I’m relieved to hear you enjoy it much more. It should steer like it has never steered before now I imagine. A bit twitchy at first was it?
Did the helmet fit?
Hey,
I’m also considering getting a new bike and was wondering where to ask…
I’ve been commuting for 6 years now, with a huge heavy old school 3 speed duch bike for 5 years before moving here, and I got 2 bikes in Taiwan. The first was a rigid cheap ladies bike which (happily) got stolen and my current ride is a used Giant DS321, with 2 suspentions and knobby tires. I like it because it’s comfy (I also changed the seat and handles for more comfort) but I think it’s time I assume myself as a true bikerider (I have long given up on my licence) and get a decent vehicle.
I intend to bring this bike back to Canada and commute with it. I want to make my commuting more efficient by going faster so I want a lighter vehicle. I also enjoy going on some long rides so comfort is an important issue. I also bike in all weather, rain or shine (but I want to get annother bike for (canadian) winter riding). I don’t do any off road.
Hence, I am wondering whether to get a bike with (lockable) suspension or not, because I like the comfort of the suspension but I know I’m losing power with it and it makes the bike heavier.
So I’ve been shopping, went to 3 bike shops, the one next to Guting MRT, Sean’s and Allan’s (edit: Jack’s)(the people at the latter place plain ignored me) and was advised first to get the Flight M3 (light, rigid frame, fairly thin slick tires, straight handles), then the Freeda Plus (like the Flight but higher wheels, better for road, slightly more expensive), and I had a look at the Jolli (front lockable suspension, heavier, wider slick tires) by myself at Allan’s (edit: Jack’s). The 2 latter models are only on the taiwan giant site, so I had to rely on the google translator to get info on them.
Freeda & Jolli
giant-bicycles.com/zh-TW/bik … 220/31963/
Flight M3
giant-bicycles.com/en-IN/bik … tions_id=2
Any input you guys can give me will be highly welcomed. 
Thxs
I would tend to disagree with putting a longer stem as a solution to Maoman’s problem. It will make the handling heavier, and not as pleasant.
An immediate solution to your problem would be to move your saddle on its railing to push it toward the back of the bicycle.
As for suspensions and dual suspensions, i guess it is a matter of taste. I rode 1550km of road since last january, most of it in Taipei, but still wouldn’t part with my NRS’s two suspensions. To me the road in Taipei and Taiwan overall are too poor not to have suspensions.
I’m 186cm, the bike is a L size (i think that should make it a 22inch) and i find it a bit tall. In fact I’m looking for a shorter and steeper stem.
As for you, penelopeinterlope, Taiwan is a great place to shop for a bike (they are much cheaper here than abroad), although you will have trouble to find anything else other than Giant’s and Merida’s.
Perhaps you could get a look on Yahoo Taiwan auctions. I got my bike there for real cheap.
Thanks Ed the traveller,
I had a look on tw auctions and there were a few interesing things. I’m all for buying second hand and giving a new life to things. but the pics are very small and I only have the short description of the bike, which I have translated by google. I’m a cautious buyer, wouldn’t put my money on a 2cm x 4cm pic with the description “wan wan pyramid bike venzo 26 inches, aluminum alloy, 21 Shimano mountain speed car speed” and that’s it… went on the venzo website, it’s under construction…
:neutral:
what did you do when you got yours?
Penny
PS, I don’t mind getting a Giant, I just want something better than what I’m used to ride on…
Actually, “en vadrouille” is closer to “wandering around” 
It is true that most descriptions are cryptic, specially since some of these bikes are in fact destined to foreign markets and are not always branded/built according to what we are used to see (Good news is that the price isnt the same as well!). I did find a carbon version of a famous Lapierre (Lapierre is a french brand) for sale second hand at 40 000NT$. It looked really clean, and back in France it was worth about 200 000 NT$ new at the very least. Thing is, you really needed to know what it was to find this interesting.
So I would say: Stick with the famous and the safe, contact the owners and go to see the bike, try it, and then make a decision. Yahoo “auctions” is in fact more like a classified section than a traditional auction system as you can find in Ebay. It’s fine not to bid and to call the seller.
Oui, je sais bien ce qu’en vadrouille veut dire, j’ai juste pas réfléchi a une meilleure traduction…
So it’s good to know that I can just contact the owner (and pray he/she knows a little English so we can have some kind of pidgin going on). But what about the auction part of it? I’ve never been to an auction, but I understand the price listed is the starting price. so if I want it and nobody has bid on it, I have to bid the starting price or more, right? 
(I know, I know, I’m green…)
Tu es Francais?
As far as I can tell, nobody ever bid on these auctions. People contact the owners, show their interests, come to visit the bike, and buy it at starting price, or agreed price if the former is too low.
Really, think of it as a classified section when it comes to bikes.
Québécoise
cimer! 
I really can’t recommend buying a bike online. Even if you get a good deal, you won’t have a place to get your bike serviced properly. Choose a shop near your house that you get good service and buy your bike there.
I’d also suggest a little patience with bike shops these days. Due to the explosion of biking, they are overwhelmed with new riders who have read all kinds of stuff on the Internet and are very fussy. You will have better luck if you avoid weekends and Thursday and Friday evening when shops can be overwhelmed.
Alan’s has an excellent reputation for service and as does Da Vinci (the shop on Heping), but if they are too busy they may not be able to give you the service that they would like to. Good luck!
What do you mean I won’t be able to get my bike serviced properly? What if I buy a bike online (that I have checked out phisically first), and then go to a shop to upgrade it and get a bunch of accessories (which I want to do anyway with a new bike). won’t I get good service then?
I don’t think Allan’s (edit: Jack’s) is a bad place. I was there on a Thursday early afternoon and they were not overwhelmed with clients but I think the only person available could not speak English. He just shyly smiled at me (at which point I didn’t know he was working there) and that was the end of it. I didn’t insist on getting service after. Sean’s and Da Vinci’s staff came to me numerous times, all of them wanting to help, but they both had less clients when I was there. Sometimes I feel being a girl in those places makes people not take me seriously. Most (serious) bikers I see in Taiwan are men, and the girls are mostly (not all, of course) trailing behind their boyfriends… But yeah, there were a little too many people for my patience, I don’t think less of the place and will surely return.
As for the bike shops near my place, they speak little to no English. In combination to my little to no Chinese, It’s hard to get what I want…
Thanks for the input!
Are you talking about Alan’s mountain bike shop on Roosevelt?? If so, they are awesome. I am a roadie, not a MTB specialist, and when I went in there several times while I lived across the street last year (I have since moved back to sunny California) they helped me every time – whether it was my $2000USD road bike problems or the chain snapping on my $30 single speed I used for commuting. They also put me in contact with and set me up with rides, people to ride with, registration for races, etc. Alan’s wife is the English specialist and it’s a family owned and run shop. If you want a mountain bike or friendly people who just help you for free or virtually free just go back and find her. To be honest, I’m a little surprised his wife wasn’t there when you showed up; I only remember going in perhaps once or twice when she WASN’T around. She must work every day of the week when they’re open, except when she runs an errand or something. Alan doesn’t speak English. I spoke some Chinese to him–trust me I was terrible at first and relied on his wife, it wasn’t until a few months into my program in which I could start practicing with them. Oh yeah, there is also a group of expats who ride with them on the trails and can help you as necessary. I learned about the extent of the riverpath from them.
I also know Sean’s. I rode a few times with the Columbia racing team. Awesome people, esp Sean himself and Bai Gou (white dog) the friendly young mechanic whose English is impeccable. Great service, helped me register for races, etc. The difference between Sean’s and Alan’s? One is a family run mountain bike shop with help and riding at the level you’d expect–ask and they’ll tell you about rides, bikes, whatever. If you have a problem, just stop in and they’ll fix it. Sean’s is a more established and more professional (read $$$$$$$$) shop. They are great for a community of people with high quality top end products and service is also excellent. It’s just a different feel and different crowd of people.
I can also say this: I did Tour of East Taiwan and stayed in a nice hotel through help from Sean’s shop + columbia racing team, but I did some training rides with a group of a few really awesome people from Alan’s shop (all Chinese, no expats, but they spoke some English) and even have a very memorable experience of sitting near fulong beach and eating lunch with them on a 110KM cycling day. Unlike the people on the racing team, those guys would never drop me.
If you need more info pm me. Otherwise I recommend giving Alan’s a second chance! They are really fantastic people.
P.S. If you need a reference at Alan’s, just tell them Amanda from Santa Cruz, California, the blonde girl with the Trek road bike, sent you.
Alan’s wife Yen often goes to Yoga during the day so she isn’t always in the shop. She helps their young daughter with her homework in the evening too. If you want to be sure of catching her, then best be there in the late afternoon, early evening. They open 12 noon and close at 9pm. They go riding on Sundays, so nobody is usually at the shop, unless they are loading up the van early morning. You should go on rides with them as they are a great group of people. I’m sorry I can’t work at the shop any longer as I have moved and am now in Shilin, but if you see them, then tell them Jamie said Hi.
I didn’t say you can’t get your bike serviced, but I think you will find that you will get better service if you buy the bike there. Of course if you want to load up on fancy components etc, most places will be happy to help you, but I’m more talking about tye little things that regular riders need done all the time (or don’t feel like doing themselves).
That said, I’ve had excellent service at Alan’s even though I have never bought a bike there. My only complaint would be that they are very busy and I had to wait around a lot longer than I do at my regular shop. Da Vinci on Heping is extremely busy–it’s near my house and I sometimes pick up stuff there. They make a great cup of coffee too btw.
I have to disagree a bit with Feiren about servicing.
While it is true that buying a bike in a shop will get you service on plenty of small details and get your bike a lot of attention, you will have to pay anyway for more demanding interventions. I have taken apart enough MTBs on my own to feel comfortable doing anything (apart from perhaps servicing a rear shock) providing I have the appropriate tools, and have been relying on shops in Taiwan to buy parts and out of convenience (since I don’t have that many tools).
I went to Alan’s to get my brakes purged and was very happy with the price and service. It was a busy night and they did their best until we all realized that my front brake had way too much deposit to be taken care of at the moment.
I have gone back there multiple times and have mostly been talking with Yen, always friendly, careful, and helpful. Yes, Allan is shy, and he isn’t the person to talk to in the very beginning. Apparently, people who rode with them seems to know him a lot better (I guess he opens up on the trail).
Anyway, bottom line is:
-If you’re short on cash (I unfortunately am) and don’t mind suffering a few biking issues (for me it was purging the brakes), buy online.
-If you’re a bicycle’s whiz-kid and don’t really need much help from anybody, buy online and get yourself the Ferrari of all bikes at a ridiculous price.
-In any other case: You don’t know how to adjust your rear shifter, how to change your pedals, how to chose a proper bike size for you, then just buy at the local shop. You should be very happy with the service and friendliness you get in Taiwan (which is much better than abroad in my experience).
-If you buy second hand, it is perfectly possible to get important things done in a shop for a reasonable price.
OOOPS!!! 
I just realized I made a mistake… the place I went to wasn’t Allan’s, it was this place:
Jack’s
No. 101, Section 2, Chongqing North Rd.
(02) 2550 7321
I’l have to edit my previous posts :s
So now I need to go see this Allan guy then… Can anyone give me his adress?
thanks for everything boys and gals!!
For anything Mountain-bike in Taiwan I would recommend these links:
-The website of the Formosa Fat Tire Association (www.formosanfattire.com), who happens to have a detailed listing of bike shops in Taipei and Taichung. Allan’s is the first one on the list. They also have detailed accounts of rides around taipei and Taiwan (including photos) that makes for a good reading if you know not much about the area (like me).
- Cycle Taiwan (www.cycletaiwan.com) and especially its forums where some regulars announce the rides they plan to do in the next days. Yes, you can join, and no, it doesn’t necessarily begin at 7am a Sunday morning as most bikes shops do. It starts at a more foreigner-friendly time
-Biking in Taiwan, a cool blog with some real nice photos: bikingintaiwan.theforgetful.com/
Thank you all for your help, I am now the happy owner of a new bike whose only disadvantage is to make my old bike feel like I’m riding a lawnmower. I got it a Sean’s out of convenience considerations (closer to my place) and got ok service. Will still visit Allan’s for some components.
Happy riding all!
Funny to read that since I last posted here I rode 350 more Km. I hope I’m gonna hit the 2500 mark for my one year anniversary on the roads of Taiwan (that will be early Feb).
Anyway this is not the point of my post. I just wanted to voice some slight discontentment about Allan’s. I’m starting to feel they treat me like an idiot and snob me a bit. I have been there 3 more times since my last post, and Yen wasn’t there. So i dealt directly with the two mechanics and Allan. I had hopped they would warm up a bit as they did end up seeing me quite a bit in the shop recently, and would start to understand that, yes, I know how to do 99% of the services they are actually selling me.
But instead they gave me the feeling of getting more and more obtuse and closed, and much more interested in retailing accessories to any other customer that comes by (i guess their margins are higher on that).
Last time I went in to check about some noise coming down from my hubs and disks, they ending up charging more than i thought was fair (compared to previous interventions) for some “adjustments”.
I can’t help but wonder how is the service at the other little shop nearby.