Nice looking bike. Is that a new one? Seems completely different to the one in your original photos.

BTW. What is the cycling like up that way in Feb / March? I have been reading that there is a lot of air pollution due to stubble burning in the rice paddies.

Thanks and you are correct in a way. Through a series of upgrades, it is in essence a new bike. There is very little left that hasn’t been upgraded. The latest addition was the frame. The original one was a Trek 4500. This is their slightly higher end 8500 series.

There is usually a three month period where I do not exercise outdoors as it does more harm than good. Part of Feb and definitely March fall in that time frame.

There was actually a little smoke and haze on my ride today but it gets much worse in a couple of months. The conditions were less than ideal for photography but the temperature was nice, and there was a steady breeze, so I even added an additional 10 km to my normal distance.

There is a lot of great riding in the Chiang Rai area but I have to admit I pretty much stick to Phaya Mengrai and my own backyard. If you want to ride in Chiang Rai, now is a very good time to do it.

Up in the hills recently.

Even the flat stuff can be beautiful.

Hillside solitude.

Far better than my feeble shots. :-)

Changing colors and winter riding from Phaya Mengrai to Sop Pao to Tat Kwan and home.

One more view from yesterday's ride.

Down by the riverside.

Just got a new Thomson Elite seat post. Now everything on the bike has been upgraded, with no original parts remaining.

Shady lanes and cool riding out of the sun.

As one enters the park at Tat Kwan Waterfall.

More trails. Don Ross has penned a nice piece about cycling in Chiang Rai. It can be found in TTR Weekly under, Chiang Rai turns cycle friendly.