Korean Job Discussion Forums

[curiousaboutkorea]

I'm looking into buying a bicycle. I really regret not having one last year so I'm resolved to have on this year. However, I really have no idea what to get. I'm not all that knowledgeable, I just like to ride around.

What I'm looking for: Something that I can ride around the city (Ilsan) for a bit of exercise or getting around the neighborhood. I may want to take it out of the city out into the farms (if you're not familiar, Ilsan is surrounded by farms). I might take it down some bumpy roads and a dirt path or two, but nothing serious. I'm not going mountain biking, I'm not going racing. I want something that isn't going to break the bank. Is 150k reasonable? I may or not be staying after this year, so I don't want to invest a terribly large amount. Any ideas of what bike I should look for. Brands? Models?

Oh yea, I don't want one of this silly little fold-up bicycles with the tiny wheels or any other gimmick.

Thanks.

[Bibbitybop]

I had a full size fold up bike for taking on subway cars. It was ok. I didn't like the axle and tire system, though, and if I got another one, I'd go import for ease of tuning it up myself.

[Dr. Whom]

[climber159]

For Korean brands, I'm a fan of Black Cat. I had one that I paid 400,000원 for and I put about 2000Km on it.

For what you want a bike for I'd recommend a mountain bike. You might be able to get the tires swapped out for ones that are less aggressive (more suited for the road) but still able to handle gravel/dirt roads.

Stay away from Lespo, Next, and any of the other cheap bikes. These might be fine for the light commute, but I wouldn't trust these any farther than I'm comfortable walking home.

[Nester Noodlemon]

I agree with climber159. For a decent bike, go with the Black Cat. I would say it's a good entry level bike. I had a Next brand, it was a piece of junk.

[Harpeau]

Try and find someone selling theirs when they leave the country. A used bike should work. It does for me.

[Solarian]

The obsession with overpriced bikes on here boggles the mind. The OP just wants a bike to get around. I have a Lespo, I got it for free, it works great. I ride it to work and back every day, and I ziptied a basket onto the back seat so I can haul groceries. Every 2 weeks or so, I haul 12L worth of water on that thing, and it's still fine.

You can easily get a bike that will do the job for less than 150K, please ignore what the rest have said. There's no reason to spend a lot of money for a bike to just ride around. You can get them from used shops for really cheap, or if you have friends, they may even give you their old one for free.

[sara210]

http://www.glsbike.com/shop/goods/goods_view.php?goodsno=3460

Hey! This site has loads of second hand bikes that they will deliver to your door. They are about 50,000 won. You may need a Korean to help you negotiate it.

Otherwise go to a bike shop, they normally have some second hand bikes in stock and you should be able to do a little bit of bartering!

good luck!

[Nester Noodlemon]

[Jeonmunka]

[CeleryMan]

I've purchased all my cycling stuff here, very reliable and ships merchandise as a "GIFT" so you don't pay duty.

http://stores.ebay.com/cycle4lesscom?_rdc=1


Good luck!

[blackjack]

Go to homeplus or emart. They don't have great bikes, but you can get okay prices when they are on sale.

The reason why I recommend them is that they have a great return policy. When the bike craps out you get your money back and get a brand new one

[Solarian]

[pkang0202]

I recently bought a Dahon Folding Bike. The Vitesse 7, but I also considered getting the Speed 7.

The bike is around 500,000w and its worth every won. I can fold the bike in under 30 seconds. I can carry it with 1 hand (its pretty light) or I can roll it while its folded.

I use the bike to commute around Seoul, and also for a leisurely ride along the Han River. There are a lot of Dahon sellers, so its not a problem to take it in for any service or maintenance.

Caution to the OP if you buy a nice bike. Get it locked/chained to a pole or something stationary. Or, take it inside your house. Bike theft in Korea is no joke. My Dahon folds up nicely, so I jsut take up to my apartment and leave it by the door in the "take off your shoes" area.

***EDIT***

I bought a cheap bike before. The price was great. However, when I was pushing the pedals hard (standing and pedaling to get more power), the cheap pedal broke. Can you imagine putting all your weight on your foot when suddenly the support comes off? When the pedal broke, my right foot hit the ground hard, causing my body to fall to the right. The sudden weight shift turned my handle bars and I took a pretty nasty fall.

I actually wiped out right in front of a bike shop. The owner was inside locking everything up and he saw me fall. He just stood there inside his shop. Didn't come out or anything. I got up, made sure nothing was broken, and then I knocked the glass door to inquire about buying a pedal. He tells me the store is closed.

So, i ended up walking/limping 5 km back to my house. I thought baout going back to that bike shop and throwing a brick through the window, but I figured it wasn't worth it.

[Dr. Whom]