hi, i live about three hours away from bangkok. there are a few bike shops within main bangkok city. three of them are quite famous, one selling cannondale exclusively (VERY expensive as far as camelbaks, lights, generic parts apparel etc go), another for giant/sram (good shop) and another trek/gf. there is another selling specialised. there is also a rocky mountain dealer in there somewhere. the rest of the bike shops will be a little outside of bangkok city. like an hour or so by cab. they are not exclusive dealers, but sell a little of this and that, and they are the best bet for any discounts etc..
i dont think you will find ventana in thailand. but i do know for sure that there is a santacruz dealer an hour or so away from bangkok. i have spoken to him over the phone often. unfortunately i dont have his details at hand right now, but check the SCB website, that is where i got his info from. also, there is a santa cruz dealer in koh samui, in case you are going there (its great!).
as far as sales etc go, from what i have noticed- and i find it quite strange- prices of complete bikes here are more often than not less than US prices (not just retail prices but prices american lbs' sell at). but prices for components are strictly in line with american prices. also, while in america you can find sales and discounts (esp in online stores) here, not so much (on components)
you could find a good deal on a complete bike here, but bike parts somehow you pay close to retail price.
if you check manufacturer websites, you will find dealer listings within thailand. i was quite surprised to see a few companies here. there is one particular thai company that deals for a majority of bike brands. they are also the dealer for fox. so i think the best thing you can do is go to the fox website, check out the information for their dealer in bangkok city, call them up and ask them what all brands they keep besides fox, because those guys deal for nearly all brands here..
okay, i found their contact details:
Uniwave Limited
Mr. Kanate & Mr. Phakawan
3656/35-36, 11th. FL. Green Tower,
Rama Iv Road, Klong Ton, Klong
Toey Bangkok, 10110
Thailand
Phone: +66 (0)2 3673470
Fax: +66 (0)2 3673482
(take out the 0 when dialing from outside the country)
hope you have a good time here. its a great country. just remember to smile and be polite to the thai folk, speak softly and not in loud "american" decibels. thais are great but demand basic niceties (which i think is a good thing anyway) :thumbsup: