T_Dog

did doi kham, Chiang Mai saturday evening in the rain. not one person all the way up and down. extremely windy around 6.45pm and no monk to be seen as well! only dogs seeking shelter under the roofs of a sala. Got down cause it was getting really dark and scary with no one else in sight. skidded a couple times down the steep slope. maybe tyres need to be upgraded from the factory fitted ones.

but rain or shine, its always great to ride

Tigerbeer has only been riding for a few months but he recently accomplished his first Doi Suthep climb! Pretty impressive to see a new rider get in condition so fast. Congratulations Tigerbeer!

The security guard that is the gf's friends boyfriend said the new parking plan came about due to a number of motorbike thefts and thefts from motorbikes. By making motorbikes part where they are supposed to, security can keep a better eye on them. The 15 minutes was to ensure all-day parkers and staff didn't take up the remaining close motorbike spaces. Good they are lengthening the time. 30 minutes should be enough but if they aren't really enforcing it that's fine too. That should still prevent staff parking there. As steelpulse said, all the parking is pretty close anyway.

They changed the parking system for a few days up here in CM at Big C as well and we got the same story. Apparently when the theft gangs come in, a pretty sizable number of bikes get stolen.

Scott.... Have not heard of any robberies of bikers up here in CM. Lots of theft of unattended (and locked) bikes, but no robberies of the riders. In five years of cycling here, I have never felt unsafe either on the streets or in the woods.

Nice photos, T.

Since you won't join me on a road ride, I'd like to join you off road someday when I get back to CM. That is, if you don't mind having a confirmed roadie tagging along.

Hey, I've ridden with you years ago! Anyone that rides the Samoung loop as fast as you do though is not in my Clydesdale category! We'll have to do the Doi Pui to Bann Pong Yang Nai ride when you get back. That's always a good one and you get a nice 30 km road ride back to town.

Hey, that does look like a great area for cycling. And not a long ride to hop the ferry over to Koh Chang either!

Yotspeed... November is the winter season here in Chiang Mai and you will likely have dry and cool riding. If October is dry, then November could be a bit smokey as the farmers start to burn.

The rain is pounding away outside right now so I thought I would post some photos of single track and other rides around Chiang Mai. All of these photos were taken within an hour's ride out from the city. Some of Dr. Treelove's trails behind Maejo, Doi Pa Klong behind Doi Pui, Opkhan National Park, and even one photo from the Mae On district which is still within an hour's road ride. (No photos toward the north which also has some great riding.) I've run into three different hunters up in the mountains using homemade long guns and finally had my camera along a few months ago when I had a chat with this fellow. It is indeed a flintlock rifle and he was carrying a rooster to help attract mountain grouse. It doesn't take long to get on the wild side when you leave the pavement behind in Chiang Mai.

Tonto... There is a pump shop down by the river that looks like they work on everything. From the west, cross Narrawat bridge and take the first left. (You will drive past the Riverside Restaurant on your left.) The pump shop is just before you get to the next bridge and traffic signal on the side opposite the river. It's a small place so look for an opening with dozens of pumps taken apart.

Beachlover.... Are you looking for the plug-in versions that fit into a Square D panel? If so, Home Pro does stock 10mA 16 Amp versions up here in CM. Let me know if that is what you are looking for and I can get you a part number and they could order it for you. Not cheap at just over 1700 baht.

Brand new Samsung 690 Baht at most places, especially top floor of Kad Suan Kaew.

Second hand ones too.

Yep! Or you can live big and get the 800 baht Samsung 1150 flip-phone. Rugged little critter.

I've been an AIS subscriber for almost a year, and although I have seen speed figures like yours, my overall experience is on the opposite end of the spectrum from impressive. Sounds like the infrastructure is better in your area. Failure to connect to websites is a common problem caused by some squid software in Bangkok.

Pretty much the same as you Tonto21. Even if the rain clouds are very visible and imminent I'll still head out. I normally ride early morning during the week and longer rides at weekend, generally late afternoon. But recently switched weekends to early morning as well since the westerly current monsoon has been bringing torrential downpours building late afternoon. Even when it does not rain it's still really muggy and the heat is oppressive. Mornings are much cooler. I've written a bit about it on my MTB Blog Hope you guys don't mind me sharing the link!

Also noticed the local Thai riders here in our area very rarely venture off road. They've got all the latest and greatest high tech MTB Bling bikes and gear, just to ride there and back on the local 4 lane highway. My mate has a theory on this; how the hell would anyone notice them and their hi-so gear if they disappeared off road into the tapper trails and dirt roads?? Of course for me, on my 7 year old Jamis HT (badly in need of an upgrade) it's the only place to be and I've got the dirt on the bike to prove it

Yotspeed... I like the blog. Best part are the trail photos, but there aren't enough of them! If you get up North sometime, send me a PM and I'll show you some good rides right out of the city.

did doi kham, Chiang Mai saturday evening in the rain. not one person all the way up and down. extremely windy around 6.45pm and no monk to be seen as well! only dogs seeking shelter under the roofs of a sala. Got down cause it was getting really dark and scary with no one else in sight. skidded a couple times down the steep slope. maybe tyres need to be upgraded from the factory fitted ones.

but rain or shine, its always great to ride

Sounds great! Doi Kham can be dangerous even when it's dry if you have a bit too much smack going into those hair-pin turns. A buddy actually had to cross in front of an oncoming van and dive off the road into the brush! So take it easy until you get more experience!

I rode up to Mae Taeng in the rain yesterday and had a few errands to do on the way. Then a flat tire and when I got to the wife's house, I noticed I was sun burned pretty bad. So... that sun can burn you even when it is overcast. I am pretty red today. Still missed riding with Tonto dagnabit!

KRS1.. Thanks for that and a vacuum related cause makes sense. And yeah, they tried to rebuild by bike about six months back when I got into bad fuel. I drained and cleaned the tank myself and after two tanks of good fuel it was back to normal. Will check into the rubber membrane today.

You running Benzine and not gasohol?

I recommend Caltex silver or gold (Benzine 91 / 95).

Benzine 91 from PTT in Chiang Mai. Occasional tank of Shell V-Power 95 which is limited to 10% Ethanol.

Back on Old School CBR-150's.... My ride has been exhibiting a rather odd problem: The engine wants to falter at low throttle settings. Where the throttle used to have a very crisp response throughout its entire range, now it seems to have an "I don't like that and am going to struggle" mode just above idle or where you would be when cruising between parked cars. It's rather odd and I would suspect the accelerator pump, but it is not just transitions but rather a given venturi opening. At medium and full throttle it goes like always and it idles fine. A friend is having the same problem and he thinks it is the increased alcohol in Thai fuels. Has anyone run into this?

Some of us on road bikes find the descent a bit dodgy in the wet!

Got that! I'm running MTB tires so not as big an issue there. Went down on a road bike in Portland once though on a group night ride. Amazing how far you can slide on wet pavement.

Was going to go on a longish ride today but since last year the ground was moving from landslides at this same time of year on that ride I opted instead to ride to Wat Doi Suthep. Put some diving anti-fog drops on my glasses, packed a shell for the downhill and off I went. Rained all the way and the fog at the top third of the mountain had visibility down to less than a 100 meters. For the first time in three years I did not see another cyclist on the mountain. Surprises me that more people don't ride in the rain as it's not any wetter based on how much I sweat! Was a fun ride.

Looks like Chiang Mai dodged the flood bullet. River is dropping slowly and most of the heavy rain is currently south and west of us.

Flooding in Pai according to the television news. Gonzo... Do you have an evacuation plan there?

There are several cycling groups that you could join. For casual riding, go to Tapae Gate any Sunday morning around 730-800 AM and join in. Several other groups ride the Canal Road in the evening, and most bike shops have rides as well. The Expats Club has a hiking club, and the Hash House Harriers are around too. There are also dozens of Thai and Farang motorcycle and 4WD groups. Figure out what you want to do and go find it!

Thanks for the info. There seems to be a lot of interesting things to do in Chiang Mai. Is it only foreigners who join those groups or is there also Thais? I don't know Thai yet but I will start learning it when I will be in Thailand.

Renoir

Renoir.... You can find farang groups and Thai groups. Many of these groups are mostly Thai, but there are usually a few English-speakers in those groups that can help you. I've found all of them to be very welcoming and helpful. What kinds of things did you like to do in your home country? TV members might be able to help you get connected.

"A quick wipe and it's gone..." Most likely pad dust. I've had two new vehicles where that showed up quite quickly. 1000 km is more than enough mileage to cause it.

There are several cycling groups that you could join. For casual riding, go to Tapae Gate any Sunday morning around 730-800 AM and join in. Several other groups ride the Canal Road in the evening, and most bike shops have rides as well. The Expats Club has a hiking club, and the Hash House Harriers are around too. There are also dozens of Thai and Farang motorcycle and 4WD groups. Figure out what you want to do and go find it!

When your disk brake pads wear, it is common for the dust to leave a black dusty coating on your rims. You probably noticed it was worse on the front rims. Just clean your rims and have your mechanic check the brake pad thickness occasionally.

Still not working. The other drop-down menus work fine. Only the one next to my avatar refuses to obey.

Poor sucker... Is yours still in-op as well?

EDIT: Seems to be working about 60% of the time now. The other 40% it just goes to my profile. Appears to be a delay in loading.

Tried that but no change. I'll try turning off FF and back on as well. When I cursor on the drop down arrow, it just says "Your Profile" whereas the drop down menu used to appear.