Sunny Story Bike: Your French Connection

Sunny Story Bike:
Manager: Lu Sheng-yin
Address: No. 350 Shang Yang Rd. 
Fengyuan District, Taichung City, 420
Tel: 0933-464028
Email: Sunny16816@kimo.com




As an early birthday present, I went out last week and picked up a new set of bibs. As a man with a taste for long rides and too few opportunities to indulge in the finer things in life, I decided I needed a new pair of Assos bibs. Assos is the Swiss made gold standard of bib shorts and my last set fit me perfectly. For the price you pay they'd better be good.... and they are.

My problem was finding a vendor.

Assos felt their Taiwanese vendors were not moving stock fast enough and decided to consolidate to fewer vendors.

Rather than spend a day hunting for the few suppliers who still carry the brand, I went straight to the official Assos distributor; the most unassuming major bike shop in central Taiwan-- Sunny Bike.



Sunny bike doesn't look like much on the outside, but their connections with the powerful Shen Yang company, one of Taiwan's largest owners of bicycle distribution rights, little Sunny Bike is a major source for just about anything you want.



Apart from being one of only two official Assos dealers in central Taiwan, Sunny Bike is also the regional distributor for the French brands Time and Look Bicycles.

Look is one of the few carbon fiber bicycles that I really wouldn't mind having. The legendary 585 was an amazingly balanced bike. Look provides house designs for their crank arms, stems, forks and their signature pedals. The Look 695SR Mondrian pictured above is the SR version to be Super Stiff compared to the standard model. They were offering discounts as high as 45% off for the Look. So tempting.

Sunny Story is the regional distributor of Lightweight Wheels as well. 



They also had a supply of Colnagos, Ridley, Stevens and others.



The all alloy Colnago Prima pictured above is a size 46 and is perfect for a lot of women who are looking to get into road cycling. The Shimano 105 grouppo makes for a nice, easy, reliable shift on a double chainring.

As a 2010 NOS bike, Sunny was offering up for a negotiable NT35,000. A steal for what you get.



Sunny also has connections with Rikulau, Taiwan's custom titanium and steel bike maker. The bike on display was a gorgeous Reynolds 953 steel frame with Tung Blossom design.

For a lot of Taichung residents Sunny Bike may seem a bit out of the way. But if you can make the trip it is surely worth it.

The owners understand some English, but do not speak it well.

... and if you ask nicely they may even show you their Dorcus. 

Goldilocks and The Three Bikes

My Orange La Cruz

This weekend I didn't go out on any long rides. Instead, I joined my good friend Michael C. at Peimic in his search for a new bike. Yes, the thrill of vicariously bike shopping through others is hard to resist, and with Michael C. it is even more special. Michael is one of the reasons I decided to start this blog. I wanted to put some of my experiences and info up for others to use if it might be helpful.

Michael C. is the Goldilocks of bike shopping and has really been searching for his ideal bike for a number of years with marginal success. He can't seem to find the one that is just right. He knows the taste and the smell of his perfect bike, but he just never seems to know what it might look like. We have had some really heavy discussions about what his ideal bike might be and it has taken Michael a bit of time to discover for himself what kind of rider he is and the kind of rider he wants to be.

This is a very personal issue and one person's idea of perfection is another's idea of hell. We all have our own tastes and preferences.

Michael (and his wife) decided the time had come to buy a serious bike that would sooth Michael's restless heart. He really wanted a true road bike with SRAM Rival for somewhere in the NT60,000 to NT80,000 range. He also preferred a steel frame as he is a strong rider who can really turn some watts and he likes the feel of steel.

Michael's search for the ideal bike has been a trail of heartache that has left a wide swath of brokenhearted bike shop owners and second hand bikes for sale. Ok, maybe not that bad, but nothing quite fits.

This past Friday Michael came up using my Taichung Bike Shop Directory as a guide, and purchased a bike he hopes will carry him for many more years and keep the lust at bay.

I loaned out my Orange Lincoln Continental of a Salsa La Cruz and Michael was soon on his way to interviewing different shop owners about what they could do for him. Among his list of favorites Michael chose T-Moaic, Famous and 185 Warehouse.

In the end, he found a bike that spoke to him.

Michael fell head over heels with the Speed One RT30 from Famous Cycles.

If you have not heard of the Speed One RT30, it is a road bike with classic road bike geometry in Reynolds 853 steel covered in a clear coat to seal the metal from oxidizing. As an added feature, the classically styled RT30 comes with the BB30 standard for the bottom bracket; a feature Michael found especially attractive. The bike also came with the SRAM Rival groupset.

Speed One is a relatively new name on the market as the company (YOAN) had formerly been doing just OEM work for other brands and decided to enter the lucrative retail market with their own brand. This has been a recent trend as Taiwanese companies with decades of experience have been trying to establish themselves as stand-alone brands. I have also noticed that many Taiwanese companies are looking to produce high end steel frames over carbon fiber, a material that is really more concentrated in China.

You can read Michael's initial review and experience at his website: HERE

I hope to link to his future ride reports as we see how this purchase turns out. Regardless, I was happy to spend the weekend helping a really great guy find a really great bike.

Low Budget: Another Great Taichung Bike Shop

Here is another addition to my list of Taichung bike shops.

Hong Shiang - Irland GT

Manager: Chen Bing-hong

No. 527 Taiyuan Rd. Sec-3

Beitun Dist. Taichung City, Taiwan

Tel: (04) 2437-0663

Cell: 0923-234544

email: d0923234544@yahoo.com.tw

I am not simply interested in the high end, but I also feel there is plenty of room for the lowest end. These are the work horses of Taiwan. The Irlands, The Top keys and the Jelums. These are the bikes of students and foreign workers. This shop sells low-end Irland alloy bikes and just about everything under the sun. I am sure you can find a cheap set of wheels and parts to boot. The atmosphere was relaxed and I didn't see a hint of carbon fiber. Excellent! Check it out if you are simply looking for wheels.