arokee

Hi guys!

First post!

Two weeks ago, I bought a brand new 2008 Fuji Track. Two days ago, I went to get a pint for 45 minutes and I locked my bike to a good spot, locked the right way, just in front of the pub.
Come back outside: it's gone. The bike is gone and so is the Kryptonite Lock. Busy street, full of peoples around.

Yeah, what a beautiful spring for me... You can imagine the feeling, well, it's worst than you can imagine...

Anyhow...
Now I'm too broke to buy a new bike but the company I work for is sending me to Shanghai for a week so here is my questions: Since most things nowadays are build in china, maybe I can find some Track frames and bike parts very cheap there... Right?
- Anyone ever went there? Places I could go for bike parts?
- Possibilities of finding Frames?
- What type of brands? (I did some searching on the forum and found some good Track frames list) - Thanks.
Frames I should avoid? Other cheap parts I could find there? Is it a stupid idea?

Any help or ideas will be appreciated! I can't spend my summer without a bike.

Thank you guys.
This forum is amazing.

nateintokyo

more frames and stuff are from Taiwan, but beyond that I have nothing to contribute.

sorry about the Pista and good luck!

deadforkinglast

Most of the quality frames are built in Taiwan, not China. There's a BIG difference. Also, I'd imagine that just because something is manufactured in a country doesn't mean it's sold in that country. I bet most of the bike frames are built for export, ordered by companies in foreign countries. They're probably put into boxes and sent to the dock to be shipped to various places in the world. The only bike shops that would have the same bikes that we get here in the US and everywhere else in the world would be the official dealers of various brands, and they probably can't sell you a bike for any less than you would get it at home. In my experience (lived 5 years in Hong Kong and got the chance to travel to China, Japan and various other Asian countries), American and European brands can be MORE expensive in Asia.

lymbzero

Hey, I was just in Shanghai, there are a lot of bike stores.
However finding anything track is extremely rare.
The fad had just not caught on yet.
I didn't see a single fixed.
Even in Taiwan, it's rare to find track parts.

There is however a Giant Store by the Stadium.
I think it's their flagship store.
They sell an interesting aluminum track frame there.
Otherwise, for the three months I was there I found not much.

Better luck to you.

urodacus

Sean's Giant Store, Zhong Zheng Road, Tien Mu, Taipei just before the baseball stadium.

it's not their flagship store, they don't have such a beast, but he is our team sponsor.

precious little track stuff here: only two velodromes in Taiwan, AFAIK, and none of them is in Taipei. weird.

Cyclist0383

Wow, that totally sucks. Exactly what Kryptonite lock were you using? And did the cretins leave the bits of the lock behind?

jussik

This will not help you either but when I was Beijing I noticed that practically all of the newer chinese bikes were crappy ATB-type single speeds, with bmx-style backwards opening vertical dropouts.
Good for conversions then.

srkredliner

When I lived in Shanghai in 2006 there wasn't a bike I saw that wasn't ATB, as mentioned, a brand new shoddy Chinese road bike, or the old standard Chinese commuting or work/hauling bike (trike).

I would also dissuade you from trying to buy a bike (or anything large) there as the process of bringing it home will be a big PItA - and I'm sure since 2006, especially with the visa situation right now that bringing expensive things that are large and cumbersome will be difficult. You will expend more energy trying to find the bike, and getting it home, than you would doing some nice research at the LBS and finding something perfect.

Note: Do NOT buy lots of fake DVDs there. If you do, be sure to throw away packaging and conceal them in a CD wallet or something. In addition, buying things and them shipping them home, and not carrying important things on your person can lead to loss of purchased goods. They've also shut down in Shanghai the best open market in Jing An, but there should still be some good clothing shops there with good prices.

Have fun. Wish I could join you for the trip.

One last note: Shanghai has the best dumplings (bao) around. Get out to the dirtiest and least touristy place you can (I lived in Putuo, near the railway station, and there were a few tasty places around there) and get some grub.

srkredliner

Here's a picture of my favorite type of bicycle (trike) in Shanghai. Note the lever that is used to press against the front tire to slow the thing down. These are so old, and yet are still ubiquitously used to transport concrete, glass, fruits and vegetables, and anything else they can fit on there.

arokee

wow! Thanks a lot for the answers!
So.. buying a bike there seems like a big no no. Hey, at least it could have been a good plan.

Thanks a lot for your help.

No they stole everything, no bike, no more lock, no pieces, nothing.
Now im totally obsessed with every bike that I see because it might be mine.

Tonight if it doesn't rain, I'm going to lock a Low rider/Cruiser exactly at the same place, same hour. I'm giving myself two hours. I'll hide on the other side of the street with my camera and a crowbar. Hopefully catch him (or another bike thief) and start a nice collection of pictures/videos of bike thieves so I can give it to the cops and print there faces on posters all around town.
Now when a guy come to me and say: "you want a bike, 20$" ? a pull out my cell phone and take a picture of their faces. (yep, happen to me two times in three days)

How can you reclaim anything from Kryptonite (they do have some insurance, right?) if the lock is also gone? Doesn't make sense to me...

Cyclist0383

You need to file a police report and a bunch of other jazz. Do you know exactly what model lock it was?

https://www.kryptonitelock.com/CustomerService/FAQ.aspx

deadforkinglast

+75468345327975

You know that time you were going to spend looking for a bike? Spend it eating local food and you won't regret it. Unless you get sick. But you'll enjoy it until then, and it will be totally worth it.

arokee

yeah, my lock was a KryptoLok® series 2 Mini. I think it's on the anti theft program.
I just called them and they need pieces of the lock. I will go look in the area if i can find something.

At least, they will send me another lock...

yeah, I heard about the food there. Suppose to be very different (sometime weird!) and interesting food. let's try it!

tzusing

many good frames are starting to be made in china. you would be surprised. i'm not going to say what brand. but 7 series aluminum tube frames and even imported cromo tubes like Reynolds or Columbus. lets just put it this way...frame + fork that are being retailed for USD 700-800 bucks are now being made in china. and they are legit. get over that whole china can't make good **** idea. even mavic rims are being made in china. and yes some of these frames are track frames.

the alloy giant track frame in the giant store by the stadium is not for sale. and if it is... i'm going to go kick the store managers ass. it is one of three track frames made in giant china for the t-mobile team.

you will not find any track frames or parts in china for retail sale. unless you look very very hard on Chinese taobao web or something.... only the regional/national athletes ride track bikes.

jet sanchEz

You should say what brands. This is an international message board with a list of anonymous users, the guys from Giant are not going to track you down and give you a wedgie. Tell us.

tzusing

yea. the guys at giant sure as hell are not going to track me down to give me a wedgie. i'd bet on that.
from the oem side i really should not give away brands...
But i just can't stand people talking out their ass about Chinese manufacturing. The fact is china changes every year. things move very fast. in the past 16 years the average wage of a factory worker went from 200 rmb to 2000 rmb. in 5-7 years labor costs will be about the same as taiwan. Even some BMWs are now made in china. i don't think people in first world countries understand what growth and development at this speed looks/feels like.