Ndw76

At the LBS here everything is in Thai. The guys working in the shop don't speak any English and my Thai is more than a little rusty. This makes finding the right thing to sometimes be a little difficult.

Recently I had a problem with a puncture. Tried to explain that I wanted to buy a tire tube. I ended up calling my wife so she could translate. It didn't help that she has no idea about bikes. They ended up saying that they didn't have any and it would be a while before they got any in. So I ended up buying some tubes online.

Went into the shop today with my new tube and asked if they could install it for me. Turns out that when they saw what I was talking about they did infact have them. I guess these missunderstandings are to be expected when they can't speak English and my Thai is not that good.

So anyway, they installed the new tube, found where the leak was in the old tube and patched the hole. When I asked how much they said don't worry about it. But I bought a water bottle and a puncture repair kit which came to 300 baht. That's about $30 USD. I'll be going back there again.

tagaproject6

You do not know how to replace a tire tube?

BlazingPedals

Expensive stuff over there. Here, a bottle would be $7.00 and a tube would be $6.00, or $13 total.

Mr. Beanz

That repair was not free.

Ndw76

I do know how to change a tube, but it is difficult to do when you don't have tire leavers.

Phil_gretz

Nathan,
Let's summarize:
- You ride a bike
- You're in Thailand
- You don't speak the language effectively
- You don't have the tools to fix a flat tire
- You went to a bike shop expecting to buy a tube
- You went back for them to change the mail-order tube, and bought a water bottle...


Nathan - Why not buy tire levers and a patch kit on line, then patch the tube yourself? What will you do THE NEXT TIME you get a flat? Go back to the shop?

You're making my head hurt.

ottawa_adam

Um, have you ever thought that maybe the OP enjoys supporting the local economy and getting to know locals? If I were in his shoes, I would have acted the same way, to help learn local customs and meet new people.

Ndw76

While I was there I spent the extra money to buy a set of tire leavers and a patch kit so that I could fix it myself next time. And yes, I do enjoy the opportunity to practice speaking Thai and meeting the locals. Also, I am quite happy to spend a little of my money at this shop because I would like to imagine that they can stay in business long enough for cycling to become more than just a hobby for the rich and insane in this area.

Snydermann

Isn't 300 Baht more like 9 or 10 dollars?

Garfield Cat

Yes, so I don't know where the US $30.00 came from.

Ndw76

You're right. It's a good thing that I teach English and not math.

Northwestrider

Which bike shop was it? The one near Lumpini Park or the Bike Zone at the Amarin Plaza. I was in the later, a couple of weeks ago. I'd guess there are hundreds of others in small soi's throughout the city however. It's a slow change, but I've noticed more and more people are riding for enjoyment in Thailand.

Ndw76

This bike shop is on Pracha-uthit road in Tungkru. One great thing about this shop is that it is just down the road from my house.