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Woden
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Location: Eurasia
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 Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:15 am Post subject: Cycling and Bike Shops in Korea?? |
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I am coming to Korea in a few months and as a keen cyclist I will be trying to get my hands on a decent mountain bike for commuting and for leisure. I have heard that most of Korea's bikes are domestically produced so I was wondering how hard it was to get a good mountain bike?
Are decent bikes much more expensive and are there good bike shops in Busan, where I am likely to be based around, or would I have to go to Seoul?
Thanks |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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Woden
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Location: Eurasia
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:32 am Post subject: |
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Cheers mate, that is brilliant!!
I probably will be buying one before coming now then...are there any problems getting the bike on to an international flight as luggage?? |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:41 am Post subject: Flight |
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You'd better check with your airline for that. Also there
is a pretty good cycling club that do XC, freeride etc. But
it is in Seoul. Too far away for you. Too bad because they
have trucks for transport to the ride and usually have a BBQ
after with meat and booze off the US base at Yongsan.
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/mtbk/ |
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Woden
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Location: Eurasia
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:09 am Post subject: |
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I have just one more question...
...I am not sure whether to get myself a road or mountain bike, I would prefer a road really but is a mountain bike essential for the roads in Korea?
I am sitting here with a broken collar bone after going over my handlebars in the Sierra Nevada which explains my preference for the road!
Cheers for your help! |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:53 am Post subject: Biking |
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This is the bike I had shipped over. It is supposed to be a freeride/XC
hybrid. After trying out the trails in Korea I have opted for less
dangerous places. The hills in Korea are freaky dangerous. LOTS
of jaggy rocks etc. I have since swapped out the tires for 26X1.7
hybrids. Now I avoid the psycho bone-crushing trails, but can still
do off-roading. My speed is also way up on roads to. Roads in Korea
are full of potholes and curbs of over a foot. The full suspension
sure is nice. Some of the dudes in the Seoul club have suffered
broken legs, backs and necks. (But they ARE nuts)
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esetters21
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| I have a friend with a 2006 Kona Coiler that has been collecting dust since he bought it here. I'll check with him to see if he wants to sell it if you are interested at all. |
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huffdaddy
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:27 am Post subject: Re: Cycling and Bike Shops in Korea?? |
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| Woden wrote: |
| I am coming to Korea in a few months and as a keen cyclist I will be trying to get my hands on a decent mountain bike for commuting and for leisure. |
If you're not too hard core, a Korean bike will do, IMO. As long as you can find one that'll fit you. I wouldn't recommend a road bike. I have a mountain bike, but I should go Cohiba's route and swap my tires out.
Once you get out of town and on a secondary highway, the routes are pretty good. There's not a lot of suburban sprawl to fight through (at least around my place). Buy a good province map book and you'll be set. |
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Woden
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Location: Eurasia
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:15 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for all the advice.
I think I am going to go for the GT Avalanche 1.0 - I am quite a keen cyclist at the moment but it is mostly on-road however I want the freedom in Korea to explore off-road so I think I need at least a hard-tail mountain bike.
I was wondering about the maps actually, are there good local ones? Like the OS maps in the UK that even show phone boxes and hedgerows, or are they a bit simpler?
Ta again. |
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huffdaddy
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Woden wrote: |
I was wondering about the maps actually, are there good local ones? Like the OS maps in the UK that even show phone boxes and hedgerows, or are they a bit simpler? |
I use a 1:50,000 province map (1:10,000 in Seoul). It shows down to the roads and terrain, including elevations. You might be able to get more detail, but it's not necessary. Most, if not all, are in Hangeul, so that'll give you an incentive to learn the alphabet. |
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Bailsibub
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Woden,
I'm a serious cyclist, and would like to welcome you to a great place for riding.
Korea has tons of hills and good country roads for riding(even dirt roads in the country...fun!!!!)
Anyway, if you are going to bring a bike here, I recommend a road bike.
Road bikes cost more here than in the states, but mountain bikes are about the same price...maybe even less.
I'm the type of person that must have at least a road bike and a mountain bike at one time (oh I miss my cyclocross bike!), and I made the mistake of bringing a mountain bike here. Anyway, I have to wait until a friend visits and brings my road bike along this spring.
So if you need both, bring your road bike. Or if you don't mind having a mountain bike (you can easily get slicks for it here,by the way) then getting one here is pretty easy on the internet.
Last edited by Bailsibub on Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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Bailsibub
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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Cohiba,
I didn't say that all mountain bikes here are cheap... And you can get affordable ones...that is if you don't have to have a GT, which, in retrospect, I should have spelled out.
It was implied that mountain bikes here are relatively cheaper than road bikes are, compared with the prices in the states.
By the way, email Performance and ask them how much it will cost to get that Iron Horse here. I needed a fluid trainer and found out. ($100 in the US...$450 to get it here) he he |
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The Great Toad
Joined: 12 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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oK i AM THE STRONGEST Cant believe you say you were a pro - I raced too and I am way fatter than you....
ANyhow you can go to:
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/displayproductlist_v2.cfm?&CGRFNBR=3&CRPCGNBR=3&TextMode=0&CI=1,156
or do a search "bike air line box...
And get one - I spent 250 on a plastic hard shell one with internal straps that held the bike in the center via gyroscope pull from straps bolted to the shell
Or if you want to ask the shop u buy from to take apart /pad it for air ship... make them include free if u buy from 'em 2
Bikes seem to cost more here I agree... If I was you I bring a road bike -- but if you want to do any trails as you said well than MTB - But I left my Klien in the States and just had my Merlin then the next year i had both -- (which I cracked too http://jejuprince.blogspot.com/2006/04/destruction-of-silver-fairy-of-merlin.html )
But The way I did it was just take the bike aand not take much else but clothes.... Going back from Korea to the USA was funny - I shipped all my clothes home and had one hard case plastic box anad another extra thick cardboard box from Halla Cycle....
The point is ahhh I go for MTB if you are in the city mmm and will do Trails on the weekend and ahhh Road if you were to be in the Farms / Jeju as the roads are better for distance...
Umm anyhow I doubt there was or is anyone Greater or Srtronger than Me in Korea ... I was da c00lest on da Bike there - Here in Taiwan I have Scooter guys I blow by (who catch up sometimes at lights ) always giving me the thumbs up and the other day some guys filmed me... Ummm I guess they find it strange I spin at 27mph and then go from draft to draft as trucks offer ... Truth be told I am doomed and very soon I will Destroy myself in the End as Steel is a match for even the Greatest of Flesh when they crush each other... In fact maybe a Mtb is better as you will have stronger brakes an asset in the chitty drives of Corea
Also you could just opt to do like many ESL teachers - Get a wayyyyyy thin K-Girl become wayyyyy fat on Pork and Leaf Sandwiches and prove that the perfect place for a functional Alcoholic is a Korean Esl job. |
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Bailsibub
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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Bro, I wasn't talking smack. This is me after passing Gunnar Shogren in a cyclocross race years back. Do you know who he is? Anyways, this move stuck, but I was admittedly suffering. I'm not the fastest...didn't mean that...but I'm fast enough....  |
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