Bicycle wheel rebuild, where to go in CM?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I have 3 broken spokes on the rear wheel of my bicycle.

Looks like I need it replaced or rebuilt.

Anyone know where to go and how much it will cost?

Rear wheel is 700mm.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Any local bike repair shop can do that for you.

For better wheels like road bikes or mountain bikes you can bring your wheel to Chaitawat bike shop on the Ratchapakinai Rd.

Good luck

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Jack bikes had no techs in today.

Chaitawat was closed this morning.

The little bike shop on the corner of the moat near Chaitawat, did it!

spokes 30bht each fitted, tire 250bht, tube 180bht, total 520bht and he did a really good job with the wheel rim.

So why was the tube so expensive compared to the other parts???

Oh well!

[junglechef]

I went to Velocity today for a similar repair on an old school ladies bike, they just made it worse and are acting more and more like Jackie's everyday. Today no bosses in and the employees were reveling in acting unprofessional and in some cases perhaps not trained enough to manage.

[junglechef]

AnotherOneAmerican can you explain where the place is or google maps, GPS etc

I need to have the front wheel of this biked trued (straightened by adjusting the spokes) and maybe need to replace wheel as it might be too bent.

Anywhere else that works on these? (the fancy bikes shops won't)

Also looking for old school wicker basket and similar accessories

Thanks, JC

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Almost directly opposite Siam TV, on the inside side of the moat, just down from the park.

Next door to the big Kodak shop.

Just did 40Km this morning, repair worked very well.

Blue sign beside tuk tuk says 'Bike Shop'.

Edited January 15, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Nowisee]

I went to Velocity today for a similar repair on an old school ladies bike, they just made it worse and are acting more and more like Jackie's everyday. Today no bosses in and the employees were reveling in acting unprofessional and in some cases perhaps not trained enough to manage.

I will not give business to this place. They are just as bad a Jackie's and I will not do business there either. I go to the Trek shop out in Hang Dong, there are more respectful and appreciative.

[DLock]

Thommo's Bike Shop on corner of Samoeng and Canal Road.

Excellent shop. Great bikes. Good service.

[puukao]

Almost directly opposite Siam TV, on the inside side of the moat, just down from the park.

Next door to the big Kodak shop.

Screenshot 2015-01-15 16.17.47.png

Just did 40Km this morning, repair worked very well.

Blue sign beside tuk tuk says 'Bike Shop'.

In your browser, what is this "download torrents" link used for? maybe torrent like in a stream that rhymes with current?

just make sure the tension stays even on the wheel, and a small spoke gauge can work wonders for a wheel getting out of true.

even brand new wheels sometime lose tension after the first 100 km or so....

don't worry too much about dishing the wheel yourself, and brake pads can be used instead of a truing stand...

hope he didn't sell you a super light or puncture-resistance inner tube.... you need neither.

[junglechef]

Thommos broke my expensive bike and refused to repair it w/o me paying (they admitted both). Terrible shop and awful service!!

Thanks guys, I'll try "Bike Shop"

[puukao]

I have only taken my bike to velocity, the manager spoke OK English and i was pretty happy with what they did (changed all the cables, housing, handlebar tape). I can do all that, but cutting the cable really requires a good tool and I didn't bring one over......a frayed wire can become a headache if cable not pre-stretched.

the BIGGEST problem is not knowing when your chain needs to be replaced. there are tools for that. if your chain gets worn, it will destroy your entire drive train. wear down the cassette, big rings, and maybe the rear derailleur pulleys....i forget.

here is the easiest way, but i still use my tool

[junglechef]

Puukao some could complain to you that they are asking where to get their bike repaired as they for whatever reason don't want to do it themselves.

I am rather unmechanically inclined but have come to the conclusion that bicycle repair, like many things here, is best to do yourself whenever possible. After buying my new rather pricy ride I vowed to learn at least basic maintenance.

After three rides a funny noise that I was afraid would do further damage if not immediately rectified I brought it to Velocity. They couldn't fix it, but I do believe they tried somewhat.

I would like to point out that they left it outside closest to the sidewalk chained to a cheap kids bike and it was most probably the most expensive bike there including all the fancy road bikes they sell so that was pretty disrespectful as it could have easily been damaged by a passerby.

Anyway I took it to where I bought it in BKK and after 6 hrs they got it straightened out.

Since then i have been building my tool collection and watching lots of youtube videos while practicing on my old Mt Bike.

My point in all this that your posts are on topic and might save some members some expense and headaches in the long run, so thanks.

p.s I have had over a 1/2 dozen experiences in CM where different bike shops damaged my bikes.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Was cycling cross country yesterday, fell off (full forward somersault with bike) and bent my front wheel. (Bruised my bum too)

Went to the bike shop this morning to get it fixed and he was closed!

Drove along the road past Chitawat, also closed, and found Chiang Mai Mounting Biking a bit further down on the right.

15 minutes later the repair man (Ton) with the use of a large rubber mallet, spoke spanner and truing wheel ....... fixed.

60bht.

So that's a second place to fix your wheels.

(cycling 3 months without mishap, then bending both wheels within a week in different accidents, what's the chance of that?)

Edited January 18, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[puukao]

I wonder if that is the one by Wat Phrasing or something....

jungle...no worries, I consider myself a pretty bad mechanic. Luckily, on a road bike (mtn bikes break all the time, and good luck bleeding hydraulic fluid for your brakes) there are only so many things to worry about.

1. take off tire, take out innertube, CHECK RIM STRIP (critical, since if that is the problem you will have 1,000 flats before you realize it). This strip covers the spoke holes around the rim.....

2. inflate tires EVERY DAY.....you lose like 5 psi every day and soon your rolling resistance will suffer, tire wear quicker, and problems.

3. check chain, and play with rear derailluer knob if your shifting is bad....turn it 1/2 turn, see if that helps, keep messing with it...

4. check bolt tension....you don't want to overtourque bolts past 5 NM but loose bolts can kill...

5. and finally make sure brake bads are aligned properly and pads clean.....

but if it's only 60 baht to fix a tacoed front wheel....well, you can't get cheaper than that....

[junglechef]

Picked up bike from "Bike Shop" today, 150 bht and working great! After an fancy shop tried four times and gave it back each time worse w/o even checking it seemed like they were randomly adjusting spokes and just hoping it would be right. Sad state of affairs this relatively easy fix for a mechanic can't be properly managed but luckily there are still some good old boys who just do their job with pride!

[T_Dog]

Only person I trust to build wheels here in Thailand is Dton in Mae Rim at Mor Rot Thip very near Makro there. (Park at Makro and walk toward CM for about 100 meters or so. Difficult to see driving by.) Very reasonable and he will show you how the tension and trueness is when he is done.

[junglechef]

T Dog, that's another one of the places that returned my bike worse then when it went in (just went to to replace chain and crank and it skipped afterwards and was so bad I couldn't ride it. After bringing it back 3x he said it was suppose to do that and all mt bikes do!!.) Another time he tried to sell me the wrong type of tool when I just brought in a nut I needed to tighten which he had his hand and then lost the washer for it. Those are not the only problems I've had there btw. Just sharing my personal experiences, glad you had luck with him, perhaps he's only a wheel specialist but then he shouldn't take on other jobs if so.

[rebo]

Following the recommendations here I went to the "Bike Shop" today to let my rear wheel being centered in every direction as well as get all spokes equally tightened.
After not one hour the work was done - perfectly!
Even though the shop looks anything but appealing according to western standards it is properly equipped for this kind of work and the owner obviously knows his business.
90 Baht; now recommended from me, too.

[CMKiwi]

Im not sure but the bike shop down Chiang Moi Road seems to be a very professional place. I think the owner is American and when I spoke to him some time ago he said that he open the shop as he was tired of having 'mechanics' screwing around with his bike.

He took on a mechanic from the original owner and trained him up on how to to things 'properly'. I believe the shop is call "Mong cycles".

Might be worth a try?

[suzannegoh]

I went to Velocity today for a similar repair on an old school ladies bike, they just made it worse and are acting more and more like Jackie's everyday. Today no bosses in and the employees were reveling in acting unprofessional and in some cases perhaps not trained enough to manage.

I will not give business to this place. They are just as bad a Jackie's and I will not do business there either. I go to the Trek shop out in Hang Dong, there are more respectful and appreciative.

The key at Velocity is to discuss your case with the owner directly when you drop off your bike rather than talking to his employees. He has solved some fairly complicated problems for me for not a lot of money.

[suzannegoh]

Im not sure but the bike shop down Chiang Moi Road seems to be a very professional place. I think the owner is American and when I spoke to him some time ago he said that he open the shop as he was tired of having 'mechanics' screwing around with his bike.

He took on a mechanic from the original owner and trained him up on how to to things 'properly'. I believe the shop is call "Mong cycles".

Might be worth a try?

Agree with that, that's probably about the easiest shop in town for a farang to deal with and the owner (Stu} really cares about doing the job right.

[junglechef]

FYI - Mong Cycles is for sale and might just close if not purchased.

Agree with suzannegoh about Velocity and owner sorted something that a unmentioned shop messed up (see above ) .

But one must watch him work on your bike because as I found in many shops once you leave often some unqualified employee will be working on your bike.

Last time I picked-up a bike I left for repairs a part was switched w/o my knowledge for a different size one making it not fit the rider anymore.

Returning to deal with the problem I was told something must of happened followed by a laugh.

But to be honest I've come across similar behaviour at many shops here, seems like the management more often wants to be friends with the employees foremost and/or think it's ok for the staff to learn, often resulting in making mistakes, at your expense. I cringe to count how many times I've seen the capable mechanic or boss tell an underling to do such and such and from the look on the their face they obviously don't know how but won't ever said so. They are left alone, with being checked on, to figure it out or more likely mess it up.

[Frank James]

Following the recommendations here I went to the "Bike Shop" today to let my rear wheel being centered in every direction as well as get all spokes equally tightened.

After not one hour the work was done - perfectly!

Even though the shop looks anything but appealing according to western standards it is properly equipped for this kind of work and the owner obviously knows his business.

90 Baht; now recommended from me, too.

I am really glad to see this small business getting so many good endorsements on here, because he really deserves it. I brought in my bike with 3 busted spokes on the rear wheel and he had me trued up and rolling again in one hour.

Old school, no BS!