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In almost every small city there is usually a Merida and a Giant shop, these vary massively according to who the owner is, as to whether spares can be bought or ordered.
In bigger cities it is generally possible to pick up Trek, Specialized and Cannondale. Other brands are becoming available all the time.
How about Diamond Back and GT? I saw those brands (well at least the names) fairly often in Chengdu.
CC
Whats the pricing like on bikes and parts in the areas that you mention ?A while back(a few years back)I saw a shop in Beijing or Shanghai can't remember which and the prices where quite expensive is this still the case?
I'm sure diamondback and GT could be ordered for a price.
Some of the shops have reasonably priced stock, usually it is marked up expensive and you talk stuff down as normal, you cannot talk them down very far if you are a foreigner. Shimano are in bed with Giant, and there is tons of Shimano stuff around, even XTR and XT and replacement stuff for Shimano in Giant shops these days. SRAM/Truvativ/Avid/Rockshox can be ordered, but replacement parts and warranties are often impossible. If you buy a good shock and need it servicing, or need a new bottom bracket or chainrings, many times you'd be better off doing/buying these things in a western country. This is changing quickly as cycling is a very fast growing recreational sport in China, in a few years the demand will be enough for increased availability.
I called a Giant dealer in Guangzhou and he said the biggest road frame they sell is 54cm. That's a kid's size in North America. I use a 61. Does no one have big frames in China?
I'm sure a bigger frame can be ordered.
It is a matter of them getting off their asses to do it. The thing is with Chinese bicycle dealers is there are a few shops that are owned by bicycle enthusiasts, they understand the need to order the correct size frame. Other shops just sell cheap stuff or are just to make money with no clue about bikes or customer service. Although it is seemingly impossible to get bigger than a 19 inch MTB frame, (that would suit riders max 6ft), from regular channels like taobao. My local Giant shop says it can order whatever you want from T**wan.
Find a different dealer, there must be quite a few dealers in Guangzhou. If Giant won't deal, check out a Merida dealer.
I thought Gaint make compact frames now? Meaning the top tube is not horizontal. Smaller means less material, lighter, and stiffer.
What surprizes me is that there's no market for used parts. Sometimes building from parts is cheaper, provided you buy second hand. The pro cyclists i see make the sport look really expensive, when it's really not; doesn't have to be.
My bike is second hand, bought it when i was in London 10 years ago. The crank shaft and rear derailuer are Shimano 600. So that makes the bike ~20 years old now. Steel frame Reynolds 631 tubing, weighs ~10kg, and super comfortable. Steel lives forever. Needs a paint job though, pics coming soon.
Looking forward to seeing some pics of your bike
Slabo, different bikes are rated for different sized folks according to use. With Giant XC mountain bikes 16"-17" Giant frames are rated small suiting guys up to 5ft8, and 18" medium up to 5ft10, 19" are rated medium up to 6ft. Although things get different with freeride and downhill frames being usually smaller as to their use, as being easier to throw around if smaller. Obviously with with XC and road bikes it is very important to have a bike that fits you as pedaling efficiency is vital. So it is pretty disturbing how so many bikes are rated small in the stores in China. Maybe it's a case of some Chinese riders not realizing they need to hassle dealers for the right frame size.
Right now I am bikeless and shopping. My Kona, which travelled with me on 4 continents, was left in Ecuador with a friend.
The other thing I noticed was that there was no price difference between bikes in Guangzhou and those in the US. The $1300 bike from USA is $1300 in China. Go figure. Not like that with kayaks as a $2500 kayak costs $430 in China. Is there any quality brand made in China that I might see in the Tour of Hainan, which can be acquired at a significant discount there?
:taz:
did you say kayak? please elaborate. Never seen kayaks in China, and you're saying they're cheap? Please tell us more.
I had a site saved in my favourites for quite a while but have deleted it now. Google MadeinChina.com, type in kayaks and you will spend hours looking at them. The place I was talking about was in Qingdao, south of Yantai. Probably half of the world's kayaks r made in China. I'd like to go to the Canton Export Fair for a look.
I remembered a Dahon (folding bikes) shop in LiuZhou, GuangXi a city not far from Guilin/Yangshuo.
Brice, yeah Dahon, they are a big American folding bike brand, but made in China, you can find their shops anywhere. Nice components on the high end 3000 RMB ones with Schwalbe tires and Avid brakes and drive-train. Great for around town and commuting.
Also many people say Merida seem much cheaper in China than they are anywhere else in the world, Merida are a T**wanese brand that are made in China and T**wan, designed in Germany have had a great deal of success at World-Class Cross Country Mountain Bike racing, very popular here.