mr_hippo

Just started a new blog on this site - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?au...blogid=672&

hi hippo,

any rides planned for early march ? i don't live far from the route you mapped out for your january ride. i am usually available sundays if you are keen ?

Always available - PM me!

I have heard that they allow foldable bikes , ie:Dahon and similar, but have no direct experience

I have also heard that but at non-peak times.

i checked these shops for a small folding bike. they had some cheap chinese copies. one was okay but the seat post was not tall enough for me. where can i get an aftermarket seatpost?

or better yet, where can i find a dahon or similar quality folding bike? i want to take it on the bus or on a song thaew.

thanx,

jeff

ProBike dealers

Hello, I am a new member here. I was curious of the safe routes to take when I want to get out of Bangkok to the north, west and east. Some of the routes and bridges I have already tried look intimidating as there is not a true bike lane, and so I turned back.

THanks!

Chris

Where in Bangkok are you?

I am out most days on my bike

How far do you want to ride. I have a number of routes from 25kms to 130kms.

Being a bit on the large size, I get mine from here- good quality, good choice and great delivery times - my orders usually arrive within three days.

HOLD YOUR PLUMS (RADIO MERSEYSIDE)

Billy has a phone in quiz based on a fruit machine on his Sunday morning programme - he gives clues to help contestants.

Billy 'What famous movie actor was known as the Duke?

Caller 'I don't know.'

Billy 'Very famous cowboy actor.'

After a few more hints

Caller 'Give us a clue, Billy.'

Billy (In a Western drawl) 'The hel_l I will.'

Caller 'Aww, Billy, you've helped everyone else!'

Ok, cool.

Will need to ask wifey's permission. Redoing the kitchen at home right now and since the contractor said no problem , assured us on the quality of his work and materials, etc, we are expecting delays and cost over runs.

So in your opinion, I dont need suspensions etc? How about weight of the bike?

Most of my riding will be around the suk area and down the san seab.

btw, I am a small guy 175cm 73kgs.

Weight - about 14kgs

Suitable for your height

I cycled the route last Sunday morning - video is here - Mr Hippo's ride

Sorry, misread '26' for '25'!

Well so far the general consensus is that the theives did nothing wrong, your friends are stupid,this is Thailand and you are to expect this sort of thing, FCK ME ,WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU LOT !

What thieves? I can claim to have done the same thing with 100.000Baht. There are two things that puzzle me - "not enough time to get the police involved" and "This [sic] friends of mine are kind of rich so they dont really mind".

Personally, I think this should be taken out of the Jokes section and pinned in the motoring section as essential tips for drivers in Thailand

I was in a quandary about where to post it...

If you want to know where to post it, I can help - three letter word beginning with 'b', ending in 'n' and the second letter is 'i'.

Cant join as i dont have a bike....yet.

But reason Im posting is to ask your opinion on a bike. Nothing fancy just for everyday use, riding along the klong san seab and along the sois. What do you recommend? On a tight budget as well, I was looking at the LA Bikes but for those prices I can buy a scooter. Was at big C and saw the "turbo" bikes, good enough???

My thoughts:-

Supermarket bikes - if you want a can of beans you don't go to a bike shop! These are at the bottom end of the market; if you are small and light and only want it for trips to your local 7-11 then they are OK. I have known them to give good service for years but I have also heard of them only lasting months!

You say that you are on a tight budget - just how tight is it?

What would I recommend?

Suspension? Not really needed

Gears? 21 or 24 seem to be the norm these days

Tyres? You don't need knobbly tyres - give you a harsher ride and takes up too much of your energy.

Price - you should be looking at 7000Baht+. Bikes can last for years and years - before I moved here, I had 3 bikes. I brought my youngest one over here - 9 years old at the time and sold my other two - one was 25 and the other was about 35!

I am thinking about selling one of my bikes:-

Trek 3900, 21" frame, complete with CatEye computer and a few more extras - 6000Baht but am prepared to haggle!

Now that we had got the festivities over with, join me on a New Year cycle ride. The route is here The distance - about 24km. Date Sunday 11 Jan Time 9am.

Santa decided it was too hot for the full Santa suit so he donned his lycra bib shorts and burundy polo shirt (His tropical kit), packed a bag of candy and mounted his trusty steed and off he went. It was a nice 25km ride but his arm is falling off from waving too much and his throat sore from all that Ho Ho Ho-ing! Now he is relaxing at home with a nice cup of tea. Have a very Merry Christmas.

Motorcycles are dangerous. It is a statistical fact. Riding in cars is more dangerous than riding in airplanes, and riding a motorcylce is more dangerous than riding in a car.

Can you produce these 'facts'? Stats can be used to 'prove' anything - did you know that in 2007, more Thais died in Bangkok than farang so that must mean Bangkok is safer for farangs than it is for Thais!

From Japan

Why bother going at all? There isnt much you can do about a broken toe...I broke my big toe years ago when i fell off a kiddies roundabout drunk at 5am, went to the hospital, got an x-ray and got told, yes, it is broken, try not to walk too much. That was it.

I agree with 'saorsa' as I broke several of the smaller toes through the years when I was involved in judo. A few years ago, I broke my big toe by dropping a 2 lb. jar of peanut butter on it. Doctors advice was always just to tape broken toe so that it is straight and then tape it to surrounding toes for support. It was always painful to walk for quite some time while the toe was healing.

As a retired nurse - that's standard procedure but don't fprget to put some form of padding between the toes - a small piece of gauze will do.

So1DoG: if you want to leer at this retired nurse, I will ask my wife what the best times are and how much we will charge!

If someone tells you that they saw Santa riding a bike on Christmas morning then they would have seen me - I won't be in the full outfit, it's too warm for that!

Well, it wouldn't be the 1st Annual Hippo Christmas Cycle Ride...

Wouldn't it? As far as I know, I am the only cyclist known as either 'Hippo' or 'Mr Hippo' in Thailand but if you know of anyone else who uses that nickname, please tell me. It will be the first and if successful, there will be more!

I would have been very interested but am away over Xmas - what about early in the New Year to recover?

That's a good idea - should we put it back to either the 4th or 11th of Jan? I have planned a provisional route - it will be a Sunday morning so traffic will be light and there will be something for everyone. It's about 20kms, I'll ride the route next time I have a lazy ride!

Stupid comment Mr Hippo

Is it?

I guess I'm just a simple farang. If I see an item that I feel is overpriced, I don't buy it. I certainly don't complain about the price.

I am really only highlighting the excessive pricing differentials between a product in its country of origin compared to Villa Market. I am normally one of the last to complain about anything, but you have to agree that my example of the cost of Ribena is a bit crazy!

Do you think that Ribena is shipped here free of charge?

Just a thought - anyone interested in the 1st Annual Hippo Christmas Cycle Rde?

Date - I was thinking about the Sunday before Christmas (21st) or the one after (28th)

Distance - possibly between 25 & 30kms

Pace - easy, we'll go as fast as the slowest!

Hills? None!

Start point and route - to be decided. It will have to be a place where we can all easily get to then I can plan the route.

Stops - frequent. If one wants to stop to take photos or rest for a mo then we all will!

Last weekend, I watched Aston Villa v United three times! The first one was from the early 2000s, the next was last weekend's live match and the third one was the 57 Cup Final!

Thanks guys!

Just registered at the map-my-ride website and will explore your routes and tips around Bangkok.

Need to do some exercise before inviting you on my ride, as you guys will probably easily beat a beginner...

Any tips on some shop for some basic biking shorts (nothing special, not necessarily the 2000 bath shorts at pro bike)?

Thank you,

Ketsara

With me, it's not about speed and beating anyone! At my age, I take it easy. I do log my miles on 2 websites and have been known to moan about my 'performance' at times but as my wife says 'You should cycle for pleasure not measure!'

I have seen basic bike shorts in Central Lat Phrao but for average size people at about 800Baht.

Dear all,

hope you can help me on the road. I live in Huay Kwang (BKK) and wanna ride my bike around in the weekends. Tried some short rides in the neighbourhood, but am looking for some change.

- Do you have any nice routes around / in the city?

- Any day trips out of the city that are easy to do (train first and then some cycling?)

We are also planning for a bigger trip to the North East. No concrete pan, so I am hoping for a few of your advices and routes...

Thank you very much in advance!

Ketsara

I live not far from you in Lat Phrao amd I cycle most days. Some of my routes are on MapMyRide and some of my videos are on YouTube

I'll repeat Pampal's offer ' let me know if you want a riding partner'