Bicycles

I want to buy a couple of new pedal bikes one for me and one for the wife. Looking at the mountain bikes in Lotus, Big C etc which all look good and are reasonable at 3-4,000 bht each, but are they any good?

Does anyone have any expertise in mountain biles or similar, I like the idea of a light frame, 21 gears etc. Any recommendations would be greatfully accepted.

I think it's really going to depend on how you intend to use them. If it's not for serious mtn biking, maybe a ride around the ville, estate, park or whatever I think that Thai made bikes are ok for that. Anything more serious I would go for something imported like Schwinn, Mongoose, Giant or GT, which they carry in Sports World, top floor in the mall. They run 8000bt and up.

I bought a bicycle last month, 21 gear mountain bike own brand from LA shop, cost 5800bt, I use everyday from outside the ring road into udon and all over, so far I am happy with this purchase. Another good bike shop is at the 5 junctions lights on Prajak road...guy speaks good english there too....happy pedaling whatever you decide

We're going to use them for pedalling around the area and into Kudjap to visit friends, maybe put them on the back of the truck and drive to and pedal round the big resevoir etc, just a general keep fit thing really. Nothing serious like actual mountain biking.......... I was looking to spend around the 4,000 mark for each

Virginprune, where's the LA shop?

Kudjap or Bust wrote:We're going to use them for pedalling around the area and into Kudjap to visit friends, maybe put them on the back of the truck and drive to and pedal round the big resevoir etc, just a general keep fit thing really. Nothing serious like actual mountain biking.......... I was looking to spend around the 4,000 mark for each

Virginprune, where's the LA shop?

Not a mountain bike,but IMO Raleigh bikes are the best quality at 3500-4500 range!

l a bicycles is on wattananumong road , on the corner at traffic lights and wedding shop opposite. mountain bikes over geared for round here and cheap ones will have moving parts wear out quick. if you end up with a mountain bike and it has knobbly tyres for off road replace them with road tyres .knobblies will make your cycling harder on roads.

I have been riding mountain bikes for a little over 3 years now here in Thailand. My rides have included both local hard surface and dirt roads with long distance runs in the hundreds of kms. The longest being 800kms over the course of 7 days.

If you are looking for a simple bike to just pedal around locally then you would be fine with an inexpensive one purchased at Tesco Lotus. Anything more serious and you should consider moving up to a bike better designed for longer distance riding. The most important thing about buying a bike is the fit. Bikes come in a variety of sizes based on the size and dimensions of the frame. If you are an average farang about 5 '10" then I would suggest a frame size of around 18 - 20". Any decent bike should have the frame size clearly marked on it. Then there is the frame material to consider with most low cost bikes using steel (heavy) frames while higher end bikes use aluminum alloy (much lighter). A properly sized bike frame should allow you to stand flat footed on the ground while astride the center bar without injuring yourself. Do not expect the sales people at Tesco Lotus or Supersports at the Complex to have the necessary skills to fit you to the correct size bike.

I would strongly suggest you visit either the bike shop on Prajak Rd. at the 5 way intersection (Udon Map N-12) which is open 7 days a week from around 8:30AM to 5:00PM. The Thai owner's name is Peter and is very helpful. He also owns the LA bike shop mentioned in a previous post There is another very good shop which carries primarily high and medium cost bikes located on Si Chomchun Rd at Udon Map Reference I-12. This shop is about 20 meters from a 7/11 covenience store and is open M-F in the evening and all day Sat & Sun. The plus side of this shop is that the owner - Khun Pepsi is a bike rider himself and will be able to provide you with the correct size frame as well as advising you on riding equipment etc.

An important thing to remember is safety. Buy a helmet and use it as it can help protect your head from serious injury. Slick roads, debris in the road, ruts, rocks, gravel, etc all could make your ride less pleasant. It is dangerous riding a bike without a helmet even though you may not be moving very fast. Please take the advice I offer as I speak from experience having taken a nasty spill on slick concrete while pedaling inside temple grounds. I made a perfect 4 point contact with the ground ( knee, hip, shoulder and my helmet covered head ).

I hope the above is of help to you in choosing your bike. Please let me know if I can be of any further help.

I would add, - be a bit wary of the Tesco and Big C type bikes, as I have found they seem to have a shorter wheelbase (or at least a shorter distance between saddle and handlebars than I have been used to - presumably sized for Thais) and thus the riding position seems a bit cramped, for us usually taller farangs.

Thank you fdmike, yes this is very helpful. We'll be in town in the week and I'll stop by athe bike shops you mention.
I must admit arjay I thought the bike in Lotus was a bit short, saddle to handlebars, the reason I didn't buy it before Xmas......

Thanks again for the advice

Arjay
You are absolutely correct regarding the sizing of bikes in both Tesco Lotus and Big C. The same applies to what may be available in Supersports. The sizing aspect was one of the biggest hurdles to overcome here in Udon. Not so in Bangkok as there are a number of bike shops which have ample choices in nearly all sizes.

Kudjap there is another indicator of good sizing I wanted to pass on to you.

1. The height of the seat should be about the same height as the handlebars
2. When sitting on the seat which is adjusted to the correct height place the heel of your foot on a pedal which has been fully extended downward. At this point you will have 1 pedal facing the ground and one facing the sky. Your leg should be fully extended on the pedal facing the ground. If its not then the frame may be too small for you.
3. Sit on the seat and lean forward grasping the handlebars. Your back should be slightly arched upwards and your head should not be so low that cannot see forward with a helmet on.

I happened by Khun Pepsi's bike shop today and spoke to him about your desires. He felt you would be better served at either LA Bike or the other bike shop I mentioned in my previous email. He told me that he would love to sell you a bike but he deals in mostly high end bikes beginning around 12,000B.

I would be happy to meet you at the bike shop to assist you if you think it would be a help. I am at the shop quite often and the owner knows me very well. PM me and I will give you mobile phone number so we can arrange a time to meet.

Good luck.

Firstly, may I thank Kudjap for posting this topic, as I am currently looking to buy a new bicycle myself here (in Nong Khai).

Secondly, may I thank FDIMike2 for his comprehensive information and the other contributors - Stan, Papaguido, Virginprune and hey you, - for their useful contributions.

I have looked around and have found bikes of a suitable spec and even a mountain type bike with road tyres (i.e. not knobbly) which I think would be appropriate for the mainly road use in Nong Khai, but they all seem to be (a 26" wheel size) I believe a 17" frame size. So my legs never get anywhere near fully extended when the lower pedal is nearest the ground. I assume I am right in thinking I should be looking for a 19" frame size or thereabouts?

I have checked the 2 main shops in Nong Khai, one of which is the LA shop and as far as I can see they all have that same size. So I propose to see what Udon has to offer.
I am looking at around the 7K baht price range, though would be prepared to move on that for the right bike.

Also, am I right in thinking that the Shimano Xure(?) gear change (levers on the handlebars) would be a better spec and preferable to the twist grip type gear change type?

We have 3 lady type framed bicycles(no problem with the height of frame) which we use multiple times a day in NK.The multi gear mountain type bikes are much fster,but I ride for exercise and relaxiation,don't use a M/B and only use the car occassionally for large shopping,taking the daughter to school and longer trips!2 LA brand 1500-2000 baht range and 1 Raleigh 3500 baht.The Raleigh is far superior in quality,heavier chrome parts and thin tires !

Stan, Was the Raleigh bicycle a "Pioneer" model by any chance? I remember some years back in the UK Raleigh brought out an "All Terrain bike" called the "Pioneer", which specifically catered for roads and tracks and things like canal tow paths. It had 21 gears, with a handlebar shift system and ribbed tyres, very close to ordinary road tyres.

I haven't seen any Raleigh models in Nong Khai.

No,just a standard ''girls''bike.I bought mine from a local expat who bought it in NK,but I don't know where!I see many of the same model being ridden around town,but I don't know where they purchased them.

I have seen 2 places that had the 4500 baht male model out front,both on Meechai.They always seem to be black in color and a higher frame.Our model and the others I see around town are grey in color.

Thanks for the offer fdmike, I'd like to take you up on this when we return to Udon, I'm taking the wife back to Blighty for a couple of months, last minute decision and decent airefare prices to boot, fly next week. We return in March so I'll PM you then, we'll need the bikes when we get back to burn off the extra gained pounds from all the stodgey British food.............lol