Bikes For Farangs

[cassbiggs]

Looking for a farang-sized bicycle for an adult; new or second-hand, i don't mind. Have tried the ones in Carrefour and Tesco Lotus but they're just too ###### small and I end up with my knees round my ears... even the 26" is too small. Not looking to pay more than a few thousand, as it's bound to get nicked. Any ideas....

[yamthaleh]

Looking for a farang-sized bicycle for an adult; new or second-hand, i don't mind. Have tried the ones in Carrefour and Tesco Lotus but they're just too ###### small and I end up with my knees round my ears... even the 26" is too small. Not looking to pay more than a few thousand, as it's bound to get nicked. Any ideas....

Could you just purchase a longer seatpost?

[mr_hippo]

Cassbiggs said "even the 26" is too small" 26" refers to the wheel size and not frame size. I am 6' 4" and ride a custom made 25" frame so if you need a 26" you must be about 3 inches taller than me! There are at least 2 good bike shops in BKK selling Treks, Cannondales and other makes. Have a look on the ProBike site www.probike.co.th otherwise put an advertisement for a bike on this site or other similar forums. I bought my Trek from ProBike, I am not a fan of mountains bikes but bought one for riding around town - do not want to risk my road bike around BKK but save it for longer trips. Please remember with bikes - you get what you pay for. As for saying that "it's bound to get nicked" invest in a good lock.

[chownah]

A friend of mine who never road a bike in his life that I know of made an interesting observation.....the lighter the bike, the heavier the lock.

[Momenthai]

I was also going to suggest Pro Bike, it's on Sarasin at the bottom of Lang Suan. They also sell bikes in the sports section of Central Chitlom and there's a bike shop on Sukhmvit soi 5 (or 7)

[climbingwez]

The other bike shop is Cannondale on Soi 3, and i think the OP isnt interested in those as he doesnt want to spend more than a couple thousand baht rather than a couple hundred thousand.

As said above, you get what you pay for. If you want a decent bike, there is also the Giant dealer out on Rama 9 road who stock many decentb brands.

If you want a couple thousand bahter then you are stuck, with what you can find at Carrefour.

[karazyal]

Looking for a farang-sized bicycle for an adult; new or second-hand, i don't mind. Have tried the ones in Carrefour and Tesco Lotus but they're just too ###### small and I end up with my knees round my ears... even the 26" is too small. Not looking to pay more than a few thousand, as it's bound to get nicked. Any ideas....

I bought one at Big C, and I am over 200 lbs. and almost 6 feet tall. I had no problem with a 26" bike. I just pulled the seat up a little higher!

[mr_hippo]

Once again, 26" refers to wheel size and bears no relation to frame size.

karazyal, please check your seat post please. There is a seat post limit mark towards the bottom of the post - make sure that this remains in the frame. Exceeding the limit will cause the post to snap at some point.

I suggest that when you sit astride the bike, the balls of your feet should touch the floor - not your whole foot; this will give you a comfortable riding position. The saddle should be level - neither canted up nor down. Handlebar height is a matter of personal preference (Mine is level with the nose of the saddle). If you have any queries, you can pm me.

[karazyal]

Once again, 26" refers to wheel size and bears no relation to frame size.

karazyal, please check your seat post please. There is a seat post limit mark towards the bottom of the post - make sure that this remains in the frame. Exceeding the limit will cause the post to snap at some point.

I suggest that when you sit astride the bike, the balls of your feet should touch the floor - not your whole foot; this will give you a comfortable riding position. The saddle should be level - neither canted up nor down. Handlebar height is a matter of personal preference (Mine is level with the nose of the saddle). If you have any queries, you can pm me.

You are right, I haven't checked the seat in years!

If I can have the pedal on the bottom of the turn and about an inch between me and the seat - it's good to go for me!

Getting my front wheel stuck in a drainage grate and flipping me heels over butt is another thing!

[mr_hippo]

If the riding position is comfortable for you - don't change it!

Can't help you with the state of Thai roads, part of the rich tapestry of life! My road bike's tyres are only 23mm wide so you can imagine how many times they got stuck. Over the years, I have learnt to fall without hurting myself too much.

Make sure your tyres are pumped up to the max - less punctures that way; a simple analogy is when you have an injecton you are told to relax your muscle (low pressure) so that the needle goes in easily but if you are tense (high pressure) a lot more force is needed to penetrate the skin.

Keep your bum on the saddle and your pedals spinning