Passionate about pedalling

Actor and erstwhile TV presenter, Nanthawat “Tor” Arsirapojanakul has turned his talent for convincing people to get out and about on two wheels.

His Play Bike shop on Srinakarin Road is frequented both by cycling fans and celebrities, with such well known figures as Vorarit “Nott” Feungarom, DJ Ek Krisanavarin, Phuri Hirunyapruk, Suthipong “Heart” Tadpitakkul and Supakorn “Tok” Kijsuwan often popping in for a chat.

“The concept of Play Bike is playing together and learning together. I learn from my customers and they learn from me. Play Bike conveys a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment,” says Nanthawat, 34. “If I didn’t have responsibilities in my life, I’d be on the road all the time.”

His “responsibilities”, of whom he is inordinately proud, are his wife, pharmacist Nathiya “Nung Ning” Wongwatanakul, and baby daughter, Nong Minna, who was born a few months ago. Nanthiya helped him set up Play Bike last year, after Nanthawat quit his job at Siam Kolkarn Music School and handed over the responsibilities for his event organising Vanilla Agency to the staff.

Passionate about bikes since he was a small child, Nanthawat recalls his pride when, as a 12-year-old, he used his pocket money to have a BMX GT Haro modified to suit his size,

He stopped cycling as a teenager, when he was chosen to star in the music video of Tom Rainbow’s “Saen Rak” in 1993. A year later he appeared in the movie “Tu Ta Tom Tam Supapburut Tua Tor” and two years after that, while he was wrapping up his studies at Lasalle Bangna school, was signed by Kita Entertainment to record a mini album. 

His years at university were interspersed with various roles in movie and TV dramas but he finally earned his master’s degree in speech communication and performing arts from Chulalongkorn.

“Play Bike is different from other bike shops, which tend to be cluttered with bicycles and tyres. Our shop is more like the bike shops you find overseas with a well decorated space and several categories of products neatly organised. 

“We also provide our customers with parking space and restrooms including a shower. From my own experience, cyclists like to shower in between a morning ride and going to the office. But the best thing about this place is its location, which allows customers to test ride the bikes before they buy.

“Cycling today is either about fashion or passion,” he adds. “If it’s fashion, then bikes are bought for their design, which varies from season to season. If it’s passion, then the biker wants something that’s good for the road.

Play Bike Shop is a dealer for several brands and promotes its products through Facebook.

“One customer bought a touring bike from me on a Friday then rode the whole way to Rayong the following day. An older man came in to purchase a bike after his doctor ordered him to exercise more. He rode 20 to 30 kilometres every day and within two months, he’d lost weight and his health was much better.”

Nanthawat went back to biking in his early 20s and for the last 10 years has ridden every day.

He’s switched from a BMX to a mountain bike Evil Imperial and enjoys nothing more than tackling challenging obstacle courses and trying to complete at every level of dirt bike riding.

Injuries are frequent and he’s been treated for various damage, including nasty scrapes to chin and shin, fractured fingers and tendon tears. “I broke my left arm too,” he laughs, “but that was in a motorbike accident.”

“Cycling is truly one of joys in life,” says the actor, who also rides a RadioShack Nissan Trek, a custom road bike made in the US, which set him back Bt340,000.

“Play Bike is a great way of making friends. Every time we hit the road, it’s like going back to being a kid.”