Thailand Downhill Championship

[chiangmaiexpat]

[chiangmaiexpat]

Hmm..., although the interest for downhill doesn't seem to be overwhelming, let me mention that this year's Thailand gravity series is kicked off in Rayong on the upcoming weekend. Registration is 500 THB. Details can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/ThailandGravitySeries

Cheers, CM-Expat

[bobfish]

I think there's growing interest. I have some Thai friends competing......

[chiangmaiexpat]

Yes, the DH sport is growing because cycling in general is currently in a rapid growth phase in Thailand. How many 100k+ bikes did you see 10 years ago on an average Sunday? Probably none. Today, I count dozens.

DH is still a small niche, though. Several of my riding buddies competed in the championships and two of them won a podium. Not bad. Looks as if Chiang Mai has become the DH capital of Thailand. The high-profile CDC races of 2012/13 were also held in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, I feel that growth is below potential, because there is no community support here and trail building/maintenance is very poor.

Outside of Chiang Mai, DH seems to be limited to really small groups. For example, I tried to buy DH tyres in Bangkok earlier this year. Turned out to be impossible and I ended up ordering them online.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[moonoi]

There must be an upturn in interest in downhill, as sport bicycle now have a 285k Specialized Demo on display! Does look sweet I have to say, but nowhere to use it in Bangkok, plus I don't have 285k to blow on a bike ;-)

[chiangmaiexpat]

Must have been the S-Works top model. I really wonder how many percent of their customers would buy such a bike.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[moonoi]

It certainly was.

I think most of that particular shops customers prefer to go for an S-works Venge/Tarmac or Colnago C60/V1-R....judging by the number I see in there for service on a daily basis (my office is in the same building)