A proper mountin bike?

Last time I was in Udon I bought a Thai style mountain bike which to be honest isn't exactly very durable and I only used it on roads - the pedals broke after a while. The gears were very shoddy so on this visit I would like to buy something more substantial. It is mainly for exercise but around the fields and lakes of NE Thailand so has to be hard wearing. Anyone any ideas?

Thanks,

HH

On the 4th floor or 5th floor of the Charoensri mall there's a sport shop (Sport something?), they've got Schwinn and Mongoose (I think it's Mongoose or Giant) can't remember. I believe they have two models of Schwinn and 3 or 4 of the other. Also, check out this thread...

http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/v ... php?t=2064

Thanks papguido - I was sure I had seen another thread but couldn't get it using the search engine - appreciate your help.

HH

Lee,

I was into MTN biking about 15 yrs ago, nothing serious but really enjoyed it. Anyway, I recognize the bikes (GT, Giant & Mongoose) advertised to be of good quality for both on/off road use. Generally in any one of these will fit your needs for your intended use. It's been a while since I've been in the market for a bike, but if it were me I'd go for the GT Avalanche (on the high end) or the Giant Rincon (on the low end). Most importantly what's going to matter is the size (frame) and what's available for your height. Oh ,and the seats are adjustable. Here are a couple of links to read through to help you make your decision.

Reviews:

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/sport ... eview.html

Frame sizing:

http://www.jbmountainbikes.com/sizing.asp

General bike info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bike

Lee I would recommend getting any of the bikes at the bottom, you know the ones with engines

lee wrote:I'm also looking for a good quality mountain bike to use around town and take with me to places like Phu Phra Bat and Loei. I haven't a clue what to look for, what's a good name, frame sizes etc.

Can anyone give me a few pointers, I'm pretty tall so will I need a large frame bike or do the seats adjust to your height?

I had a quick look in sports world and picked up the brochure below, would you recommend any of these? I didn't see any spare parts so replacing tyres, gears, chains etc may be a problem.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

As an after thought don't sweat the spare parts too much. I don't think you're going to jack up the bike too much with the level of riding you're intending. IMO, the most important item is the frame. With the bikes mentioned in my previous post it shouldn't be a problem.

Another thing, I shipped my wife's MTN bike (Schwinn) from the US. My stepson managed to jack that up, I'm talking about bent rims, gear replacement and bent derailleur . We took to a local shop and they repaired it, nice job & no problems.

Apparently disc brakes offer greater stopping power. However, the question now is if problems arise can it be resolved locally. Standard brakes are relatively easy to maintain. Maybe you should drop by Club Bike and get advise on bike maintenance before you make a purchase.

"Let's not forget Club Bike located in the rear of the Cal Tex (big red star) gas station on Srisuk Rd approximately 50 meters from the first circle. Khun Arrrr speaks great english and is a biking (mountain, street etc) enthusiast. He has a great selection of bikes to fit us larger farangs along with lots of accessories. His phone number is 042-242-745 or 01-544-55"

Quoted from here:

http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/v ... php?t=2064