"Western" bike shop in Sukhothai or Chiang Mai?

[blorg]

Anyone know if there is anywhere that does western/expensive bike stuff in Sukhothai (preferable, where I am now) or have a recommendation for Chiang Mai? (Where I'll be in a few days.)

I just need some new rim tape for a 700C wheel, I keep getting punctures on the inside and think that must be it; I've actually changed the tyre and tube so it's not that.

My guesthouse here has no idea and I've gone to the two shops listed on BikeInThailand (LA and another local one) and neither of them have it, amazingly. There was a huge bike shop in Kampaeng Phet stocked to the rafters with expensive bikes, Zipp wheels and so on so surely there must be something here?

[MrBrad]

There are a number of very good bike shops in Chiang Mai. Probably Jacky or Chaitawat will have what you need.

http://bicyclethailand.com/bike-stores/

[wixcm]

Agree with Mr Brad, Jacky or Arm are close to each other and only a sangthaw taxi away from the centre at Nimmanhaemin area, also a touristy area but these two are good choices because they usually have someone who speaks some English, Unfortunately i have tried almost all the shops, and language is the main problem - the owner at Arm speaks very well and can at least find what you need if they don't have it. There is a great little repair shop nearer the centre though, on the old city walls near the turn to Huay Kaew towards Nimmanhaemin, on Maneenoparat Rd... don;t know name but from those instructions you should find it no problem, he has done lots of smaller repairs for me for free and speaks pretty good English too.... Good luck, hope you sort out the problem...

[larrybikes]

I bought myTrek at Jacky Bike shop. Very pleased with the service I have received there over the years.

[HAL9000]

There is a shop in Sukhothai Plaza. I just got rim tape from them the other day.

[Maybole]

An old trick I learnt may years ago while trialing, is to wrap plastic insulating tape round it several times. I has the advantage that it will not slip.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Plastic insulation tape or small duck tape will do just fine.

[dvg]

Most off the time you will have "punctures" because the presure is to low and then the innertube

will twist insite.You have to pump your tyres in Thailand every 1-2 weeks.

.

[blorg]

Thanks for the tips. I'm a pretty experienced cyclist, I've been riding for decades and rode here from Europe, it's definitely not pressure or pinch flats. I keep getting the problem on the front but not the back which is the exact opposite of normal puncture frequency.

I got a second roll of rim tape installed in Lampang and got them to check for a puncture which they simply couldn't find. But it went down again, very gradually. In Tachileik (Myanmar border town) I got the patch I had on it replaced as while we couldn't exactly be sure, it looked like there might have been a very slight leakage there.

Today I sensed it might have gone down a bit again but it might also just have been because I had my bar bag back on... Next time I get to a pump with a gauge I'll fill them both up and see. It has been driving me up the wall for months now.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Edited August 6, 2013 by blorg

[silverhawk_usa]

If it is going down very slowly, over a matter of days or weeks, that is a normal occurrence here. That applies equally to motorcycles and cars. I have never received a good explanation, but using even the best tubes, my motorcycles are checked, and usually need to be brought up to the recommended pressure anytime they have sat for a period of time. Same for my bicycles. As you said, get a good gauge and check them regularly.

[rebo]

If it is going down very slowly, over a matter of days or weeks, that is a normal occurrence here. That applies equally to motorcycles and cars. I have never received a good explanation, but using even the best tubes, my motorcycles are checked, and usually need to be brought up to the recommended pressure anytime they have sat for a period of time. Same for my bicycles. As you said, get a good gauge and check them regularly.

The reason for this phenomenon most often is a piece of very thin (about 5/100 mm) and short wire out of a damaged tire (not yours) on the road.

I had them several times in car-, motorbike- and bicycle-tires, and they were very difficult to locate. Also the hole in the tube can be unbelievable small, sometimes only one little bubble in 3 seconds when doing the water test. So check your tire most thoroughly several times in case you find "nothing" caused the puncture. What can ease your search for the "culprit" is to mark the position of the inner tube related to the outer tire directly after disassembly, then you know the area where to look after you located the hole in the inner tube.

[puukao]

I pump my tires before every ride. overnight I can lose easily 5 psi. i would try velocity, which is on the road to doi suthep mountain. it's a few miles before the zoo on the left (south side). it's on the corner, and might be closed Mondays. anyhow, a little pricey, but good. sometimes the rim strip isn't lined up perfectly, plus tons of other reasons for a slow leak. anyhow, when super hot in CM, tires can self-inflate when riding, so something to think about as well. i would take off the rim strip, do a good cleaning, and next time get a heavier innertube and tire (not crazy heavy, just heavier).

good luck.

[silverhawk_usa]

If it is going down very slowly, over a matter of days or weeks, that is a normal occurrence here. That applies equally to motorcycles and cars. I have never received a good explanation, but using even the best tubes, my motorcycles are checked, and usually need to be brought up to the recommended pressure anytime they have sat for a period of time. Same for my bicycles. As you said, get a good gauge and check them regularly.

The reason for this phenomenon most often is a piece of very thin (about 5/100 mm) and short wire out of a damaged tire (not yours) on the road.

I had them several times in car-, motorbike- and bicycle-tires, and they were very difficult to locate. Also the hole in the tube can be unbelievable small, sometimes only one little bubble in 3 seconds when doing the water test. So check your tire most thoroughly several times in case you find "nothing" caused the puncture. What can ease your search for the "culprit" is to mark the position of the inner tube related to the outer tire directly after disassembly, then you know the area where to look after you located the hole in the inner tube.

No, I have 5 motorcycles/scooters. 3 bicycles and a pickup truck. I am sure they don't all have damaged tires or tubes. It is just a natural occurrence in these temps. That is why I have an air compressor.

Also if you take new tubes out of their packaging and store them as spares for any length of time, they will just fall apart when you finally use them.

[rebo]

If it is going down very slowly, over a matter of days or weeks, that is a normal occurrence here. That applies equally to motorcycles and cars. I have never received a good explanation, but using even the best tubes, my motorcycles are checked, and usually need to be brought up to the recommended pressure anytime they have sat for a period of time. Same for my bicycles. As you said, get a good gauge and check them regularly.

The reason for this phenomenon most often is a piece of very thin (about 5/100 mm) and short wire out of a damaged tire (not yours) on the road.

I had them several times in car-, motorbike- and bicycle-tires, and they were very difficult to locate. Also the hole in the tube can be unbelievable small, sometimes only one little bubble in 3 seconds when doing the water test. So check your tire most thoroughly several times in case you find "nothing" caused the puncture. What can ease your search for the "culprit" is to mark the position of the inner tube related to the outer tire directly after disassembly, then you know the area where to look after you located the hole in the inner tube.

No, I have 5 motorcycles/scooters. 3 bicycles and a pickup truck. I am sure they don't all have damaged tires or tubes. It is just a natural occurrence in these temps. That is why I have an air compressor.

Also if you take new tubes out of their packaging and store them as spares for any length of time, they will just fall apart when you finally use them.

Misunderstanding! The damaged tires are - as I tried to make clear - not yours. They - or parts of them - lie on the road and you drive through them.

[AngelsLariat]

If it is going down very slowly, over a matter of days or weeks, that is a normal occurrence here. That applies equally to motorcycles and cars. I have never received a good explanation, but using even the best tubes, my motorcycles are checked, and usually need to be brought up to the recommended pressure anytime they have sat for a period of time. Same for my bicycles. As you said, get a good gauge and check them regularly.

The reason for this phenomenon most often is a piece of very thin (about 5/100 mm) and short wire out of a damaged tire (not yours) on the road.

I had them several times in car-, motorbike- and bicycle-tires, and they were very difficult to locate. Also the hole in the tube can be unbelievable small, sometimes only one little bubble in 3 seconds when doing the water test. So check your tire most thoroughly several times in case you find "nothing" caused the puncture. What can ease your search for the "culprit" is to mark the position of the inner tube related to the outer tire directly after disassembly, then you know the area where to look after you located the hole in the inner tube.

No, I have 5 motorcycles/scooters. 3 bicycles and a pickup truck. I am sure they don't all have damaged tires or tubes. It is just a natural occurrence in these temps. That is why I have an air compressor.

Also if you take new tubes out of their packaging and store them as spares for any length of time, they will just fall apart when you finally use them.

Misunderstanding! The damaged tires are - as I tried to make clear - not yours. They - or parts of them - lie on the road and you drive through them.

But if an innertube is used, cuts and nicks on the exterior of the tire are not going to cause air to escape unless they go all the way through to the innertube. The tire itself need not be airtight.

He is correct when he says that continual air loss is a natural process. That is due to gas permeability. Permeability of butyl inner tubes is low but it is not zero. It also increases nearly proportionally to air pressure and is influenced by temperature. Therefore roadbike tires inflated to 120 psi in the tropics would be expected to lose air more quickly than a MTB tires inflated to 40 psi in the arctic.

Edited August 10, 2013 by AngelsLariat