Bicycle Riders Beware

[Iusedtocycle]

So better to say you were lucky than to suggest your trouble-free experience means that it is safe.

One bad incident and it could be all over. I'm sure LOS would have agreed with you before he wrote this post.

To say I was lucky would imply that there is greater chance of having trouble then of not having trouble. My experience would lead me to believe Thailand is relatively safe for cycling. There may be a much greater danger in and around the main tourist areas but away from them I never had any fears except for that one incident, which turned out to be nothing. And I was always cautious and on the look out for potential threats.

There is a small village north of Ranong which you have to stop off at and only has one hotel. The lady there gets every cyclist that passes through to sign her book. I flicked back through the pages and was very surprised to see that on average a cyclist passes through the town every day. The day I stayed at the hotel there was a cyclist from Holland staying there also. So a decent number of cyclists on that one route. Before I did the ride I researched the route, and cycling in thailand in genera,l online and never came across any posting or articles from cyclists who had any trouble. I don't think I checked Thaivisa though...

Yes, it does only take one incident but like most cyclists I'll take that risk. Much more likely to be in a car crash anyway or hit by a coconut.

[tropo]

So better to say you were lucky than to suggest your trouble-free experience means that it is safe.

One bad incident and it could be all over. I'm sure LOS would have agreed with you before he wrote this post.

To say I was lucky would imply that there is greater chance of having trouble then of not having trouble. My experience would lead me to believe Thailand is relatively safe for cycling. There may be a much greater danger in and around the main tourist areas but away from them I never had any fears except for that one incident, which turned out to be nothing. And I was always cautious and on the look out for potential threats.

There is a small village north of Ranong which you have to stop off at and only has one hotel. The lady there gets every cyclist that passes through to sign her book. I flicked back through the pages and was very surprised to see that on average a cyclist passes through the town every day. The day I stayed at the hotel there was a cyclist from Holland staying there also. So a decent number of cyclists on that one route. Before I did the ride I researched the route, and cycling in thailand in genera,l online and never came across any posting or articles from cyclists who had any trouble. I don't think I checked Thaivisa though...

Yes, it does only take one incident but like most cyclists I'll take that risk. Much more likely to be in a car crash anyway or hit by a coconut.

I understand your sentiments, the trouble is that nearly every time someone has a bad incident to report a number of people will come on with the "It's safe because I've never had any trouble" response. You're a target in Thailand, especially on country roads. I don't believe you're as safe as you think you are. I would feel safer riding around Jomtien than way out on open country roads where you could be knocked off never to be seen again - and not able to report the incident.

Just think about it. There maybe missing cyclists buried in ditches somewhere that didn't get a chance to report back. You'd be the easiest target possible out there in the open. You're a sitting duck.

Your false sense of security could get you into some big trouble one day - as we said - it only takes one bad incident.

.. and regarding your experience cycling in Australia. I would much rather ride a bicycle there than here in Thailand and never had any dramas in Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane over the years. It just shows you how experiences can differ.

Edited September 20, 2012 by tropo

[Tolley]

Lost in LOS; I think the outcome is the best you could have hoped for and thanks very much for sharing your story. As I was reading it though, I was fearing the worst for you to get pummeled, stabbed or shot. Even if you might have been able to snag the rebar from the guy and crank him one, some other Thai guys might had taken you out not knowing you were actually the victim. Pack mentality against farang the lot of them and enhanced by ya ba (I don't do Songkran anymore because of this)

Anyhow, I've been in Thailand for 5 years and diligently did 100-150Km of weekly maintenance rides in BKK for when I would do my long distance provincial rides during my vacations. I too dislike stationary cycles, prefer to ride solo and was very satisfied that cycling kept me great shape as I age. Recently, I was one of those who got nailed over the head with a wood plank by a couple of punks. Thankfully I didn't wreck and a couple of trucks showed up then, so they took off. My cycling helmet took most of the blow, but it was <deleted> loud and gave me a splitting headache for a couple of days. Motorbike taxis are always a PITA too, but the final straw straw was when a car taxi ran a red light and hit me from behind. I was only bruised/scraped and the taxi did a runner of course.

So like you, I have an intrinsic biking anxiety now and haven't ridden for over a year. I'm quite depressed about it as cycling is the only exercise I can do without dying of heatstroke. I worry that IMHO Thailand is getting worse in regards to drugs and violence so I'm going to give Oz a try for biking. I hope it is not as bad as the guy from Sidney says it is!

At any rate, I wish you all the best for a complete recovery from your injuries. Cheers!

sorry to burst your bubble before you even get to australia but it is, in my experience, the worst place to ride a bike. The drivers there are very aggressive and at times will aim their car at you before swerving away. There is some real public aggression towards cyclists. The only time I have been hit by a car was in Melbourne and I've been cycling for 30 years and ridden in ireland, Jersey, france, spain, italy, singapore, malaysia, Thailand, USA and australia. And Australia is by far my least favourite for drivers.

You could always try mountain biking. There are plenty of great trails in australia for that and the cycle path network was getting better.

In my opinion anyone who rides a bike in Thailand has to have rocks in their head. Way too dangerous. If the erratic driving doesnt get you then the hoodlums will. And yes I am sure some people have never had any trouble blah blah blah but you are certainly increasing you risks drammatically of having a serious accident by riding a push bike.

Cyclists are a rare breed thou i remember a number of years back talking to a cyclist who was riding around Saudi Arabia and he said that some cars deliberately tried to knock him over. Yet he still wanted to cycle around the country! <deleted>

If you like cycling go to Perth. There are lots of dedicated bikeways there and a real bike culture.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Tolley

[Harrywonka]

Interesting story on front page Pattayadailynews today (Thursday 20th) re: local bike thieves. I don't think I am allowed to post a link or I would. Harry

Edited September 20, 2012 by Harrywonka

[Harrywonka]

On front page online Pattayaone too. (Google Pattayaone) Harry

[Lost in LOS]

update:

The bad news, I went to my bicycle shop today, showed them the pics of the arrest, since they saw me beat up. There were many thais there, one of which I think was the cop from the last time. They asked, am I sure that was the guy that beat on me with the two pipes, and I said I thought so but cant be sure . They said be careful because they thought there were more of the gang, and that there is another gang doing the same thing, in the same area. I will avoid that area for a while after I can ride some distance again, now I am just doing 4 kilometers to keep loose.

so, for you guys still riding back there, be careful, it might not be over with

will update as I learn more. I will go to the shop again soon, they seem to have a heads up this time

[Briggsy]

Your post is very unclear. You're not suffering from concussion, are you?

[I Like Thai]

Seems very clear to me.

He was talking to the policeman he met after the incident

Policeman told him there was another gang operating in the same location

He advised BM's to be careful and not to fall into a false sense of safety just because one gang has been caught.

[Briggsy]

Seems very clear to me.

He was talking to the policeman he met after the incident

Policeman told him there was another gang operating in the same location

He advised BM's to be careful and not to fall into a false sense of safety just because one gang has been caught.

No, no he went to the bike shop where there were many Thais, presumably his friends. One of these people was a policeman who the other police had included in a line-up. The OP thought he saw the perpetrators in the line-up but he wasn't sure so the police let everybody go. Then the people in the bike shop who the OP had thought were his friends beat him up.

That's how I read it anyhow.

[I Like Thai]

Seems very clear to me.

He was talking to the policeman he met after the incident

Policeman told him there was another gang operating in the same location

He advised BM's to be careful and not to fall into a false sense of safety just because one gang has been caught.

No, no he went to the bike shop where there were many Thais, presumably his friends. One of these people was a policeman who the other police had included in a line-up. The OP thought he saw the perpetrators in the line-up but he wasn't sure so the police let everybody go. Then the people in the bike shop who the OP had thought were his friends beat him up.

That's how I read it anyhow.

How can you say No, no when you advised that the post was unclear to you ?

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Seems very clear to me.

He was talking to the policeman he met after the incident

Policeman told him there was another gang operating in the same location

He advised BM's to be careful and not to fall into a false sense of safety just because one gang has been caught.

No, no he went to the bike shop where there were many Thais, presumably his friends. One of these people was a policeman who the other police had included in a line-up. The OP thought he saw the perpetrators in the line-up but he wasn't sure so the police let everybody go. Then the people in the bike shop who the OP had thought were his friends beat him up.

That's how I read it anyhow.

So you read wrong. It happens.

[tropo]

Check out this video (what cyclist have to put up with):

[Harrywonka]

I would hazard a guess that the arrest of the lads this week will not make things any better by any means.

That's one gang of bike thieves out of action (for now anyway) but probably a few more will now realize, after seeing, or being told about, the news story, what a great opportunity for making money they have been missing by not knocking farangs off bikes and selling the expensive bikes and the farangs other possessions.

Most of them probably thought all bikes were bought in Tesco for 1200 Baht, until now.

Harry

[Tolley]

I would hazard a guess that the arrest of the lads this week will not make things any better by any means.

That's one gang of bike thieves out of action (for now anyway) but probably a few more will now realize, after seeing, or being told about, the news story, what a great opportunity for making money they have been missing by not knocking farangs off bikes and selling the expensive bikes and the farangs other possessions.

Most of them probably thought all bikes were bought in Tesco for 1200 Baht, until now.

Harry

I must admit I was surprised when I talked to a few bike riders about how much some of the real good bikes are worth.

More than a lot of cars on the road.

What a racket. I couldnt believe people would spend so much on a bike. But there you go. Now the Thai thugs know as well.

[tinfoilhat]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

[tinfoilhat]

Seems very clear to me.

He was talking to the policeman he met after the incident

Policeman told him there was another gang operating in the same location

He advised BM's to be careful and not to fall into a false sense of safety just because one gang has been caught.

No, no he went to the bike shop where there were many Thais, presumably his friends. One of these people was a policeman who the other police had included in a line-up. The OP thought he saw the perpetrators in the line-up but he wasn't sure so the police let everybody go. Then the people in the bike shop who the OP had thought were his friends beat him up.

That's how I read it anyhow.

i think perhaps it is you with the concussion.

[lizardtongue]

Is your gold Thai or Falang gold? If Thai gold that might make the difference between being robbed or not?

[tropo]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

You think they wouldn't take the gold, cash or other valuables?

[Rimmer]

I owned five mountain bike shops in Singapore, I imported from the US and Taiwan I also re exported to Thai bike shops, typical selling price of one of our custom built bikes on a full suspension or titanium frame would be from 5,000 to 8,000 Singapore Dollars.

The sum of the component parts is usually greater than the cost of a frame and can be easily stripped off and sold. The frame is the only part that can easily be traced and is either not sold or cut up.

If these guys can get your gold chain and I Pad then that's a bonus as well.

[Lost in LOS]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

You think they wouldn't take the gold, cash or other valuables?

my bicycle cost more than my gold chain or my motorcycle. check the pics of how many bicycles were shown. They dont use pipes on someone that they want the chain from, they ride on by and grab it.

[tinfoilhat]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

You think they wouldn't take the gold, cash or other valuables?

that is hardly the point here is it. Gold or no gold, let me say it again, in the context of these thefts they are after the bikes. Is that so hard to fathom?

[tropo]

It's very hard to conceal a gold chain with a cycling jersey, unless you're wearing a scarf. Something will show. I never flaunt any kind of wealth here and never wear a chain.

Glad the OP was not hurt more seriously.

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

You think they wouldn't take the gold, cash or other valuables?

that is hardly the point here is it. Gold or no gold, let me say it again, in the context of these thefts they are after the bikes. Is that so hard to fathom?

Let me try again too. I believe they will get you if you're wearing an obvious, expensive gold chain and riding a cheap bike. Is that so hard to fathom?

[tinfoilhat]

you do realize they were after the bikes right? the victims could have been buck naked, but it would not have mattered, because they were after the bikes

You think they wouldn't take the gold, cash or other valuables?

that is hardly the point here is it. Gold or no gold, let me say it again, in the context of these thefts they are after the bikes. Is that so hard to fathom?

Let me try again too. I believe they will get you if you're wearing an obvious, expensive gold chain and riding a cheap bike. Is that so hard to fathom?

Good lord, yes, if you are wearing a chain, you are likely to be a temptation for thieves.

Now that we have accepted the obvious and admitted your out of context remark is true,can we get back to the topic and discuss the bicycle thieves at hand and the fact that no amount of care and caution and avoidance of wearing or carrying anything of apparent value is going to save you from this particular crew as they are interested in the bike.

Anything else is gravy but the motivation for the crime is not an iphone, not a chain, it is the bike. As long as they are about, the only way to avoid them is to ride in a group (not always possible) ride a <deleted> bike (not at all possible if you are serious about the sport and wish to get any enjoyment out of the endeavor) or jog near home (which, in case you it is not obvious to you, is not cycling).

People riding obvious cheap bike ride in town from the beach to the shops to the gym to the condo. People riding cheap bikes do not go on long distance runs past the areas where these thieves wait. People riding cheap bikes are not the target and are not under any sort of threat from these individuals.

Hear me clearly. they may be under threat, but not because they are sport cyclists but because they have gold chains.

good god, why am i involved in this stupid circular discussion.

Edited September 22, 2012 by tinfoilhat

[tropo]

good god, why am i involved in this stupid circular discussion.

... because you've taken on the job as forum police, coming down on anything that is slightly off topic according to your point of view. If everything was exactly on point this forum would be too boring.

[tinfoilhat]

good god, why am i involved in this stupid circular discussion.

... because you've taken on the job as forum police, coming down on anything that is slightly off topic according to your point of view. If everything was exactly on point this forum would be too boring.

fine lets have it your way. So how is Tony's treating you in the absence of California Wow?

You are right, the topic is more interesting already

Edited September 22, 2012 by tinfoilhat

[Rimmer]

Can we stop with the gold chains, I Pads and Tony gym now please so someone else can get a word in? Thanks guys,

[Lost in LOS]

anyone hear anything about the case, I cant seem to find anything out. Wonder if they are in jail or attacking more people?

[JaiLai]

Anyone know the punishment from BIB?

A 300 baht fine and let go most likely, standard penalty is it not?