bicycling in Udon

Post by **akwoodworker** » April 19, 2012, 12:58 pm

Hi, my name is Russ and I will be staying in chiang peng for at least 3 months in winter ( Alaska is too nice in the summer to leave) but need to ride bicycle to keep old age and medications from taking over. My wife is convinced there is a evil being behind every tree who will kill me if I ride alone so riding companions are the reasonable solution. I like to ride about 40 km every other day or so and travel at about 20 -30 kph. Thanks. Russ

Post by **parrot** » April 19, 2012, 8:06 pm

I was warned when I started riding in 2005 that someone would steal my kidneys if I traveled off the beaten path. At that time, most Thais raised their eyebrows when I told them where I was riding (off the beaten path). Today, Udon has probably a few hundred bike riders.....riding much nicer bikes than my 13,000 Baht bike......some riding for speed, some for pleasure. To the best of my knowledge, they've all managed to retain their vital organs.

Post by **fdimike** » April 19, 2012, 11:48 pm

I've riddden in and around Udon (Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore Cambodia & Vietnam) for about 6 years now and still have all my vital organs as well. I've probably lost a few grey cells from the sun but continue to cycle anyway. I now have a new knee (not due to cycling) and am working up to another long ride beacuse I'm addicted to the sport. There are a number of cycling groups in Udon and all meet around Nong Prajak Park every Sunday morning 6:30 - 7:00AM. WE have a speed cyling group, a much slower group which I ride with and a third group which is led by a local retired doctor. I've rideen with both the 2nd and 3rd group. The main difference between the 2nd & 3rd groups is where they ride and how they get there. The second group usually cycles around the area out to about 50-60kms. That will make a 100-120km R/T which is ok for us. We keep our speeds down to around 20KPH. We've been to Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lamphu, Tha Bua etc etc. The 3rd group led by the doctor normally transpoorts the bikes by truck to a specific location and then ride from there. PM me If you're into doing some overnight touring. I'm planning a short ride from Vientiane Laos to Savannahkhet along the Lao side of the river with a deparure around 15 May.

Post by **maaka** » April 20, 2012, 3:52 am

well I have nearly lost my vital organ afew times, especially when cranking up hill only for the chain to slip..

Post by **fdimike** » April 20, 2012, 6:43 am

Sounds like you need some new rear gears a new matching chain as well. There's a good boke shop downtown which can cure your ills.

Post by **randerson79** » April 20, 2012, 8:49 am

I'm interested in the sport also. I been looking at several different kinds of bikes. What kind of a bike would you suggest for these rides?

Post by **Ricohoc** » April 20, 2012, 3:06 pm

akwoodworker wrote:My wife is convinced there is a evil being behind every tree who will kill me if I ride alone so riding companions are the reasonable solution.

I've heard this story before. The evil of which she speaks may very well be another Thai lady looking to steal a falang.

Post by **fdimike** » April 20, 2012, 9:03 pm

A mountain bike is a good place to start. It can be used both on & off the road. I would steer clear of the bikes you see at Tesco Lotus, Big C etc. Instead head on down to see Peter who owns the bike shop on the corner of the 5 way intersection close to the mall on Prajak Rd. Peter speak very good English and is a cyclist as well. I would be happy to meet you at his shop to help answer any of your questions once you see the bikes he has on hand. I've done this with several other people interested in getting into the sport.

Post by **Ricohoc** » April 20, 2012, 9:30 pm

fdimike wrote:A mountain bike is a good place to start. It can be used both on & off the road. I would steer clear of the bikes you see at Tesco Lotus, Big C etc. Instead head on down to see Peter who owns the bike shop on the corner of the 5 way intersection close to the mall on Prajak Rd. Peter speak very good English and is a cyclist as well. I would be happy to meet you at his shop to help answer any of your questions once you see the bikes he has on hand. I've done this with several other people interested in getting into the sport.

It's a great shop for more than just bicycles. I've found motorcycle parts, etc. there.

Agree with your mountain bike suggestion. Very comfortable bicycles. And yes, the owner speaks excellent English.

Post by **fdimike** » April 20, 2012, 9:34 pm

I believe Peter's brother handles the motorcycle part of the shop. Peter currently carries Merida, Giant, Specialized, Bianchi and several other brands.

Post by **randerson79** » April 20, 2012, 9:48 pm

I've been in to see Peter twice now. Nice guy. I'm leaning toward to Specailized Hardrock. I really wanted the 29 inch model but its not avalable till next year. They are about the same price the States. I think I'll go ahead and order the 26 Monday.

Then we will see how my old body holds out.

Post by **maaka** » April 21, 2012, 4:15 am

In my opinion, if you are going to ride road, then buy a road bike. Their thin tyre runs more freely as opposed to a the mud grip mountain bike tyre, when riding on bitumen road. indeed, if you are riding in a group, or join the group above, and they are all on standard road bikes, and you on a mountain bike, you will get left behind.

Post by **fdimike** » April 21, 2012, 6:27 am

The only compelling reason to buy a road bike is speed. The only group of speed riders I know of here in Udon are all young guys who ride 30-40 + kph. If you're capable of those speeds over a 100km ride then by all means buy a road bike & join them. The other groups I describe all ride at a much saner speed of around 17-20kph and ride on all sorts of terrain. The riders use a variety of bikes to include road. mountain & touring. A montain bike is fine for this kind of riding especially if you change the tires to high end Schwalbe tires which can offer the best of both worlds (cleated but paved road worthy as well). No one is left behind with these groups, you just might come in at the end of the pack. We all watch out for each other. When I began riding again after I had my knee replaced the group led by the doctor rode to Ban Chiang. There were at least 100 riders (men & women). I arrived last because my leg was still on the mend. Other riders constantly checked on me to make sure I was ok. Please remember this is not competition riding.
I suggested a mountain bike because a person just gettiung into the sport will probably not know what kind of riding he/she enjoys. Therefore a mountain bike can be used on & off road. You can't say that about a road bike because their skinny tires will never be able to handle anything worse than a hard packed dirt road.

Post by **Ricohoc** » April 21, 2012, 8:44 am

fdimike wrote:skinny tires

Hate them.

Post by **fatbas***d** » April 21, 2012, 9:33 am

I ride a Merida cross Bike, ideal for for the taller rider, plenty of tire clearance in case yr caught in mud and as comfortable as a bike can be,
Uses standards road tires( 28 in) so you don't have to drag heavily treaded Mountain bike tires.
Had the bike for 3 yrs and apart from the tendency to pick up every piece of glass around, well pleased with it.

Post by **fdimike** » April 21, 2012, 3:43 pm

Fat

Have you run into any problems trying to get those tires/inner tuibes replaced here in Thailand? What model Merida are you riding? Have you ever tried any overnight touring wiith panniers?

I wanted to add this as a PS to my previous post regarding what kind of bike to buy.

I assume from the OP that he is a bit more than 20 y/o and probably hasn't ridden a bike since he was a kid. In this case starting with a mountain bike is not only easy on the wallet but also the body until one gets used to riding a bicycle again. I don't anyone out there will argue the fact that it takes getting used to. Your arms & legs will ache and so will your butt until your body gets accliminated to this new form of torture. There are other advantages to mountain bikes as well. The handlebar is straight and easy to maneuver. A road bikes drop bars are more difficult to get used to. Berakes and shifters are right up front and easy to find on a mountain bike. Road bike shifters may be on the bar ends or low down on the frame, again more difficult for the novice rider. A mountain bike will allow a novice rider to try out all kinds of terrain to include paved roads and mountain dirt trails. A road bike will have to stick to the paved road.

I'm currently riding a Surly Long Haul Trucker which is a touring bike. However, it will also do well off the road to a degree because I've mounted Schwalbe Marathon Extreme tires on it. These tires incorporate an agressive tread design allowing off road cycling while maintaing excellent rolling ability on paved surfaces. No vibration at all on paved roads doing 40-50kph down hill. These tires are also built to resist punctures and they do it very well. I along with several friends cycled to Phuket and Phang Nha over the course of about 2 months with only 1 flat tire. I consider that pretty darn good here in Thailand especially when you have the bike loded down with 4 panniers, a bar bag and me.

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 21, 2012, 3:52 pm

I've no knowledge of bykes. What kind of byke is this??

Post by **fdimike** » April 21, 2012, 10:02 pm

It looks like some type of touring bike to me. It's a little difficult to determine much because there's not much of the bike in the picture. Touring bikes typically come equipped with from and rear racks to mount panniers, a solid front fork (no suspension), chrome moly steel frame, lower bottom bracket (where the pedals and crank sit) and longer chain stays (lower tubes running from the crank to the rear axle) to prevent your heel from hitting the rear pannier (luggage). Touring bike with straight handlebars as shown as well as drop bars like a road bike. I would also say that the rider knows a bit about touring as he's using a Brooks B-17 saddle which is favored by many touring cyclists around the world. That's about the best that I can do.

Post by **harmonyudon** » April 21, 2012, 11:22 pm

@fdimike,
details about the bike
http://www.bike-ambassador.com/the_Bike ... hrrad.html

http://www.bike-ambassador.com/

Post by **fdimike** » April 22, 2012, 2:32 pm

Thanks Harmony. I've never heard of the Rotor brand before. Then again I'm relatively new to this sport and am only familiar with 6 or 7 brands of touring bikes.