed.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

TCA - Chiangmai Branch Office & Showroom

44/1 Tevarit Rd., T.Changpuag, A.Muang, Chiangmai 50000, Thailand

Tel : 053 406 292, Fax 053 406 295, Mobile Phone : 081 041 5511

Edited July 9, 2010 by CobraSnakeNecktie

[ChouDoufu]

Directions to TCA. 1. from the northwest corner of the moat by ram hospital. head north. 2. when you get to the hump that goes over the drainage ditch (they got fish in oil there) turn left. if you get to the stoplight, you've gone too far. 3. continue to the roundabout (there's another small bike shop here), then turn north. 4. turn left after about 200m. there's a sign for santitham guesthouse on a cinderblock wall. 5. go north again when you get to the elephant statues. 6. take the first left behind the first building you pass, looks like you're turning into a courtyard driveway. 7. drive turns to dirt, jogs to the right a bit, then becomes teewarit road. 8. continue straight about 100m. TCA is on the left across from a blue apartment building. there's only a very small sign on the front of the building.

[vagabond48]

never mind. TCA's directions were posted. Thanks

Edited July 9, 2010 by vagabond48

[el jefe]

No disrespect to "Stinky" and his directions since they're probably perfect, but here's a more simple version:

Heading down the Superhighway towards Huay Kaew and Nimmanhaemin, make the left turn just before the Grandview. TCA will be about 300-400 meters on the right side.

[T_Dog]

choudoufu, cobraSN, and el jefe... Thanks for those excellent directions! I've got a rear shock with a slow leak that needs a new o-ring and overall maintenance.

[flying]

Does anyone know if TCA or any others sell carbon wheels in clincher or tubular? 38-46mm range

I know some are being sent out of China/Singapore now that are quite good in both weight/performance & price.

Thanks

Edited July 10, 2010 by flying

[ianf]

cycle service in CM?

i need to have a wheel rebuilt.

any recommendations?

how's the service at TCA? i've had service at velocity - not impressed.

Yes, TCA is very professional. VeloCity is a dirty hole who have no idea how to build bikes. Avoid like the plague. SpinBike is OK too.

[ianf]

Does anyone know if TCA or any others sell carbon wheels in clincher or tubular? 38-46mm range

I know some are being sent out of China/Singapore now that are quite good in both weight/performance & price.

Thanks

Yes you can get Mavic and Campag at TCA. They also sell continental tubs. For good high end Vittoria tubs, bring em in from overseas, even though they are made in Thailand. Cheaper Vittoria tubs are available at TCA & SpinBike. But hey, these guys can always order stuff, as you can over the internet. Good shop the other side of Lamphun, forgot name of town though. Huge stock. Some great carbon mtbs.

Incidentally if any of you guys want to ride regularly we do 70-80km every morning starting at 7:30 at Bugs coffee shop on Canal Road just near the Samoeng interchange on the right as you head out of town. You'd be more than welcome. About 30/32kmh.

[FMFK86]

ive just been to jacky bike today. im loocking for clickpedals, ut with long enough "stings" for offroad/single trail on the other side, any idea where to find that in CM?

also does anyone know about that group chiang mai trail riders and how to get in contact with them? id like to meet some people for offroad/single trail. ive been doing some exploring myself but its so hard to find all the tracks.

thanks!

[flying]

Yes you can get Mavic and Campag at TCA. They also sell continental tubs. For good high end Vittoria tubs, bring em in from overseas, even though they are made in Thailand. Cheaper Vittoria tubs are available at TCA & SpinBike. But hey, these guys can always order stuff, as you can over the internet. Good shop the other side of Lamphun, forgot name of town though. Huge stock. Some great carbon mtbs.

Thanks yes nice shop...I saw they had some Euros-Zondas etc.

I was hoping they maybe had the carbon types like Boras but now coming out of China at a silly low price. I figured Thailand being closer than the US would have them in stock & I could look at the quality.

Thanks will also check Spin & maybe that other one you mentioned

[rikki]

fmfk-

I found this email

[email protected]

maybe they're the guys that meet up at the Boat pub on huay kaew rd sunday mornings

I know a few trails, but all downhill

Edited July 11, 2010 by rikki

[FolkGuitar]

1. As we got an audience of bikers following this post,

may I wander off the topic somewhat=

I am a recumbent biker( no other choice possible so suggesting an upright bike is of no help)

Any clever way to protect yourself against dogs?

98% only bark but the rest came be dangerous with your face almost samesame level.

Best way I found to deal with dogs is to have a louder bark... In this case, a freon gas air horn like they use in sporting events. You can find them in many different sports shops all over Chiang Mai. Most of them come with a clip to attach to handlebars. You can get extra gas refills cheaply. A half-second blast will turn away just about any dog. I used them on motorcycles often and never had a dog come closer after hearing MY bark!

[BBbUn]

Does anyone know where one can get a Brooks saddle in Chiang Mai?

[Ulysses G.]

1. As we got an audience of bikers following this post,

may I wander off the topic somewhat=

I am a recumbent biker( no other choice possible so suggesting an upright bike is of no help)

Any clever way to protect yourself against dogs?

98% only bark but the rest came be dangerous with your face almost samesame level.

Best way I found to deal with dogs is to have a louder bark... In this case, a freon gas air horn like they use in sporting events. You can find them in many different sports shops all over Chiang Mai. Most of them come with a clip to attach to handlebars. You can get extra gas refills cheaply. A half-second blast will turn away just about any dog. I used them on motorcycles often and never had a dog come closer after hearing MY bark!

Are you sure FolkGuitar? I tried finding them with a Thai interpreter and everywhere we went said they are not available here.

[tigerbeer]

how are the bianchi MTB's compared to the likes of Specialised, Kona, GT, Trek?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

how are the bianchi MTB's compared to the likes of Specialised, Kona, GT, Trek?

Bianchi's tend to be lower end of the price range. really comes down to what components are on it.

If your comparing two bikes first look at components. A lot of brands will skimp on a few components like wheels, pedals, seat, fork, derailleurs etc. Seems like a deal at first until the part wears out and needs to be replaced. Or worse the part doesn't wear out but just works poorly and is heavy etc.

If the bike has Shimano then get to know the Shimano hierarchy of value.

Tourney, Altus, Acera, Alevio, Deore, Deore LX, Deore XT, Deore XTR

From left to right the value is low to high. Tourney is the cheapest and XTR is the most expensive and high quality.

The low end Bianchi frames are made in Taiwan or maybe China. Nothing to write home about on their frames.

The big brands like Trek, Specialized and Merida these days do a good job of offering value because of their size and economics of scale they can get the best gruppo(component) and parts deals.

[tigerbeer]

CSN, thank you for your advice.

[SomchaiCNX]

Does anyone know where one can get a Brooks saddle in Chiang Mai?

No

Thailand dealer;

http://www.brookssaddles.com/en/Stockists_Shop.aspx?shop=080926.071301.100

[ChouDoufu]

Had my wheel rebuilt at TCA. Good service. I am pleased. Mechanic seems to know his business. They even offered to service the hub....that the guys at velocity assured me could not be serviced.

[arunsakda]

Regarding forks, I've had Rock Shox, Manitou's, and FOX, and can say that the FOX are absolutely the best. I've got a four year old F100/RLT and a 100 RLC at the moment and they have never needed service except for a bit of air every few months. I also use FOX rear shocks and they seem to need service more often, but not abnormally so.

CobraST, do you have some more specific directions to TCA? I need to check them out. I've been pretty happy with SPIN out on Canal Road near Night Safari, and even yesterday I cruised in there for some spokes as I broke one. They gave me two for free and off I went as I buy stuff there. Nice owner, but the mechanic could be friendlier. (The old mechanic was great.)

I just self imported a new bike that came equipped with a ROCK SHOX Race SID Fork. Way smooth on the descents with no rebound going up. Will see how well it stands up from a maintenance perspective but this is a very nice fork.

[BBbUn]

Does anyone know where one can get a Brooks saddle in Chiang Mai?

No

Thailand dealer;

http://www.brookssad...0926.071301.100

Thank you for info SomchaiCNX!

[rikki]

Regarding forks, I've had Rock Shox, Manitou's, and FOX, and can say that the FOX are absolutely the best. I've got a four year old F100/RLT and a 100 RLC at the moment and they have never needed service except for a bit of air every few months. I also use FOX rear shocks and they seem to need service more often, but not abnormally so.

CobraST, do you have some more specific directions to TCA? I need to check them out. I've been pretty happy with SPIN out on Canal Road near Night Safari, and even yesterday I cruised in there for some spokes as I broke one. They gave me two for free and off I went as I buy stuff there. Nice owner, but the mechanic could be friendlier. (The old mechanic was great.)

I just self imported a new bike that came equipped with a ROCK SHOX Race SID Fork. Way smooth on the descents with no rebound going up. Will see how well it stands up from a maintenance perspective but this is a very nice fork.

SIDS are strictly xc race fork.

Fox make shocks for downhill and freeride as well

Rockshox make downhill forks also, its horses for courses