bwkelly

I have lived in Korea for two years and have never had any problems with bike theft. I have left my main errand bike, a Raleigh-style roadster, locked outside one of the largest subway stations in Seoul for days on end. It was always there when I came back. I only used a cheap cable lock as well. I don't think theft is a huge problem, as is evident by the lack of u-locks for sale. Most Koreans only seem to lock their bikes by the front tire.

I have a Giant fixie now, which isn't the greatest, but nicer than much of what is available domestically. I only keep it in my apartment or in my office while at work, so I can't comment on Koreans stealing non-Korean bikes. I would invest in a good u-lock from back home instead of the cheapie locks here. Beware of having a bike shipped. Customs duties may be high. I would check with customs officials before ordering anything.

zeppinger

Thanks Bwkelly, thats good info. I have a nice kryptonite U-lock with an additional, thick, cable for the front tire. I think I may still just buy a cheapo lespo rally and eventually get a long haul trucker a bit later down the road. I think I will be able to sell the lespo for about what I got it for anyways so I doubt Ill lose a lot of money for the extra convience of having a beater. Or do you think I should just buy a nice bike to begin with?

By the way, are you the one in Korea trying to sell their Giant fixie on Korean Craigslist?

bwkelly

No, that's not my bike on Craigslist. I got too good of a deal on it to sell it anytime soon. If you want the Surly, just get it now. Most used bikes seem to sell for peanuts here, especially if they're Korean. You probably wouldn't recoup as much as you wanted if you sold the Lespo. If you wanted to sell the Surly at the end of your stay, you could probably get a little more of your money back. I've never seen one for sale used, but would jump on it if I did.

zeppinger

UPDATE:

Well after a few weeks of deliberation (and waiting for shipping) I decided to pull the trigger on the Surly LHT after all. I coudlnt bring myself to buy a 300 local bike that didnt meet my needs just because I was worried about theft. So I order an extra big lock Anyways I am still waiting on my Wald Basket, front rack, and saddle bag but here are some picture from my shakedown ride with a back pack bungied to the rear carrier.

>
Took off the decals right away. They are very cheap looking! I WANTED to leave the "S" headbadge on but the edges were already peeling up so I just ripped it off too. Apparently the head badge is also a sticker I just used ducked tape to take it off by the way. There was a thread about using a hairdryer and a broken credit card to scrape them off but this was much easier.


New Korea, lots of tall buildings and a bit of a smog problem. This is near hayundia beach in Busan.


Old Korea, this is a historical site, probably a reconstruction, just a few minutes from my house in Gimhae.

Thanks everyone for all the help! Ill post more pics when I get the fenders and such all setup.

bwkelly

Glad to see you got the LHT. I'm looking forward to seeing pics when it's completed. I love the long wheelbase on those things. Now I want to buy one, which should piss my better-half off to no end. She looked like she wanted to kill me when I showed her the price tag on a Steamroller that was sitting in a shop in Seoul. If you haven't already done so, you might want to buy a good pollution mask. They look cheesy as all get-out, but I cough up a lot less crud when I wear mine. Anyhow, enjoy your new bike!

Artkansas 

Congratulations on the LHT! I bet you'll get a lot of pleasure out of it.

gerv 

Beautiful bike! I wasn't aware of the new LHT color... looks like mocha or coffee white... I like it!

zeppinger

Its actually called "Trcukaccion!"

Roody

Great bike--it looks even better with the stickers removed. Enjoy!

cz2509

I lived in S.korea for 4 years while in the army.

I used a locally made mtb to commute from Camp Henry to Camp Walker (Taegu)
One time a little old lady jumped out from around a corner, grabbed my handlebars, and threw herself on the ground in front of me screaming and crying in agony.

It was a common scam to pull on the GI's, no one wants to get in trouble with the local police
so the expected response is to payoff the "victim" in order to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately for grandma, Id been around for 3 or 4 years by that time, definately long enough to know better than to stop for that kind of buisness. I kept right on rolling. When I looked back she was on her feet shaking a bony old fist at me.

I had a lot of fun in korea, hope to go back someday

zeppinger

Finally got all my gear in the mail and onto the bike. Just thought I would throw some pictures from this weekends mini-tour up for anyone who cares to see the final package.





Korea is amazing.

RacerX

nice pictures zep. I just got back from Korea and enjoyed seeing all the different bicycles there. I was in Seoul, near apgujung. Love all the commuter bikes- I almost got a strida but the places i checked ran out.
Have you seen the little vito 20" wheel bikes? I think they are really cool. Not the best for long tours but great city bike. cheap and great.

I saw a few roadies near the Seoul Tower- all decked in pro kit w/ expensive bikes.
Next time I go, I'm definitely bringing back a couple of bikes.

the LHT looks great, especially the color. nice posts!

Roody

Nice picsof a beautiful country. Some parts of Korea seem to look like California used to look...before 50 million people moved there.

zeppinger

I am continually impressed by this country but the one thing I still have a hard time with is the air pollution. Even on really nice days the visibility is not so great. Im in the souther region at least, where its not supposed to be as bad as Seoul in the north. Also, I have only been here for 4 months or so and it has been during the "yellow dust" season when a lot of pollution from China and sand from the Gobi blows over the peninsula.

Roody

It would probably help if a lot more of them rode bikes!

RacerX

Korea is promoting bicycling big time. There are a lot of new, beautiful bike paths all over the newer areas of Seoul.
Tons of bikes and even a lot of recreational riders with more expensive mountain bikes and road bikes.

The bike culture in Seoul is so much more integrated into daily life than anywhere in the USA. It's pretty cool to see.
There are folding bikes, 16, 18 and 20" bikes everywhere. Lots of variety and styles you just don't see in the USA. Very stylish stuff.

Too bad about the pollution, I didn't experience too much of that. Maybe because it was windy and fairly cool when I was there. There was that beautiful atmosphere and light that Korea has (not air pollution!).

Next time I visit, I'm going to head down to Taegu in the south. I really enjoyed Seoul.