Shopping Guide : Sports, Equipment, Sportswear, Sports Apparel
Video of Sport Apparel at Siam Paragon at bottom of this page
Sportswear and Sport Equipment :Sportswear both cheap and expensive is widely available throughout Bangkok. For large stores, you can visit virtually any Central Department Store or Robinson Store, and head for the SuperSports section, where you will find all kinds of apparel sportswear, tennis and golf equipment, sneakers from all major brands like Nike and Adidas. Besides large shops with sporting goods, many shopping centers also feature 'plaza' where you may find brand name sporting goods in stand-alone shops. Central World Plaza is a good place to wander around for this purpose. It is not only the Central department stores that offer a large section selling sportswear, but you will find likewise at Siam Paragon and Emporium department stores. Most shops have also a lot of sporting apparel goods on sale. Especially the 'golf' sections are impressive, likely catering to the large Japanese community in Bangkok.
Around Nana, next to the entry to the skytrain (on Sukhumvit on the side with the uneven numbered sois), you will find stores that sell shirts from famous soccer clubs. Whether they are original or fake, we do not know. Prices in those shops may be a little bit high, so walk around on Sukhumvit in the adjacent area, and you may find some street vendors selling the same outfits at a price of around 300-400 baht a piece. In the past we have bought these soccer shirts for some young relatives, and found them to be of good quality.
At Emporium (and close to the skytrain station) is a large shop called Sportsmall, where you can find Nike, Adidas and Puma sportshoes and apparel.
As mentioned before, sport goods are abundant, both at brand name shops in shopping plazas and inside the department stores at Siam Paragon, Central World Plaza, Emporium. Be aware that Adidas offers 'Asian sizes'. This seem to matter less for trunks, but T-shorts, sport shirts tend to be very small sized. A XXL will just fit a 'medium' torso, so try things before buying. We noticed that Reebok offers international sizes, so you do not have this particular problem there, we do not know about Nike.
Bicycles
If you are interested in using a bicycle in Bangkok (?) you can find small sections at Supersports (Central Department Store). But they basically sell only mountain bikes.
A better equipped bikeshop, named ProBike, with brandname mountain bikes and race bikes can be found on Sarasin Street. Sarasin Street is located adjacent to Lumpini Park, and is within walking distance from the Rajadamri skytrain station. Unfortunately, also at this shop you will have difficulty finding a well priced (and 'simple') regular road bike. Most bikes on sale are upmarket and cost more than 15,000 baht. Beware that most accessories for bikes, have a rather steep price tag. If you become a customer at this shop though, you will get discounts on any future items you purchase.
While you are at Sarasin road, it is worthwhile to look for another bike shop, close to Wireless road. It is called Culture Cycliste, and has a lot of bike accessories (like helmets) for sale, at very reasonable prices.
A really impressing bicycle outfit called Sports Bicycle is located at U-Chu Liang Building (along Rama IV road, just about in the middle between Silom and Sathorn road). I sells mainly race bikes, with the most prominent brands represented being Specialized and Colnago.
Where to bike in Bangkok. Well on the main streets it may be quite hazardous, because there is little space, and the driving habits in Bangkok traffic can make one a bit apprehensive. Quite a few people go biking in either Lumpini park or Benjakitti park (around the lake). You can also head to the cycling track around Suvarnabhumi Airport (about 20 kilometers in length), though it is best to have private transport by car, to reach that destination.