Taipei Bike Works - Expat owned Bicycle Shop

It’s a 90s mountain bike with drop bars. I ride one because at 220 lbs I fear riding skinny tire road bikes. It’s like the love child of my cyclocross and mountain bikes.

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Cool looking bike.
I wanted to bring my Santa Cruz Superlight on road tyres over with me but would have cost to much.
My Son using it now so gone from my life forever.

I’m really enjoying the classic bike pictures. Feeling very nostalgic and also reminded of things like this:

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Here is another update on some other bikes that I have built this month.

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I also want to update that my shop now sells new bicycle from a Taiwanese company called PERFORMER. We will give you a rough bike fit in shop and then order based on your size, color and preference of components. Prices start at 11,800NTD!

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We also carry a full range of WOHO bike-packing gear, racks and everything you need for a long cycling trip around Taiwan.

I have a lot of customers come in and complain about creaking noise in their carbon fiber bikes. The final solution is to do a conversion kit and swap everything out for a threaded cup style. Alternatively we solve the problem by temporarily glueing in your bearings. Come by anytime if you have this issue. It doesn’t cost much to sort it out.

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That’s why all my bikes are threaded cups, square taper. No noise, no slipping press-fits.

Some nice bikes you make there!

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I now have some DEMO bikes for test ride and some display bikes. I carry Veloci, which is a great Taiwanese company that makes steel bicycle frames for every style of cycling. The other company is less known, Rikulau. They specialize in titanium and steel frames, they make road bikes and gravel bikes in any size. Come by the shop and test ride a Rikulau bike if ya want.

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Hello, I can order those tires. They are in stock now. They are the tan-wall version if you are ok with that. Let me know

I’ve just perused the thread here and want to say, nice work, especially the bike restorations.
Would be good if you could explain what different kinds of bikes , tires, gears , frames are and what makes them different to us complete amateurs. Wouldn’t necessarily have to be this thread.
For instance when would you recommend steel vs carbon fiber vs aluminium vs titanium.

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You have asked a very big question haha. But i can answer the difference in materials for you.

Steel is the most common and easiest material to work with for frames. It is easy to repair and has much forgiveness. It is great for touring bikes, long endurance and gravel bikes. Steel has properties that help with road vibration and comfort. Most of the time it is cheap and readily available. The downside is corrosion and the weight penalty.

Aluminum is the other most common material for bicycles. It is used because it is easy to manufacture and it is more lightweight and cheaper to produce. It has corrosion resistant properties unlike steel. The only downside is, if something happens to your frame in a crash like a bend or crack, it is nearly impossible to fix without just buying a new frame all-together.

Titanium is in my opinion the best material to work with for bicycle frames. It has all the same properties as steel, however it is very lightweight, and corrosion resistant. It will give you the right balance of stiffness without compromising on comfort. That is why you see this material on all types of bicycles.

Carbon Fiber is more for the higher end bikes. It is very stiff when made to be and can flex without snapping when the weave is made just right. It can be formed into almost any shape and any thickness. It is going to be the most lightweight of all the materials. The only downside to carbon fiber is the price, and repair ability. If you crash, you could fracture the frame or snap it. In most cases you should just buy a new frame, however some can be repaired with new carbon and resin. Carbon fiber bikes and parts in my experience do not last as long as the other materials. I would use carbon if you are getting serious about cycling as it has more performance advantages than reliability and usability advantages. As the years go by, carbon is getting cheaper to manufacture and new technology is making it more common place on bikes.

There is just so much more detail that can be put into this answer, but that is just the basics for now. I’d really like to hear from other people on what they think about the materials for bikes is best and how they have experienced it first hand.

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Great post! Let’s see what other enthusiasts think.

I can’t really agree more with everyone that has been said.

What I can add is that sometimes, not always, titanium frames can be more expensive than some carbon frames.

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I’m just gonna print this out on little cards and hand them out to anyone who asks me this question.

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Well @ttwan already gave you the professional answer so I’ll give you the smartass answer.

Steel is for anyone born before 1960, aluminum is for “hybrids” that will be ridden once then get forgotten in a back corner of the garage, carbon is for Serious Cyclists who wake up and first decision of the day is which skinsuit to wear, and titanium is for Materials Sciences degree holders.

What about the cool kids? Come on man, ride a skateboard or a One Wheel or some shit.

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I’ll explain the reasons for my build options on this bicycle.
I started with a steel frame from Bianchi.


I have already explained the properties of steel above. I used carbon fiber for the front fork because I could not source the original. Carbon is still OK for forks and is commonly used on bicycles with steel frames. It cuts down on weight and still have enough flex for comfort.
I had a pair of Shimano 105 5700 STI shifters alying around and put new hoods on them. I paired that with an 11-34t cassette. I chose 11-34 because it has the maximum range needed for cycling around Taiwan and traversing the large hills and mountainous areas. I also had an old Ultegra rear derailleur sitting around as well, and the two items work well together.

In order to make the rear derailleur work well, I had modify the front gearing to 46/36T so the chain slack was just right. This is close to what gravel bikes run so I thought it appropriate for a touring bicycle.

I chose 32C tires for this build for a few reasons. One, this bicycle can handle up to 38c. In my experience you do not need more than 35c in Taiwan if you are touring. The rolling resistance becomes detrimental at that point. It is more of a looks factor when you see anything larger for the road. If you wanted to go more off-road and enduro riding, then I would recommend larger tires, but 32c is a nice happy medium of comfort and speed on this bike. The fat tires will soak up the bumps in the road. And lets face it, tan wall tires make all bikes look great! The wheels I choose are 36H double wall 700c rims. 36h is great for touring, because if you break a spoke, you have 35 more to get you where you need to go.

I finished up the build with classic CATEYE cotton bar-tape and a BROOKS B17 saddle. I love working with cotton bar-tape. It works great in both wet and dry conditions and is hard wearing. It usually lasts longer than cork tape and if you shellac it, will last forever. I recommend a cork tape under for added comfort.

Lastly the brakes. I think canti-lever brakes are the most beautiful brakes on a bicycle. They have many advantages and disadvantages. Many people consider this style as the old type. Canti-lever brakes can perform just as well as V-Brakes and disc brakes. When set-up properly they work amazing. The advantages are larger tires clearances, and great stopping power. The disadvantages are the amount of work needed to dial them in. They are usually not easy to work with if you have no prior knowledge.

Anyways, this bike sold pretty quickly and the owner has already gone around the island once on this bike. This particular bike setup is, in my opinion, really well suited for Taiwan. Many people think it is easy to build a custom bike like this, but remember, not everything is straight forward. You must determine the materials, what parts are compatible with each other and the overall feel/look of the bicycle. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I’ll post up more if you guys want.

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Do you plan on getting more electric bikes or are you deliberately focusing on traditional bikes?

Well your bikes look very cool. Artful, really. It would be fun riding any of them around. And this is from someone who knows very little about bicycles.

Sure. We’re all enjoying the pictures.

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How much for a Bianchi steel frame?