Looking for MTB routes in the South

[junglechef]

I'm driving to Chumpon, Khanom, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lipa and back up the Adaman coast to Hua Hin with my MTB.

 

Interested in riding singletrack and on quiet dirt and paved roads.

 

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, JC 

 

 

[Deserted]

If its this time of the year, then you might want to be finished no later than 10am or start no later than 4pm because the heat is just to much between those times, as I found to my cost two years ago. 

[rebo]

The heat is not a big issue if you start very early at sunrise and cycle into the heat. Normally I make the tour JC is planning every year at this time for two months to flee the pollution in the north but this year I'll escape to Europe.
Sorry, Jonathan, for not being able to give you some advices because with 15 kg of luggage I prefer to ride on tarmac close to the main routes (with easy access to 7-11, restaurants, accomodations ...). Nevertheless --- enjoy it!

[Deserted]

Finishing by 10am implies an early start and the heat is actually a big thing. The difference between a 6am - 10am ride and a 10am - 2pm ride is huge in the hot season.

[junglechef]

Thanks good advice I agree.

It's my 8th yr of escaping the smoke of the North to summer in the South and I lived in Hua Hin before that. 

I'm an early riser, 4 am is late for me, so even at home in Chiang Mai usually I'm ready to go and just waiting for the sun to rise as well. If I'm back by 10:30 I find I'll beat the real heat so that allows me 5 hrs of being out. 

 

 

[Deserted]

Dehydration is a bigger enemy than fatigue I find. In hot season I don't go beyond 9am usually. 4am to 9am works fine I find. 

[junglechef]

5 minutes ago, Deserted said:

Dehydration is a bigger enemy than fatigue I find. In hot season I don't go beyond 9am usually. 4am to 9am works fine I find. 

I rather not ride in the dark and drink plenty. Take 3 L and often go thru that and a full refill.

[Deserted]

Crossing Issan a couple of years back pointed out that riding through the dark can be tricky at times if you get sections of the road where all the lights are wiped out but sunrise on the bike is a wonderful experience. I'd take a dark sky and cool air over a light sky and a strong sun. 

[StreetCowboy]

13 hours ago, junglechef said:

I rather not ride in the dark and drink plenty. Take 3 L and often go thru that and a full refill.

The dogs are braver in the dark as well.

 

I was out before dawn a couple of weeks back, and the lights on a lot of the route were out on my side of the road (big roads, so the lights on the other side were some distance away) (I think associated with upgrading works to make the road into a highway, or put a highway over the top of it) and it was not pleasant - rough road surfaces, dark, and dazzled by the lights on the far side of the road.

 

SC

[el jefe]

Funny thread ...

Everyone is different.

I went out a few times at 4:00pm during the brutal summer we had 2 years ago in CM. It was 37-39° when I left. Leaving an air conditioned house to ride in that heat was extremely unpleasant. By the time I got home 3 hours later the temperature had dropped to 32-33° and it seemed almost nice.

When I'm home I have trouble getting out before 7:30 - 8:00am. But I'd rather do a 4 hour ride then when it's cooler. There is almost no chance you'll get me to ride in the dark anywhere in this country.

For me, I'll drink plenty and refill as needed, whether home or touring. If I didn't want to deal with the heat, I wouldn't be in Thailand. I posted our group ride for today with a 9:00am start. I may move them to 8:00 or 8:30am now that winter is over.

Sorry JC, I have no routes either.

 

[Deserted]

And to some degree it depends on how you ride and how far. If you want to go at 40kms plus per hour for a few hours, the heat is best avoided, but if its more casual then its more manageable. It's only the hot season where midday heat is too much. Rain and cool season is doable if necessary. 

[el jefe]

2 hours ago, Deserted said:

And to some degree it depends on how you ride and how far. If you want to go at 40kms plus per hour for a few hours, the heat is best avoided, but if its more casual then its more manageable. It's only the hot season where midday heat is too much. Rain and cool season is doable if necessary. 

The 8:00am group rides are usually 100+/- kms during the hot season. We're not doing 40+ km/h often but it's a serious ride,  usually with significant climbing. We try to be back by noon-ish but it's not a deal breaker. As I said, everyone is different. If you are smart about hydration there is no reason not to ride when you want.

[Puwa]

OP maybe check the archive of the "other national English daily newspaper's" Freewheel Bangkok columns which document great rides around the country.

~

Pranburi, south of Hua Hin, in the Sam Roi Yot national park area, is a great beach-biking location for seasonal refugees from Chiang Mai smog. Protected bike lanes on some major roads, all along the beaches, and interesting terrain to explore. Ride 6-10am, then rest-eat-pool until the sun subsides and ocean breezes kick in. Watch out for thorns in pineapple plantations and large constrictor snakes. 

[junglechef]

On 2/25/2018 at 6:53 PM, Deserted said:

 

[junglechef]

(sorry about above post, don't know what I'm doing) 

 

I find it funny too because I meant in my OP by "any tips appreciated" as in places to ride 

 

But I'll play ball, I rode 100+ km today and was back by 10 am when it was just getting warm 

(20 C when I left and around 30 C when I got back as there's scattered clouds today)

 

Left in the dark but barely anyone out at that hour here and I have good lights. 

 

 Check out this cool vid link of my ride https://www.relive.cc/view/1440131822

 

Puwa, thanks for the tips, I actually lived in Khao Tao for 2 yrs, about 10 km from Pranburi 

[StreetCowboy]

4 hours ago, junglechef said:

..."any tips appreciated" ...

Speak for yourself.

 

A friend and I rode out from a nearby industrial town over the hills to the next, about 20 km away.  Within a couple of kilometres we were out onto the quiet village roads, and the road began to rise into the hills.  It was an easy enough ride, particularly because for the last few km of the hill we were riding with the optimism "this must be more or less the summit... can't be much further now".

 

Anyway, at each turn of the road, there was a great view out over the valley, and at each vantage point there was a great mound of rubbish.  Not like casually and selfishly dumping the car ashtray contents, but old furniture, building waste - people had clearly driven their waste up there in a pick-up specifically for the purpose of dumping it at these vantage points.  So tips are not appreciated.  If I wanted a tip I'd go to the municipal land-fill.

 

Other than that, though, it was a nice road, and we're planning on riding it again soon.  Other than that, and the road condition on the descent down the other side, past the cement works, where you could really let your speed out if you weren't in danger of being shaken to pieces by the road surface and speed bumps.

 

SC 

[junglechef]

15 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

Speak for yourself.

 

A friend and I rode out from a nearby industrial town over the hills to the next, about 20 km away.  Within a couple of kilometres we were out onto the quiet village roads, and the road began to rise into the hills.  It was an easy enough ride, particularly because for the last few km of the hill we were riding with the optimism "this must be more or less the summit... can't be much further now".

 

Anyway, at each turn of the road, there was a great view out over the valley, and at each vantage point there was a great mound of rubbish.  Not like casually and selfishly dumping the car ashtray contents, but old furniture, building waste - people had clearly driven their waste up there in a pick-up specifically for the purpose of dumping it at these vantage points.  So tips are not appreciated.  If I wanted a tip I'd go to the municipal land-fill.

 

Other than that, though, it was a nice road, and we're planning on riding it again soon.  Other than that, and the road condition on the descent down the other side, past the cement works, where you could really let your speed out if you weren't in danger of being shaken to pieces by the road surface and speed bumps.

 

SC 

Hmmm, what's that a tip about? Is that in Thailand?? Huh???

[StreetCowboy]

2 hours ago, junglechef said:

Hmmm, what's that a tip about? Is that in Thailand?? Huh???

I don't like cycling past rubbish tips, and too often areas of scenic beauty are spoiled by fly-tipping

[el jefe]

4 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

I don't like cycling past rubbish tips, and too often areas of scenic beauty are spoiled by fly-tipping

That was a long way to go for joke about the differences between British and American English.

And I would only tip a fly if it provided a good service.

So far there are 18 comments and only one answered the OP's question/request for route suggestions ("tips").

[junglechef]

On 3/8/2018 at 4:25 PM, el jefe said:

That was a long way to go for joke about the differences between British and American English.

And I would only tip a fly if it provided a good service.

So far there are 18 comments and only one answered the OP's question/request for route suggestions ("tips").

 

All good, it's TV after all and I'm feeling compassionate as it's New Years! 

 

Found some good rides, mainly quiet roads, paved and dirt, and some fun singletrack esp in the rubber plantations.

 

Had a great event, Krabi International Jamboree, a 52 km MTB race, and met some great people for next time down.

 

Puwa, drove Sam Roi Yot yesterday and will ride there tomorrow as it's a nice ride from where I'm staying.  Actually heading that way last week by bike but hit a storm in Pranburi Forest and turned back. 

I'm Hua Hin for 3 weeks and know lots of riders here, 10 yrs ago I actually was a founding member of Hua Hin Bicyclists (now splintered into a few different groups) and have found some new trails this time too, always doing recs!

 

We'll back to Chiang Mai next week and lots of events going on soon there, maybe I'll see some of you there! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kohsamida]

Somebody here in TVF gave me a really good tip for finding places to ride when on holiday or in unfamiliar locales.  It's part of the Strava app called HeatMap. 

 

If you are not familiar with Strava, it is an app for cyclist, runners, triathletes to share their rides, runs, etc.  It's VERY popular here in Thailand, and really all around the world.  The HeatMap is a graphic map compilation of everyone's rides, runs.  At a glance it's very easy to see routes, and the bolder the route lines are, the more popular the route is.  it's pretty cool!

 

https://www.strava.com/heatmap#12.06/98.98806/18.77943/hot/all

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by Kohsamida