Buy A Bicycle

[piet pompies]

I would like to buy a bicycle in Chiangmai. I need something with 10 speeds, good for long rides on flat roads.

Can anyone give me a name of a shop where I can also get service if something breaks and perhaps the name of a good solid bike.

I went to Lotus, nobody to help and so many models with a zillion gears I did not know where to start. It would be nice to have a basket as well.

[TallTravel]

I would like to buy a bicycle in Chiangmai. I need something with 10 speeds, good for long rides on flat roads.

Can anyone give me a name of a shop where I can also get service if something breaks and perhaps the name of a good solid bike.

I went to Lotus, nobody to help and so many models with a zillion gears I did not know where to start. It would be nice to have a basket as well.

I don't have an answer for you, but I am curious about the air quality in Changmai. Is it clean enough to make you feel comfortable being out on a bike for long periods?

I just found this site: http://www.thaivisa.com/chiangmai.0.html

Does not answer your question directly, but I am betting a bike rental shop would be a good place to start asking about purchasing a bike. Good luck.

[CountryBoy]

Hi PP,

There are at least a half dozen full service bicycle shop in CM that will meet your needs. If you intend to ride a lot establish a good relationship with a local shop or two, where the owner should also be a cycling enthusiast. I'd avoid the larger stores like Lotus. Their focus would be sales and not so much on any service/adjustments thereafter.

BTW most bicycles today run up to 24 to 27 speed for mountain bikes and up to 30 gear selections for road racing bikes. Sounds daunting but shops like Top Gear (Chiang Moi Rd) and Chaitawat (old city near Chiang Mai gate?) are two places to check out for brands like Challenger, Merida and Trek. Thb 10,000 - 15,000 will get you a good mid range mountain bike with 2.0 inch wide tyres. Switch to 1.25 - 1.5 inch tyres for road rides. Most good road bikes come with very narrrow 20 - 25 mm width tyres. Smooth and fast rolling but wont last long on beaten up Thai roads.

I chalk up about 12,000 km a year and the health benefits are priceless.

[jackr]

Yep, stay away from the big stores like Tesco as the bike will fall apart within a few months or less. You can pick up a Trek or Giant for about 10 or 12k as countryboy says and just put road tyres on it. Chaitawat and Top Gear are both good, but I would give Jackie Bike a miss (north of city) if anyone recommends him as he seems to enjoy giving bad service and selling crap parts. The big sports store in Central also have a few Giants.

[pilou]

I beg to differ on jackr about Jacky's bike, have been there for years and never had any problems with crap parts, my bike is still running good after 3 years of been maintained there, and to me, service has always been fast and adequate. But I do agree about Top Gear nice place, never been to Chaitawat though.

[el jefe]

I beg to differ on jackr about Jacky's bike, have been there for years and never had any problems with crap parts, my bike is still running good after 3 years of been maintained there, and to me, service has always been fast and adequate. But I do agree about Top Gear nice place, never been to Chaitawat though.

Jacky's is the only place I trust to work on high end and mid-range bikes. He doesn't have the biggest selection of cheap stuff, so if that's what you're looking for you might be better off looking at one of the other shops mentioned here. Or in this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...&hl=bicycle

This was all dscussed a week ago.

And, PP, if you're going to be doing "long rides on flat roads", I'd go with a road bike instead of a mountian bike.

[jackr]

I beg to differ on jackr about Jacky's bike, have been there for years and never had any problems with crap parts, my bike is still running good after 3 years of been maintained there, and to me, service has always been fast and adequate. But I do agree about Top Gear nice place, never been to Chaitawat though.

Glad somebody's happy with the guy as most of the people I know who have bought from him, including myself, seem to end up pretty disappointed. A friend fairly recently bought a new bike from there under full warranty and when the thing started having major problems only weeks down the line, he came out with all sorts of lame excuses and wouldn't repair it. He does have some good kit and I'm sure he's fine if he knows he's going to make big on his return customers, but I find the guy dishonourable and impersonable.

In total contrast, Chaitwat is a diamond and always willing to help. Tom's a bit overzealous with his sales technique but not a bad lad. There's also a place just outside the Superhighway on the Chiang Rai road which has some good bits and bobs apparently.

Probably best to go for the road bike if on the road most of the time, but could pick up a mid-range mountain bike and then have the option of throwing some knobblies on there and hitting the trails.

[piet pompies]

Thanks for all the help, it seems my idea of 10 speeds is way out of date! I will try Chataiwat or Top Gear as they are convenient for me. I will need two bikes one for me and one for my wife, are these bikes, eg Challenger, Trek, "unisex"? We will not ride 1000's of Kilos, long rides one or two weekends a month, Chiangmai to Lamphun and back sort of deal, with soft saddles! Other rides to market, through town etc. restaurants a bit further for lunch.

[prairieoyster]

Are bikes cheaper in Thailand? I wanted to bring mine from Canada this year but I found out one of my connecting flights will not take it as baggage. Can you get good bikes there. I presently ride a "Gary Fisher" hard tail w/ Judy front end and Shimano Dior compoments. The pieces make the bike and good quality components make for a happy ride. My other thought was to just bring all the components and hope to by a good quality aluminum frame and get the wheels rebuilt there. What do you think?

I can't ride crap bikes as I have been spoiled by the good ones.

Thanks

oyster

[jackr]

Should be able to pick up a half decent Giant or Trek for about 12k. Giant do the Yukon which is good for the ladies. There's also Gary Fishers knocking about.

Bikes are defo cheaper here. Check out some models online. Some are around 40% cheaper here.

[tigerbeer]

Should be able to pick up a half decent Giant or Trek for about 12k. Giant do the Yukon which is good for the ladies. There's also Gary Fishers knocking about.

Bikes are defo cheaper here. Check out some models online. Some are around 40% cheaper here.

Jackr, do you reckon Trek is a good bike to get here? My only worry is that the parts would not be the same at the ones sold by the factory out of USA or whichever country it comes from. For the obvious reason of cutting costs by replacing original parts with local ones or from a cheaper range.

How much are Gary Fishers? and which shop available from? Also I have seen Giant bikes at Central. Are they well priced there?

[Puwa]

I was worried about a parts-switching thing when I was bike shopping as well, but everything on my Trek was fitted according to spec. I think that the price was cheaper simply because there was less of a markup. Anyway I believe that all Treks are manufactured in China these days anyway.

Oyster, it sounds like you're a serious biker. I would recommend that since you can't bring your whole bike, you should just bring your favorite components and buy a good frame here. In Chiang Mai you can get pretty much anything, but high end parts might cost double what you would pay if Internet shopping back home. In any case, there's no question that you can buy or build a good bike in Chiang Mai.

Tigerbeer, the shop on Chotana road just north of Chang Phuak gate, on the left side, stocks Gary Fishers from about 10K up. I wouldn't recommend buying a bike from Central or Sportworld, though, simply because you won't get the same service as you would from a dedicated bike shop. I mean if something breaks in the first week, are you going to have to haul your bike up the escalator in Central to have them fix it?

[jackr]

Should be able to pick up a half decent Giant or Trek for about 12k. Giant do the Yukon which is good for the ladies. There's also Gary Fishers knocking about.

Bikes are defo cheaper here. Check out some models online. Some are around 40% cheaper here.

Jackr, do you reckon Trek is a good bike to get here? My only worry is that the parts would not be the same at the ones sold by the factory out of USA or whichever country it comes from. For the obvious reason of cutting costs by replacing original parts with local ones or from a cheaper range.

How much are Gary Fishers? and which shop available from? Also I have seen Giant bikes at Central. Are they well priced there?

Yeah, a Trek should be fine. Just order it and tell them to leave it in the box sealed and then assemble it yourself or go over it in the shop if it's the right size for you and take it there and then. I've been had before now with dodgy stores replacing parts on new bikes. That wasn't CM though and most seem pretty honest up here... although I wouldn't put it past a certain dealer.

Chaitawat has some tidy Trek road bikes for somewhere around 20k. The only Gary Fishers I've seen are at Jacky's - about 11k for a standard one. The Giants do seem a little pricey in Central, although they have extra bits n bobs on them and look good.

Your best bet is to go round them and take notes... should only take a couple hours.

[tonychang]

My brother bought one of these last year and it is a SWEET ride for not alot of money.

http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalog...il.cfm?ID=22637

What do you reckon the damage on a branded equivalent would be for thrashing around the mean streets of CM?

cheers

[tigerbeer]

Hi Puwa and Jackr, thanks for the information. Now the shop north of Chang Puek Gate, whats the name of it???

Also i am about 5ft. 11 and weigh right now about 93kgs. whats a good size frame for me?

[jackr]

tonychang - not really up on my bikes but I dare say you'd be able to get something similar that wouldn't break the bank. Best bet is to go into somewhere like Chaitawat's and have a flick through one of his catalogues.

tigerbeer - that'll be Jacky Bike, which is about 100m up Chotana Road on the left - starting from opposite Chang Peuk Gate. Something like a 19 or 20-inch frame would do the trick for you, depending on leg length. Just give a few different sizes a try.

[tigerbeer]

tonychang - not really up on my bikes but I dare say you'd be able to get something similar that wouldn't break the bank. Best bet is to go into somewhere like Chaitawat's and have a flick through one of his catalogues.

tigerbeer - that'll be Jacky Bike, which is about 100m up Chotana Road on the left - starting from opposite Chang Peuk Gate. Something like a 19 or 20-inch frame would do the trick for you, depending on leg length. Just give a few different sizes a try.

JackR,

i happened to walk around Supersports at Airport Plaza last night and saw about 4 Mongoose bikes. One of them looked quite nice. Selling at 10,700 or something around there. Disc brakes both front and back. Asked about the size of the frame, they said 26? now i dont get it. You said something like 19 or 20 ought to be ok but 26inch? now i am confused. how do these frame size work??

This was the model:

Mongoose

So a 26in would be S, M, L, or XL?

[el jefe]

tonychang - not really up on my bikes but I dare say you'd be able to get something similar that wouldn't break the bank. Best bet is to go into somewhere like Chaitawat's and have a flick through one of his catalogues.

tigerbeer - that'll be Jacky Bike, which is about 100m up Chotana Road on the left - starting from opposite Chang Peuk Gate. Something like a 19 or 20-inch frame would do the trick for you, depending on leg length. Just give a few different sizes a try.

JackR,

i happened to walk around Supersports at Airport Plaza last night and saw about 4 Mongoose bikes. One of them looked quite nice. Selling at 10,700 or something around there. Disc brakes both front and back. Asked about the size of the frame, they said 26? now i dont get it. You said something like 19 or 20 ought to be ok but 26inch? now i am confused. how do these frame size work??

This was the model:

Mongoose

So a 26in would be S, M, L, or XL?

Mountain bikes are always measured in inches (usually 15, 17, 19, and sometimes 21; or ocassionally 14, 16, 18, 20), although some manufacturer's will convert that into S,M,L. The wheel size on all mountain bikes is 26 inches. That's certainly the answer you were given as road bikes are almost all 700mm with some cheap ones 27 inches. This just proves that you should only buy a bike from a from a specialized bike shop. If you buy one from a general sporting goods store or worse like Carrefour or Tesco/Lotus, they know nothing about bikes. As for what size you really need, the only way to know is to test ride a few. Everybody is proportioned differently. And inexperienced/new riders tend to get frames that are too big. Go with the smallest frame you find comfortable.