My wheels in Thailand

[stephenwilks]

LA Bicycle CTB circa 2001. See attachment below

[stephenwilks]

(10-28-2010, 04:03 AM)stephenwilks Wrote:  LA Bicycle CTB circa 2001. See attachment below

Just bought an LA Bicycle Folder with 20 inch wheels, 6-speed Shimano & rear shock. The idea being that it will fit in the boot of my Honda City sedan if I need to evacuate it quickly to higher ground during the monsoonal floods that we are very prone to here.

[stephenwilks]

Plus my wife's single-speed LA Bicycle Sporty, which is rather unused and dusty.

[RobAR]

Very utilitarian bikes, Stephen! Nice. Evacuation via bike would certainly be easier than by car. Good thinking!

[stephenwilks]

(10-29-2010, 07:45 PM)RobAR Wrote:  Very utilitarian bikes, Stephen! Nice. Evacuation via bike would certainly be easier than by car. Good thinking!

Yes, they seem to do as required quite adequately. I evacuate the car to higher ground, but return home by bike.

[wabbits]

Is there much endurance road cycling in Thailand?

[stephenwilks]

I'm not really the best person to make a comparison, but the answer would appear to be yes, as there is such a thing as a Thailand Tour each year. I see racing bikes out on the streets here just about every day, although I fancy I see some fairly expensive mountain bikes most of the time.

[Bill]

Those are pretty cool bikes . Glad to see the competitiveness and sport exists there as well as the rest of the world. If you have a couple pics please do share .

[wabbits]

(01-23-2011, 08:40 AM)stephenwilks Wrote:  I'm not really the best person to make a comparison, but the answer would appear to be yes, as there is such a thing as a Thailand Tour each year. I see racing bikes out on the streets here just about every day, although I fancy I see some fairly expensive mountain bikes most of the time.

Have friend in Patong who ride mountain bikes around the hills there.
And last time i was up north Kap cheong, saw some western guys on roadies so kept my eyes out everywhere i went but did notsee much.
Where in LOS are you?

[stephenwilks]

The extreme South, near the Malaysian border. Offroad bikes seem to be quite the rage amongst young middle-class trendies here. I walked into such a shop to buy a chaintool recently and found it heaving with people who seemed really quite keen to spend fairly large amounts on money on good quality offroad machines. People often have much better wheels than houses here. I've seen guys out on really expensive wheels who are content to live in absolute shacks.

It is a bit like the SUV obsession here. There are obviously some very dedicated offroad riders and drivers out in the jungle, but a lot of folks seem more than content to use their expensive offroad bikes and SUVs to pose on metalled roads. Many such machines never seem to really need a wash, and I swear some of the trendy SUV crowd don't even know how to engage 4WD. By contrast, I'm used to using 4WD workhorses on farms with winter mud and snow up to the axles.

[wabbits]

(02-21-2011, 09:22 AM)stephenwilks Wrote:  The extreme South, near the Malaysian border. Offroad bikes seem to be quite the rage amongst young middle-class trendies here. I walked into such a shop to buy a chaintool recently and found it heaving with people who seemed really quite keen to spend fairly large amounts on money on good quality offroad machines. People often have much better wheels than houses here. I've seen guys out on really expensive wheels who are content to live in absolute shacks.

It is a bit like the SUV obsession here. There are obviously some very dedicated offroad riders and drivers out in the jungle, but a lot of folks seem more than content to use their expensive offroad bikes and SUVs to pose on metalled roads. Many such machines never seem to really need a wash, and I swear some of the trendy SUV crowd don't even know how to engage 4WD. By contrast, I'm used to using 4WD workhorses on farms with winter mud and snow up to the axles.

Not far from Hat Yai?
My wife has friends there though i have not been there at this point.
I am in QLD Australia in the heat 555 same same you i think.
Riding Roadies here and loving it.
Next time in LOS will either get a bike or hire and do some kms.
Most likely around Si Sa Ket.

W.

[stephenwilks]

Yes, Hat-Yai itself. 950 kms South of Bangkok by highway. When I sometimes head up that highway, I often see tourists who are going the whole way from Singapore to Bangkok or vice-versa. The deal goes to fly into one or the other, buy a fairly durable machine, peddle it all the way and have fun and then flog it to another shop when you get there.

---

I recently had contact with a guy I haven't seen for about 40 years. He said that he obviously couldn't go on a bike tour in Egypt this year, so he was considering Cambodia and Thailand instead. I had to unfortunately tell him that there is currently a shooting war going on on the Sisaket/Cambodia border. Not to mention the ongoing near civil war that local politics now seems to indulge in in Bangkok every Thai New Year (April).

[wabbits]

(02-21-2011, 10:04 AM)stephenwilks Wrote:  Yes, Hat-Yai itself. 950 kms South of Bangkok by highway. When I sometimes head up that highway, I often see tourists who are going the whole way from Singapore to Bangkok or vice-versa. The deal goes to fly into one or the other, buy a fairly durable machine, peddle it all the way and have fun and then flog it to another shop when you get there.

---

I recently had contact with a guy I haven't seen for about 40 years. He said that he obviously couldn't go on a bike tour in Egypt this year, so he was considering Cambodia and Thailand instead. I had to unfortunately tell him that there is currently a shooting war going on on the Sisaket/Cambodia border. Not to mention the ongoing near civil war that local politics now seems to indulge in in Bangkok every Thai New Year (April).

Yes Know about the Issues on the Si Sa Ket border area.
I would be more concerned riding north from Hat Yai with the southern unrest. Dodging pot holes is one thing but dodging bullets 5555

[JohnV]

Doesn't seem like things have changed much since I was there last in the late 60's when I was stationed in Nam.

[wabbits]

(02-21-2011, 06:02 PM)JohnV Wrote:  Doesn't seem like things have changed much since I was there last in the late 60's when I was stationed in Nam.

Swings and round abouts has been turmoils somewhere in SEA for as long as we can remember.
Which is sad but due to political systems inherent in the region not surprising. hmmm
from what my wife tells me Hat Yai not to bad a spot. She lived there in her teens and i think has some fond memories of the place.
What took you to that part of LOS?
My time is when in LOS is spent between BKK and Si Sa Ket twice a year.
Though going to Patong for a week soon as a quick no family break just the 2 of us. I doubt she will let me escape for a ride5555

[JohnV]

Quote:What took you to that part of LOS?

I was an civil engineer stationed in Nam during the late 60's and we went into Laos, Thailand and Cambodia to assist some of the local villages rebuild after military scrimmages. We also went to Bangkok for R&R (Rest and Recuperation).

[wabbits]

(02-21-2011, 11:26 PM)JohnV Wrote:  

Quote:What took you to that part of LOS?

I was an civil engineer stationed in Nam during the late 60's and we went into Laos, Thailand and Cambodia to assist some of the local villages rebuild after military scrimmages. We also went to Bangkok for R&R (Rest and Recuperation).

Thailand was a place i resisted going to i was more interested in China had been back there a couple of times. My mate asked me to assist him on a Job a couple of hours out of BKK and then we ran down to Phuket to relax after a few years back now.
Married to a girl from BKK and never been happier.
So we seem to alternate between Oz and LOS.
It always interests me as to how we end up where we do sorry if i sounded nosy.

[stephenwilks]

(02-21-2011, 04:46 PM)wabbits Wrote:  Yes Know about the Issues on the Si Sa Ket border area.
I would be more concerned riding north from Hat Yai with the southern unrest. Dodging pot holes is one thing but dodging bullets 5555

It is not a problem North or South of Yai. (And potholes aren't the biggest problem either.) The insurgency is mainly SE of the city. And they don't really target farangs much. I've heard of foreigners touring the area on motocycles quite recently, and encountering nothing much more than friendliness. There are bombs here occasionally, but locals don't pay that much heed. That said, I haven't been SE of here for years. And I miss it. Driveby shootings are also a problem. The biggest victims are actually the locals themselves. I have inlaws who live right in the thick of it. One copped it on his doorstep while doing his early morning stretching exercises - although truth be known he may actually have run into enemies through his own obnoxious behaviour as a local plod. In other words, not necessarily an insurgent action.

I wouldn't worry much about riding along the main North-South, except for the totally reckless standard of driving.

[wabbits]

(02-22-2011, 12:31 AM)stephenwilks Wrote:  

(02-21-2011, 04:46 PM)wabbits Wrote:  Yes Know about the Issues on the Si Sa Ket border area.
I would be more concerned riding north from Hat Yai with the southern unrest. Dodging pot holes is one thing but dodging bullets 5555

It is not a problem North or South of Yai. (And potholes aren't the biggest problem either.) The insurgency is mainly SE of the city. And they don't really target farangs much. I've heard of foreigners touring the area on motocycles quite recently, and encountering nothing much more than friendliness. There are bombs here occasionally, but locals don't pay that much heed. That said, I haven't been SE of here for years. And I miss it. Driveby shootings are also a problem. The biggest victims are actually the locals themselves. I have inlaws who live right in the thick of it. One copped it on his doorstep while doing his early morning stretching exercises - although truth be known he may actually have run into enemies through his own obnoxious behavior as a local plod. In other words, not necessarily an insurgent action.

I wouldn't worry much about riding along the main North-South, except for the totally reckless standard of driving.

Driving...they drive sooo good there 555555
That is honestly the thing that worries me the most the STD of driving or lack there of!!
I rode motor bikes all over BKK but a pushy is slower than the traffic and that does worry me a little.
Hence try for early morning riding when things are quiet.
I think being blown up would be on the same likely hood of being hit by a coconut...but does happen!

[sidmarx]

Hi. I'm Joe, i live in Chaing Mai. FWIW, i wouldn't trust thai bikes. My first was an LA missing 3 bearings on ea side of ea wheel. (which were also ungreased) From there i moved up to a thai knockoff Raleigh and broke 3 rear spokes on my first ride. I would suggest losing those kickstands that bolt onto the rear axle, as they tend to destroy the thread.

Now i'm riding 2 foreign made, customized single speed 20" folders, to fly with at under 20 kgs. They're also convenient on thai trains but beware: I bought a ticket to Chaiya but the train didn't stop long enough for me to get off with the bike & a backpack. Ended up in Surat, etc.


Anyway i'm seeing these front bike racks on ebay that bolt onto the v-brake bosses, but no one will answer my inquiries about whether you can still mount the v-brakes back on top of the rack attachment points. Does anybody know? The idea is, with a 20"-er, you could theoretically stand a big 100 L. backpack upright over the front wheel and bungee it to the steering column, making it possible to use a simple gear bag instead of a pack.