BT444

seeking help on where to buy seeds and soil and everything i need to know for growing, harvesting and eating! :)

I've never ridden up there but am considering taking a bike trip. 

Anyone cycled south of Chiang Rai and around Doi Luang National Park?

Specifically, a  large loop down Highway 1 (east side of Doi Luang), northwest up Highway 120 and north up Highway 118?  

Also, what dangers&considerations are there for riding in that area? Eg, are there lots of shops/711s/restaurants by the highway? What is the condition of the roads? 

Any help would be appreciated!  

know where to buy them?

or know of anyone selling a used one?

and know about average prices?

anyone doing this event? I'm doing the duathlon

I'm desperately searching for a ride back to BKK after the race on March 14, for myself and my bike (which I can take apart to save space in a vehicle). gas money and good conversation guaranteed !

any help would be greatly appreciated

3)- By bus: Air-conditioned buses leave Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal every 30 minutes between 05.00 and 22.00. Buses leave for Bangkok every 30-40 minutes between 03.00 and 21.00. Approximate journey time: 3 hours. There is also a minibus service that links Hua Hin with downtown Bangkok, convenient for the Victory Monument Skytrain station. Cost (in 2005) 130 baht.

For the BKK-bound buses, do they have the underside luggage area? If yes, do they allow people to put bicycles in there?

how often do they leave for Bangkok and where do they leave from?

can bring bicycles on the bus?

Congrats @BT444 on the accomplishment, but looking at the route you took I can't help wondering why anyone would want to ride this horrible, dangerous, and polluted road.

<shrug>...as I approached Pathum Thani (where the turn off for the back roads is supposed to be) I couldn't find clear signs pointing the way to those roads so I just kept going...and going...until I went all the way to Ayutthayah. dangerous, polluted, stressful - check. but fast and direct too

Before I rode to Ayutthayah i took numerous pics of a backroad route there from Bangkok. However, just after I passed Don Mueang airport I couldn't see the turn-off for the backroad to Ayutthayah, so kept going up the highway all the way to Ayutthayah. It was fast and sometimes scary, but direct and simple. Here's my strava data from the ride https://www.strava.com/activities/220871491

charity run&ride next Sat Nov 29

http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/sport/sport-detail.php?sid=2545#thumb

anyone done this event in the past? the 28km bike ride looks tempting but i wonder - what with Thai-style organization - how much traffic will be blocked off?

which road/route did you take ?

done it? how was it?

according to google maps, the most direct way there (for cars) is via the major highways. is that safe on a bike? are there country roads that go parallel to the big highways?

anyone know if Thai skills are needed to do this event?

based on this video it seems it's a scavenger hunt on bikes and i wonder if reading&understanding Thai is necessary:

 

i was admiring the Cervelo road bikes (particularly the Cervelo S2 priced around 120,000 baht) at Bike Zone but when i got home and googled them i discovered that shop is selling them for about $1000 more than they sell for online or at shops in north america. 
 
is the much higher price a result of import duties? or a combo of factors? 

Yes, the S2 is lovely, but older Cervelo's are still awesome and lovely to ride, with characteristic thin seat stays to allow a degree of flex and cushion to the ride, same design as Canyon.
 

 

though Cervelo's are extremely sexy bikes, i think for now ill have to settle for something less prestigious. Cervelo prices are far beyond my financial reach these days

Don't forget normally you can get up to 20% discount off the list price in the shop as well.

 

 

really? they would discount by up to that much if i just asked? 

I would love to do this race but not at these prices. Depending on the package and when you commit, the minimum entry fee is 25,000 baht or more. That's more expensive than most races in the west and there is no prize money for any field except the Men's Open race. The Green Mountain Stage Race is one of the biggest regional races in the US and they charge a fraction of what this race will cost. My guess is that the Tour of CR will attract a field of expats from around SE Asia, but few Thais.

I hope it's a success because more racing is better than no racing no matter the price. Good luck if you go. Please report back.

its unlikely ill do it. ur right - the price is nuts.

http://www.ama-events.com/events/singha-tour-chiang-rai-2014/

done this tour before? doing it this year?

Import duty can be anywhere from 30-40% I'm told.  I've noticed that Customs tax is being applied across the board now as well.  In the past there were ways around the tax which i won't go into.  Now that the government has begun to tighten things up (and rightly so) I would expect to see higher prices on imported goods such as bikes etc.

thats a bummer

i was admiring the Cervelo road bikes (particularly the Cervelo S2 priced around 120,000 baht) at Bike Zone but when i got home and googled them i discovered that shop is selling them for about $1000 more than they sell for online or at shops in north america. 

is the much higher price a result of import duties? or a combo of factors? 

im looking for a pair of athletic sunglasses (eg oakley-type).

are prices for them here the same as back in western countries?

If I were you I would get a bus to Pratunam, then get the boat to Wat sri beun rueang, takes about 1 hour and costs about 20 baht.

Exit the temple and go outside onto Ram rd, and get any bus, you dont say where on Ram you want to go (what soi number), be aware, Min Buri market to Ram isnt walking distance.

which bus goes to Pratunam?

on Ram Rd i want to go to Thanon Rat Phatthana

Yes that bus is still running (white bus with blue stripe).

Where exactly are you coming from to go where?

You would be better getting the skytrain to Prakhanong then getting a bus to Min Buri, or getting a bus to Pratunam, then getting the boat to Wat Sri beun rueang, followed by the 27,109 or 151 all the way to Min Buri.

I waited in two different locations at two different times of day yesterday for the bus and after 20 mins I gave up and went home.

I'm coming from the Lumpini area. I'm aiming to go to Amorn Bicycle shop which is on Ramkhamhaeng Rd, between Thep Phana Village and Chirathon Village , just northeast of Kanchanaphisek Road. The 173 bus supposedly ends at Min Buri Market, and I would walk southwest from there to the shop

Unfortunately you're trying to compare apples and oranges. This is the way they do business here. You can either agree to buy without a test ride or not. I'm on my 4th bike, all bought here. I tested them for size and that was it. I now do long distance touring on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and am quite pleased with it even though I never tested it in advance.

to each his/her own. on principle i would never buy any vehicle without trying it first. at the best of times, vendors are fallible and could be selling defective products without knowing it. refusing to let customers try them first is fishy to me and ill take my business elsewhere

Buying a bike without test ride isn't good.......

its not just not good, its bad business in my opinion. a vehicle isnt a painting or a book. what you see ISNT necessarily what you get. again, i know this isnt the West, but a bike shop back there wouldn't last long if they refused to let customers test ride bikes

http://www.transitbangkok.com/lines/bangkok-bus-line/173

is this route still running? if yes, where exactly does the bus stop at Lumpini when heading east towards Min Buri? and how often does it come by ?

In a word yes. It's even hit and miss when buying a car. Some dealers have models available for test drives others do not. I'm sure they'll let you sit on the bike to make sure it's the correct size.

i realize this isn't the West...but how does that make sense?

just cuz a new bike looks okay doesn't mean it is. and even if it were a super high-end bike - that doesn't mean every rider will feel comfortable riding it and paying big $ for it