I bike daily in Bkk.

Always wear a helmet and gloves.

I live in a hilly area around Chiang Mai. I'm lucky enough to have my factory located 7 km from home.

I enjoy biking to work mostly that I use countryside little roads (in average I cross 2 cars per journey!).

I had a simple question: is a helmet mandatory by law in Thailand?

I'm puzzled to see 100% of the bikers on the major roads of CM wearing one. Puzzled because when it's about driving a car or a motorbike it's a complete anarchy but then, for bicycle, what a discipline!

Frankly, due to the lack of traffic on my itinerary, I'd rather avoid it even if I know "it may happen anywhere". A matter of statistics.

There is no mandatory helmet law for bicyclists. I ride with two different groups of cyclists in Chiang Mai. One group, which is mostly Thai, always wears a helmet. I agree -- it's hilarious that when they're on a scooter they rarely wear the helmet but on a bicycle they always do. The other group I ride with is a mixed group -- 75% farang / 25% Thai. I'd say that only 2/3 of us wear a helmet. We're out almost 7 days a week, so obviously if you think that "100% of the bikers ... are wearing one" you've never seen our group.

If you have multiple bikes and plan to retire or spend a long time in Thailand, I'd suggest bringing one of your bikes.

Life is too short to live without all those things we have and love

It's probably a bit shorter if we are in retirement

As you know, bikes do depreciate rather quickly, so a day in the garage is a dollar down the drain.

Anyhow, you would be shocked to see how much Thais (as well as expats) spend on bicycles here. I regularly see $3-$5K USD bikes, both mountain and road, sometimes owned by people who don't ride them all that often.

Lots of pretty decent places to ride.

If you're feeling a bit adventurous, I would recommend bicycle touring the Golden Triangle or even the Luang Prabang to Nong Khai route. A good way to spend your time here and burn a ton of calories and replace them with good food and libations!

Good riding!

Great read, thanks for the post and information.

I'm looking to buy 2 used road bikes and thought I would post a reply from this blog.

Sizes between 54cm and 58cm, cash waiting and can pick up anywhere in Thailand.

Please PM me or reply to this thread if you have a bike or bikes available.

Thanks,

Lee