cm das

Anyone know of a good place in town to watch the game? Back in 2005 I watched Liverpool's comeback against AC Milan at Spicy but I'd prefer somewhere a little less full on this time around.

This topic has been pretty well & regularly covered in the Chiang Mai forum. Have you done a search there? My recommendation has always been the shop opposite Yupparaj Schoot, just up the road from Three Kings Monument if you're heading north. The sign is in Thai & there's mostly football & fitness stuff on display up front but the back is packed with Muay Thai gear of varying quality.

So just to close out my story, I came down to Bangkok for 1 day and visited 5 bike shops (along with the Ducati & Triumph dealers). I saw & liked many bikes. The Cannondales looked sweet but the frame wasn’t right for me & at over 100k the price wasn’t really either. The Specialized Epic at Sport Bicycle was a thing of beauty & I was sorely tempted, despite the 100k price, but I decided I didn’t like the idea of the brain shock, which automatically locks out the rear shock when you’re pedaling. The close runner up was a Giant Anthem X4 at World Bike.  From all the reviews I read and my short test ride I believe that the Giant would have been a solid choice, but the Marin East Peak 5.5 over at Bike Zone was the one that really spoke to me. It also happened to be the cheapest! Here it is in its new home, the trails outside Chiang Mai.


The first ride was very satisfying. I didn’t push myself or the bike too much. Suspension, brakes & steering were all great on the rolling terrain. Shifting was not always butter smooth, more like crunchy peanut butter few times, but it got there & I’m sure with some tweaking that will get better. If not I can use some of the money I saved on some upgrades.
In the end I was pleased with the shops in Bangkok. The selection was good and the prices weren’t outrageous. In most cases I found the owners & staff more friendly than at the shops in Chiang Mai. Certainly Fausto at Bike Zone has been nice to deal with.

VIBE, on 2012-04-24 00:53:14, said:

Where did you hear this? I've seen vague reports about a Chiang Mai dealership but nothing recent & nothing specific as to when.

Thanks, ad61. That's what I was afraid of. I'm really hoping to keep the price under around 70k. I know my choices might be limited but it looks like there are a few decent bikes in Bangkok going for less than yours. On the other hand, when the right bike calls to you sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.