Any Bike Parts, Accessories Etc Impossible/Very Costly To Get In Bkk?

[hermespan]

I mean versus bringing from region (Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam) or Canada or even East Asia, i.e. Taiwan. I expect to set myself up for long distance bicycling in Siam. Just wondered if Thailand is fully equipped and competitive. Saw some fabulous ergonomic German-designed bike handles at a Vancouver bicycle shop but did not buy as I expect everything is available in Bangkok and Chiang Mai and no hauling stuff across the Pacific

[hermespan]

Another reason I didn't buy the handles is they come in two sizes and don't know which size of bars on bike I will end up with.

BTW, I am not one of the spandex tour de france types. I am a semi geezer in half-decent shape who is happy to do 100 km a day, stoping here and there whenever I feel like it. In my case, I don't see the point in buying a six million dollar bicycle of titanium.

[burgdawg]

kuhn Hermes..

what is your country of origin, USA?

Do you have a decent toruing bike now that you have all kitted out and that fits you?

Are you over 6ft tall?

Do you currently have Ortleib, Lone Peak or other decent panniers and pack frames?

All crucial in order to be comment on your deal.

In USA, there is a huge 2nd hand market of of $1000-$5k USD bicycles going for dirt cheap.

This market doesn't exist in SE Asia.

Most air carrier's fee for bringing over a boxed up bicycle is $200 USD and you'll need to head to a bike

shop in US, obtain a cardboard box and break your bike down and box up. You're allowed 23 kgs (50 lbs).

You can wrap your bicycle with that heavy duty platic wrap, cut holes and stash bike kit within the box.

Depends how long you plan on touring in Thailand.

As they say "up to you..."

[OriginalPoster]

It's a mixed bag. The prices on certain brands of bicycles and certain components are favorable in Thailand but certain brands are priced much higher than in the West. There seems to no rhyme or rhythm to the price structures. One thing that can be a big issue though is finding bikes in stock that are big enough, and bike shops tend to not be too concerned about whether the bike that they are trying to sell you fits just right. Maybe there are some shops that do professional bike fittings but I've yet to find one. And if your size isn't in stock, depending on the brand they might be able to special order it for you but the wait times can be long and you're apt to have trouble getting any discounts off the list price of the bike.

If you can bring gear with you, that probably would give you a lot more ability to find exactly what you want. Between on-line retailers and eBay you can get almost anything that you want in the US quickly. In Thailand it takes a lot more work,

Edited July 23, 2012 by OriginalPoster

[fdimike]

Fully equipped and competitive are broad terms. You'll find nearly every bike here in Thailand that you would find anywhere else to include the hand made Colnago 80th birthday limited ed if you so desire. Lots of road & MTB to choose from but only a few tourers. I'm currently riding a 2012 Surly LHT which I bought from the distributor in Bangkok. Pricing is hit and miss with some bikes costing more over here while others much cheaper. Rims, Shimano gears, tires, inner tubes, chains, bars, racks, Cateye lights etc are all available here. Grips are as well but if you're looking to buy a pr of Ergon grips overhere don't hold your breath. Panniers are also in short supply (I bought mine off EBay and had them shipped here). Brooks Saddles are available at 2 authorized dealers in Bangkok.

I'm a 66 y/o non spandex rider as well. I'm also good for 100+kms/day but enjoy stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery. I'm currently planning a short 2-3 week trip to Sukhothai from my home in Udon Thani and will be heading out to either Saigon or Singapore with a couple of friends from OZ & France around Oct/Nov. Let me know if you're interested in joining us.

[ianf]

Fully equipped and competitive are broad terms. You'll find nearly every bike here in Thailand that you would find anywhere else to include the hand made Colnago 80th birthday limited ed if you so desire. Lots of road & MTB to choose from but only a few tourers. I'm currently riding a 2012 Surly LHT which I bought from the distributor in Bangkok. Pricing is hit and miss with some bikes costing more over here while others much cheaper. Rims, Shimano gears, tires, inner tubes, chains, bars, racks, Cateye lights etc are all available here. Grips are as well but if you're looking to buy a pr of Ergon grips overhere don't hold your breath. Panniers are also in short supply (I bought mine off EBay and had them shipped here). Brooks Saddles are available at 2 authorized dealers in Bangkok.

I'm a 66 y/o non spandex rider as well. I'm also good for 100+kms/day but enjoy stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery. I'm currently planning a short 2-3 week trip to Sukhothai from my home in Udon Thani and will be heading out to either Saigon or Singapore with a couple of friends from OZ & France around Oct/Nov. Let me know if you're interested in joining us.

Khun Tanin at Bike and Travel has a full range of touring stuff.

[AjarnP]

Fully equipped and competitive are broad terms. You'll find nearly every bike here in Thailand that you would find anywhere else to include the hand made Colnago 80th birthday limited ed if you so desire. Lots of road & MTB to choose from but only a few tourers. I'm currently riding a 2012 Surly LHT which I bought from the distributor in Bangkok. Pricing is hit and miss with some bikes costing more over here while others much cheaper. Rims, Shimano gears, tires, inner tubes, chains, bars, racks, Cateye lights etc are all available here. Grips are as well but if you're looking to buy a pr of Ergon grips overhere don't hold your breath. Panniers are also in short supply (I bought mine off EBay and had them shipped here). Brooks Saddles are available at 2 authorized dealers in Bangkok.

I'm a 66 y/o non spandex rider as well. I'm also good for 100+kms/day but enjoy stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery. I'm currently planning a short 2-3 week trip to Sukhothai from my home in Udon Thani and will be heading out to either Saigon or Singapore with a couple of friends from OZ & France around Oct/Nov. Let me know if you're interested in joining us.

fdimike.

Seems I fit your spec too and love travelling week or two trips. Best to date Chiang Rai (my home) to Srisaket all along the Mekong. total 1612 KM in 15 days cycling plus two rest days. Love to smell the roses en-route. Average speed rarely more than about 23 to 25 if loaded with panniers.

Please keep me informed especially if you are headed for Singapore. Id like that trip

Cheers

AjarnP

[hermespan]

burdawg asks and I reply...

Canadian, normal height, no bike at present. Let me be clear on this... I am a leisure rider who wants to explore exotic countries (Siam isn't exotic but it is convenient, I have been visiting Thailand since 1989 and I like it as a place of good infrastructure relative to cost). My second concern is cardio health and to lose some weight. I actually prefer train and ferry journeys. So, my goal is to buy a folding upright of 16-27 speeds, something small enough to easily pack for a give-it-a-rest non-bike journey. Some folding bikes look like belong in a Shriner's parade though. Recumbent bikes interest me. In addition their 'cool' factor supposedly they are a lot more comfortable, although harder to learn, worse on hills and more dangerous (low) in insanely dangerous driving places.

[hermespan]

Original Poster mentions challenge in Thailand in salespeople giving full and proper fit service. Indeed this would be one advantage of buying in Canada. Here bike shops make a great effort to determine what is suitable. Everything from asking prospective customer many questions, making recommendations, and permitting test drives. Aside from language issues (English fluency being much poorer than my second 'homes' of Cambodia and especially Malaysia) I doubt Thai bike shops areworking hard for return business.

My plan is to actually buy a bike in Taiwan and their there first. Everybody tells me Taiwan is the bicycling epicentre of the world.

[fdimike]

AjarnP

I'll post something here when I have more definite plans. The best I can do right now is to say that come Oct I and a friend from OZ and maybe another from France will be heading out probably toward the Cambodian coast. My friend from Oz only has about 2 weeks of riding time here so I'm not sure how far he'll travel. I'm currently waiting for word from my French friend to see if he's going to make it this way in Oct/Nov.

Future planning: I'll be heading to Sukhothai from Udon Thani around 10 Aug. This trip will probably take about 3 weeks as i will be returning via Kamphaeng Phet, Chiyaphum & Khon Kaen. This will be my first tour since having my right knee replaced along with the cataracts in both my eyes. I'm especially interested in seeing how the knee holds up through the mountains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

March 2013 my friend from Oz and I will be heading to China via Hanoi. I'll continue to update this post as plans are finalized.

[fdimike]

Ianf

Where is Bike & Travel located? Do they have a web site?

thanks

Mike

[burgdawg]

....several items to haul over to the Kingdom: vitamins, energy gels, power bars and protein powder.

It is possible to buy granola bars from a store like BigC+ or Foodland, in the falang section.

I also drag over a few tins of Gatorade powder, which must be refrigerated once opened(ants). Or employ ZipLock bags and

rubber bands to lock out the humidity.

Thailand does have an excellent assortment of electrolyte sachets available from any "Ya" or pharmacy.

You can mix and match if you purchase an entire box of 25 sachets (packets) for 120b. Or pay 6b per sachet.

Yes, $4 USD means you can get 25 liters of electrolytes, or 4.8b per sachet.

Some brand names: Sea Lyte, StrongK and many others. Different flavors. Depends on how strong you like electrolytes.

They are needed in a hot climate like Thailand.

Thailand has potable water available from any RO (reverse osmosis) machine that dot the entire countryside.

They are blue and lit up 24 hours. Great supply of fresh water.

The price is roughly 1baht per liter. So yes, 7 baht = 7 liters, which what I carry at any one time when starting out with a full compliment of water.

3 liters (with a 7b ice pack from any Seven or Family Mart) in my CamelBack and then 3 liters in various water bottle cages.

I also chug a liter of water when topping off.

For convenience sake, you can buy bottled water (refrigerated or not) from any Seven.

Tai milk is some of the best in the world, imho---that is, if you are a milk drinker.

I know many that have lactose intolerance.

Throughout the Kingdom is a yogurt-based fruit flavored milk called "Betagan."

About 44b per liter. If you have an upset stomach for any reason, reach for this stuff.

Has active cultures. In Europe and the Middle East and USA, it is sold as "kefir."

A milk-based yogurt drink.

I quaff a slug, dump in 1-2 scoops of protein powder and shake things up. 20 grams of protein per scoop and 1g fat.

Do I notice a difference the first day of being in the saddle? No.

But after Day 4 onward, I notice a huge difference in muscle recovery.

A body builder type told me to take my protein powder at the end of my ride day, within an hour of dismounting.

Earlier the better.

Feedback from others employing protein powder on long excursions?

Is there a good source for protein powder in the Kingdom?