bobfish

sgtsabai

I saw some Mig21s in Pnhom Penh in 1980. I thought maybe the same ones as nothing looked operational and the airport was overgrown and littered with spent casings. They could perhaps have been PAVN though following the '79 invasion, as the RCAF did not get operational with them until later.

Back to the topic:

Quote:" He said the fighter aircraft was able to destroy several F-105, F-4 and B-52 fighter bombers which were very powerful at that time."

Mig21 will be a great addition as a museum piece.

The vast majority of US air losses in Vietnam were to ground fire. The figures seem to vary widely, but using Wikipedia numbers, Mig21 aerial victories in Vietnam:

F105: 15 out of 282 in North Vietnam Combat [395 lost in theatre].

F4 and RF4C: 37 out of 605 NVN Combat [771 lost in theatre] For the record, F4s downed 66 Mig21s.

RF101 [unarmed]: 1

EB66-C [unarmed]: 1

F102A: 1

RA5C [unarmed]: 1

B52: 0 [zero]

"They seem to be downhill guys." - and Gals....

See Mei, she'll set you straight.

T Dog,

yeah, Hopes are good brakes.

Any thought of giving them a bleed before the decade's out? or committing to a long downhill run?

I mucked around with hydraulic disks for sometime.

IMHO, you are better off going with mech disk brakes.

Still plenty of things to waste time attempting to repair/refurbish with bicycles. AA

AA: You may have a point for just pottering around, but for power and modulation you can't beat a well set up hydraulic system when the going gets raucus.

Hydraulics are really the only way to go as there is zero maintenance except for replacing the brake pads if they are set up correctly. My Hope XC twin piston units have been flawless for nine years now, never bled or fluid replaced. Just ride and use until the pads are thin. With mechanical pull brakes, you will always get corrosion in the pull cable.

I mucked around with hydraulic disks for sometime.

IMHO, you are better off going with mech disk brakes.

Still plenty of things to waste time attempting to repair/refurbish with bicycles. AA

AA: You may have a point for just pottering around, but for power and modulation you can't beat a well set up hydraulic system when the going gets raucus.

There's some short but sweet downhill from near the tv towers and lookout as well.

The Bicycle Thailand site has some good info.

Thanks for the explanation, bobfish. Would you say that this applies to mountain bikes as well, or is it a primarily a thing that benefits road cyclists?

CM-Expat

As with everything, it depends what you ride.

Personally, with mountain biking, I think if you ride XC then probably you would get a benefit. But for Trail/Enduro/DH etc, given you're moving around so much anyway, then its unlikely to have much impact, so I wouldn't bother unless there is a specific problem you are having that you can't resolve yourself.

I think you're probably on the money moonoi!

Very geared up [sorry!] for road - so keep that tape measure handy CM-X

Back to the topic. Can someone explain why one should pay a non-trivial sum for a service, which anyone could quite easily do themselves in 10-15 min given a measuring tape and an online fitting calculator? Am I missing something?

Cheers, CM-Expat

CM-X,

I'm sure your methodology can give a good enough idea of the basics such as a suitable frame sizing and maybe seat height/ stem' n' crank lengths etc. And that's what the majority of us have been doing for years. However, there is a measurable improvement in performance and injury prevention [let's call that comfort ] when having a more precisely tailored fitting. Not for everyone, I know - [and I've been getting away with it for years!!] - but if you're pushing your physical cycling efforts past the recreational point, it's probably worth the time and cost. Particularly if you are a built a little asymmetrically, harbouring old injuries and getting on in years.

You can get a Retul 3D [google it!] fitting in Chiang Mai. The Slow Twitch Institute has a lot more info. It's light years beyond a measuring tape and Mk1 eyeball and certainly not smoke and mirrors; most big bike companies are getting into the game with their own fitting machines which should bring the cost down and make fittings more accessable.

But you're correct, it's not a trivial sum to pay but may be well worth it. Do some research for yourself to see if it's for you or not.

Countries who are signatories to the WTO agreement - including Thailand since 2000 - conform to the GATT methodology.

Duty is usually paid on the CIF = Cost, Insurance,Freight.

From the Customs Dept Thailand website:

"Today, almost all Customs administrations of the current WTO members value imported goods in terms of the provisions of the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation. This Agreement establishes a Customs valuation system that primarily bases the Customs value on the transaction value of imported goods, which is the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to the country of importation, plus, certain adjustments of costs and charges."

Sorry to get off topic.

What I don't understand is why there are (?) no safety standards when it comes to helmets in Thailand. What is the purpose of having and enforcing helmet laws if the quality of popular helmets are not much better than cardboard? To get Thais inti the habit of wearing them ? To give opportunities to police for shakedowns at the expense of thise who ride without helmets? To promote the 'helmet' industry? It's like legislating condom use made of paper bags.

Understood Hermespan. I think the situation here is in relation to bicycle helmets and wearing them, or not. AS such, I think users prefer helmets certified for use in other markets: eg Snell or Ansi.

Your plea for safety standards is valid though, not only in Thailand. Food for thought: the reason there are no lightweight bicycle helmets with chinguard sold in the USA - for example- is that a manufacturer would have to comply with USA safety standards written to comply with motorcycle/motorsport requirements. So for teeth/mandible protection, you are forced to buy a DH helmet. Luckily, you can buy something like a Caso Viper [removable chin guard] from Germany. TUV / ISO approved.

Brings us back to the original argument really: should I wear a helmet?

• Schwalbe Distributor for Thailand:
• CYCLE SPORT CO., LTD.
• 10100 Pombrab Bangkok
• Thailand

• Phone: 00662-621-7223~5
• Fax: 00662-621-7226

• [email protected]
• www.cyclesport-th.com

OR try:

As quoted in crazyguyonabike [dec2012];

"Fat free bike shops stock some Scwhwalbe marathon Plus in 700c only, which are now made in Malaysia, or Thailand now.

No 26's available yet.

Great shop, professional, manager Bert speaks english well.

If you know you will need a certain size Schwalbe in advance they can order and have for you when you arrive.

Some touring gear too.

There's another bike shop 3 blocks away loaded with racing gear, bikes, a Fuji touring bike new (nice bike but 35K Baht) and also great resource for racks, parts, and repairs.

Chaing rai has a good selection of bike shops and parts, better than Chiang mai."

Now its the wet season, try a Muddy Mary on the front for DH.

Not seen many Schwalbe touring tyres like the Marathon anywhere in Thailand....

Well I've just added to my helmet collection; bought a Smith Forefront.

Not cheap, but it seems to fit well and I have high hopes for the protection and ventilation claimed.

Planning a test soon - just the ventilation part I hope.

Cycling should be carried out anywhere but on the public highway , all cyclists should be insured and it should be an offence to wear lycra shorts and all the other stupid stuff they wear.

Yeah whatever.

When in Rome - I do draw the line at wearing a Toga.....

A bit further on this topic, I just bought a new shiny steed and the bike shop threw in a Cateye Stealth 50 computer. The Cateye is Strava compatible [although so far I can't upload HR and Cadence], but it is optimised for Cateye Atlas where I could upload the traces for HR and cadence as well as the usual speed, altitude etc.

Cateye Atlas seems like a lite version of Strava with no segments and a limited number of users. But, it does seem user friendly for photo/video synch via their INUO system and also for GPX sharing. So there appears to be a lot of Strava-like apps/programs out there along with Garmin Connect. All I know of have privacy settings.

Enough from me !! Don't want to become a Stravaddict, or worse; a Stravasshole!

Thanks CMEx; I've been thinking about my Strava fetish [while riding of course] , and the following quote from bicycling.com probably sums up the major downside points;

LOVE HATE
Collyn Ahart, a brand strategist, advertising planner at Wieden+Kennedy, and amateur racer, unpacks her complicated relationship with Strava.

Inspiration/Obsession
Strava is a reason to push harder, to suffer more, to set and pursue goals. But it has also, on rides that I've been on, ruined a good patch of blackberries. On a segment, there's no pausing to Instagram that cute pony.

The Guide/Taskmaster
When we travel to an unknown area, Strava is a wonderful navigational tool, and also uncovers overlooked local gems. But the more common outcome is that we ride the same segments week after week, mastering local roads at the expense of adventure.

The Party Host/Jailer
A genuine sense of community and shared experience is generated by comparing times, efforts, and relative improvements. But this often doesn't translate into in-person interaction. The relationship we cyclists enjoy online seems to be just enough to keep us from seeking out and developing full, rounded riding relationships with each other in real life—the way we did when clubs and weekly group rides were mainly how we met with, and competed with, others.

The Motivator/Frustrator
On the weekends, a stream of "Uh oh! Rachel Fastashell just stole your QOM" messages flood my inbox. Sometimes these notifications spur me to get out to those routes during the next week, but sometimes, especially when they interrupt an otherwise enjoyable Sunday evening, e-mails trumpeting someone else's success at my expense feel more dispiriting than anything.

This excerpt is taken from a rather longer dissertation in bicycling.com titled The Strava Files. Maybe worth googling.

On balance, it's just about fun and common sense.

I like most aspects of Strava.

I don't care for twitter, facebook, pinit or warm beer. And, I can't be bothered to tell you why

Going for a ride.

Are there any hard core downhill riders in CM? Got a friend who travels the world looking for good downhill tracks.

Yes, quite a few. Plenty of DH trails on Doi Pui, all quite "unkempt" but fun. You might want to start exploring with the local DH scene at X-biking or Mojo bike shop.

Cheers, CM-Expat

Thanks for the info - I shall pass this on to my pal.

That's all good info, Mei at Mojo can set you / or your friend up. Try also Mad Monkey who really have the place wired: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118601951644566/

Lookin Good VF!

It doesn't matter the bike that you ride, it's the rider on the machine...

Generally that is true of course, but there are reasons why people spend $$$ on bikes. For me it's mainly the confidence to know that the bike will perform just fine when I slam it into mud, rocks and roots. While robustness and handling are quite important for mountain biking, I am not yet quite sure why I should spend $4000 on a road bike instead of say $1000.

Cheers, CM-Expat

Road bikes follow the same purchase rule as MTB's:

Light, robust, cheap = Pick any two....

Let's not be elitist and spoil someones fun - it's only cycling after all.

I hope the owner gets his 9K worth of enjoyment ++

That looks like good buying at 9K, just don't expect the gold bits to be real .

What ianf says above is also true though, you do get what you pay for - up to a point..... My last fork cost 40K+ but still going strong!

Hi n210mp,

I've been using the strava premium paid app for about 18mths, so can't compare directly.

For what it's worth;

Strava appears more established with more routes/ segments/users.

Previous history transferred seamlessly when I upgraded. Only tech hitch was getting Instagram to synch, but that was user error Cadence and Heart Rate upload fine from my Garmin.

I don't particularly like the 'new' interface, but it appears less 'in-your-face-commercial' than Runtastic.

Anyway, they both do the job.

Have fun!

Just as a rider to this thread about "Odometers"

Anyone using an Iphone or I think Android phone can use a fantastic App called "Runtastic road bike pro"

There is a free version and I used that for a couple of weeks and then upgraded for about three quid to the Pro version.

It really is awesome giving you your done route, speed, max speed climb, time and can be used with a heart monitor to boot.

You can download all your biking/walking/running sessions to their server and send them to friends ETC

One of the best Apps I have on my phone and can be used for walking or running as well

https://www.runtastic.com/

beleive me really worth having

A nice app, but I think Strava is more popular and has a better database.

Thanks for your input bobfish

Just hit the link for Strava , and at first glance do not see a major difference fro Runtastic road bike pro but thanks for the comparison, maybe they are all based on similar software.

Personally just want a record of what I did on a particular day and the extra info always interesting and welcome.

I am a bit disappointed with Runtastic support though because when I upgraded from Free version to Pro version my "history" did not upgrade with me.

despite following their advices from FAQ I still had no luck.

Emailed them on their support link and apart from an auto reply, heard nothing since, so much for Runtastic support!

Did you notice any major difference in Strava from runtastic that woud justify me to abandon Runtastic and to go with Strava. (apart from the poor support that is)

I know nothing of these bikes, so hard to give an opinion.

From their website they look like supplying entry to mid range bikes with name brand components. That's a good sign.

You'd need to have a closer look at the spec to see if they represent value at 12K.

A few strava segments around there as well.