|   MTBRs Thailand Correspondent: Report 1 of 3 (long + pics) | elperro
Jul 16, 2002 11:03 AM | |
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Hello guys, gals, miscreants, and racist parrots. I have now been in Bangkok for over 2 months. I figured it is about time that I post my Thai MTB adventures. Even though it has been a year since Pat Pong started to close early (2AM) on Tuesdays and any other day ending in y, Bangkok is still a place full of energy. It is a metropolis. Anything and everything, and something things in between, just ask a lady-boy half way through their metamorphosis, can be found in BK. Well except for a Marzocchi dealer. Anyway on to the BIKES! Boring background information. Skip to:
Observations and lack there of | Take it easy? IN A MONSOON! | Oh Damn!!! You are welcome! | The scarecrow
(You'll be skipping pictures if you do)
BK trip #1: I came on a 2-week preview trip back in March. I knew by the second day that I wanted to come live here. At least for the three months that my company was willing to put me up for. I picked up a local MTB rag that I could not read. The concierge helped me find a shop 5min from my hotel. The damn thing was on the third floor of a 5 floor parking structure, in the middle, where no one can see it. The only things in there were RM HT and FS, Kooka and RF cranks, and a few other high-end parts. It blew me away to see $3000 bikes and $200 cranks in this 30? by 30? negative space in a dingy unused parking structure! This in a country where the poverty line is ~$250 US per year!!! The owner also owns the car audio shop next door and the bike shop is his hobby. We chatted for about 45min. I bought an awesome bilingual MTB mag, CULT, from him. Without time to ride, I left Thailand with just a glimpse of the BK MTB scene. BK trip #2: I arrived on a Wednesday night. My bike was in a bike box reinforced with 180 yards of duct tape. With a couple of days to settle in and knowing that the MTB scene in Thailand is alive and well, I headed out on a bike shop hunt. Though the internet coverage is minimal, I found ProBike near lumpini park. Close to where I currently live. Good shop with lots of staff, high end Litespeeds (road) and nice Treks and GFs. It was a cool shop but I did not feel it was one where I want to hang out. They also didn?t really know about any rides happening. At least any that suited my interest. They have since been good to me. After more internet surfing, I found a shop that the Bangkok Hash House Bikers recommend. If they recommend it, you know it has to be a cool place! |
Chris the C-dale distributor on our way out | The shop was a little bit further than Probike, but it was in an interesting part of the neighborhood. I dropped by on Thursday evening at 6PM. A woman inside was lacing a wheel. She was having a bit of difficulty so I offered my assistance. We ended up talking for over an hour. She informed me that there was a race that weekend. If they had room in the car, she said I could tag along. SWEET! She said come back the next day and talk to her SO Chris. I went back on Friday, talked to Chris and was confirmed a spot in the car. SWEET!!! I rushed home to rebuild my bike for the next day. That night I put her back together. The fork stayed deflated due to a lack of shock pump. Now all I needed were my pedals. Yes?my pedals??.. My pedals that were on my dresser in my room in VANCOUVER!!!! |
| The next day I leave with all my gear in my bag. Out on to the street and start scootering west to the bike shop. Without pedals, I had to ride the bike as the first ones were, by using a running motion. This had to make the morning of the locals. Big farong gliding his bike on the sidewalk, fork bottoming out on the tire on occasion. It wasn?t until I went about 3-4km that I realized that the shop was to the east, not west. A ten-minute Tuk-Tuk ride and 200 Baht later, I make it to the shop just before they packed the car. *****Observations and lack there of*****
We get to the venue and there are no hills in sight. I ask Chris, where does the mountain part come in? We set camp on the outside of turn #1. The event is a festival. There were three local bike companies, booths selling shimano factory seconds, an espresso bar, and the biggest can of Singha beer in the world. I registered, had a bite, and took pictures right up until the start. |
 | This was my first race EVER! The fact that I was so involved taking pictures, and that the call to the line was in Thai did not help. I saw that there were only kids left in the line so I went over to check it out. The locals start rushing me through the crowd. Apparently my group, B-open, had just left. Here I go sprinting off into the Thai MTB race scene. So a few things I noticed in the first 5km; the course was terribly flat, B group slows down to a crawl for most turns, any obstacle over 15cm high calls for a dismount. With my big legs, and some drafting, I was able to slowly advance my way through the end of the pack. The first sharp turn comes up while I was drafting this decked out racer. I almost rode right over him as he clutched the brakes through the turn. The next sharp turn came; I took my own line and afterwards realized that I passed about 5 people. Now a man my size doesn?t corner very well on flat surfaces. This is an indication of how much these bikes are slowing down. |
| Now I am feeling pretty good. I have made my way to the middle of the pack! We get to a somewhat muddy section and pedaling becomes difficult. I think it?s the mud until I realize that my rear derailleur is not shifting. I only have my highest gear in back and my middle and small ring up front (big ring locked out). Pedaling gets too tough with the middle ring so I shift to the small ring. Cross chaining and 125 kg do not mix well. *****Take it easy? IN A MONSOON!*****
After fixing my chain I still have a derailleur that doesn?t shift. The cable has slipped and I don?t have the tool to loosen and re-tighten the nut. 20 minutes later, I finally fix the derailleur enough to use three of my rear gears. I am now the last B rider by a long shot. So I decided to just go out for a leisurely ride the rest of the way. |
| Now I am riding amongst a flock of kids. I look like a kindergarten teacher. I meet up with one of the parents on a Ti Airborne HT. We chat and ride the course together. He takes shortcuts, he?s not in the race, while I take the full course. We ride over a bridge where he says he has a truck waiting. They let me borrow some pliers to fix my derailleur and of we go again. I ride through a riverbed and then dismount for the stair climb out. Along the river for a while then about 8km of road riding. YAWN!!!!! Did I say ?Yawn!!!!!!?? About 3km into the road ride, some up above decides to open the stopcock to earth. There was so much water, my glasses were useless. I could not believe how much fun riding in the rain is. I?ve ridden in light sprinkles but not in all out torrential downpours. I?m glad I wasn?t wearing cotton! After the road leg came a dirt road. Well it wasn?t really dirt anymore. I launched off the street into the soupiest mud you can imagine. It was great. My survival pro not loosing a step in this mud. I actually found and passed other riders. But then the sun came out. | 
Class by himself. He still beat me. |
*****Oh Damn!!! You are welcome!*****
With the sun out, the mud begins to take on the consistency of ? well drying mud. It was getting really thick and sticky. Even if I had a teflon bike, there would be no escaping that mud. With a bike set up with 2.25s, clearance became an issue. Then the fact that my wheels were not turning became an issue. Finally, walking through that stuff with my bike shouldered became an issue! I finally make it out of the mud cüm concrete and scoop 30+ pounds of mud off my bike. By now there is no chance of me finishing anything but DFL. So I just enjoy the bike ride in. Then a glimmer of hope. A B-open class rider is stopped with a flat. Not even having a hint of a problem the whole race, I toss him my spare tube reveling in the thought that I would not fnish dead last. 2km later as I was riding on the polished stone riverwalk, (note: mud, rain, and polished stone do not improve traction) I notice that I now have a slow leak. DARRRRGHHHHHHH!!!!! |
There were 29'ers all over the place =^) | I do the pump-ride-pump-ride thing for about 500 meters. Without patches I give up and walk my bike. I can?t be that far from the finish. A couple minutes go by when the soon to be NOT last place B-open rider rides by me with a $hit-faced grin. I encourage him on with my faith in Karma. *****The scarecrow*****
I am carrying my bike up a set of stars to a bridge that crosses the river. I try once more to inflate my tire and start riding. I get to the end of the bridge and have to dismount again. The sweeps are starting to come by. I say no to their offer for a ride and proceed to stuff my rear tire with the local flora. Not realizing that I could probably stuff an acres worth of wild grass into my rear 2.25 Survival pro, I continue ravaging the Thai landscape until the final sweep comes by. I give up, toss my bike in the back, with a rear tire that looks like it is bleeding grass, and take a ride back to the S/F area. DNF. |
| Apparently I was not the only one to get caught I the mud. There was a canal nearby where over 100 bikers converted it into a huge bike washing area. A few guys rode their bikes right into the canal. People and bike submerging was the name of the game. Don?t worry I repacked all my bearings. It was an amazing sight. |
Chris warming up to a 2nd place finish |
| I hope you enjoy the pictures. I apologize for getting long winded. For some reason I couldn?t stop writing. Also, my camera got a little wet so I lost all the pictures from the course itself, but here are the rest from this ride. I still have two more posts to share with plenty of pictures to go along with them. The next one being the best of the three! _EL Perro |
P.S. A sneak peak at part two of my Thailand Posts:(Sweet Thailand Singletrack!)
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| Good story | d2az
Jul 16, 2002 11:18 AM | | I'm looking forward to reading the rest!
Ride on. |
| Post of the day! | Steve-O
Jul 16, 2002 11:32 AM | | Very cool. Reminds me of the guy who used to post picts from Mongolia. Thanks for the a look into the Thailand scene...
Steve-O (sheltered American) |
| kap khun krab (sp?) | airwreck
Jul 16, 2002 11:33 AM | | or is it khan for males? or am I way off?
no doubt there is a abundance of quality single track in Thailand, and a great cheap shuttle service as well. Seems like the only problem would be that all those trails are heavily used by all manners of motorized, pedestrian and animal traffic(elephants have right of way).
Looking forward to seeing more of your discoveries, seemed to me like it is easy to get lost.
Have you headed up to Chiang Mai at all, we found a good bike shop there, and did some trail riding.
Eric |
| Mai Pen Rai ... | elperro
Jul 16, 2002 6:33 PM | | No Problem! English spellings of Thai words are always interesting. There are two (or more) standards thta are both used!
Riding in the day it is no problem. At night I would worry. One of the local trails is in a park that has mountain lions!
I will be heading up to Chiang Mai at the end of my trip. I am working here and my time is at a premium.
_EL Perro |
| sharing the trails... | airwreck
Jul 16, 2002 9:34 PM | | for those who think horses are a problem. |
| Cool. (nm) | -Chip.
Jul 16, 2002 11:47 AM | | |
| Is that Gary Fisher's brother? (nm) | TexasMTBr
Jul 16, 2002 11:52 AM | | Hey, he built my bike. |
| ravaging the Thai landscape | Spike
Jul 16, 2002 11:53 AM | | LOL, a very entertaining read, el perro. I look forward to the next 2 installments!
Spike |
| Great stuff! keep it coming. - nm | radair
Jul 16, 2002 12:41 PM | | |
| Kapoon-krup! | Skitz02
Jul 16, 2002 12:41 PM | | very curious about DH in Thailand. I was there in 98 during Asian games and a Thai won the dh.
Thanks for the post(s) |
| My new favorite all-time mtb picture | Fast Eddy
Jul 16, 2002 12:57 PM | | I'm definitely running a kick-stand in all my XC races from now on. |
| My new favorite all-time mtb picture | PmbH
Jul 16, 2002 1:24 PM | | Don't forget the trick bar-end-mounted pink rearview mirror...
But seriously, I think the kickstand comes with the SID :) |
| Fantastic content and pics | pedalAZ
Jul 16, 2002 1:06 PM | | My Spidey sense is still tingling! |
| LOL - that was awsome! Thanks a lot(nm) | Biking Viking
Jul 16, 2002 1:10 PM | | |
| I can't wait to read the next two reports! | kristian
Jul 16, 2002 1:37 PM | | I can't imagine wearing any sort of armor in Thailand (like the guy in your last picture)--I was dying wearing khakis and a short sleave shirt!
I went hiking in the "mountains" about an hours drive Northeast of Bangkok and couldn't help but think there must be some great riding in that area. It was really dense jungle though so maybe there isn't much there. If there is riding in that area, I'm sure it's super technical!
K (incredibly jealous that you get to ride/live over there!)and(is going to cook Thai tonight!!!) |
| superb post, "ugo"....... | celly
Jul 16, 2002 2:41 PM | | Having met you, I didn't need photos to fill in the blanks. Great read. Looking forward to parts 2&3.
bc |
| Nice post El Perro. You better be careful... | JRinCA
Jul 16, 2002 3:35 PM | | or you'll end up living in Thailand for the rest of your life!
Great pics! |
| Just say no... | Timmy
Jul 16, 2002 3:38 PM | | to Pat Pong.
I was avoiding this place today, but now I'm glad I caved.
Great post.
TCN |
| Thanks everybody! Replies inside... | elperro
Jul 16, 2002 6:56 PM | | Working 12hrs/day, I am usually pretty tired. Now with my girlfriend here and company that is coming to visit, my MTB time is even shorter. There are some beautiful trails here. I feel I am not honoring them by not riding them!
Skitz02:
The DH scene is alive and well in Thailand. That's what my next post will be about. Bangkok tends to havemore XC riders. The place is flat in all directions for about 1hr. Chaing Mai to the north is said to have more DH action.
Ed:
This guy is my hero. I think he may even have a colostomy bag! I think he is 70+ years old! It is wild to watch him ride. His beard tossed over his shoulder flapping in the wind. Oh Damn, am I obsessed? Oh yeah, Thanks for the Tahoe website bud!
Kristian:
I think I know what mountains you were on. Khao Yai national park is about that far and in that direction from Bangkok. I also went hiking there and ended up with a few hitchhikers. 5 leeches on each foot! One per foot that I carried the whole hike. Boy those suckers were fat when I finally got my shoes off. The terrain there is steep and rugged. But there are trails, I've heard, of all abilities.
I'm jealous that you get to stock a bar! My Girlfriend is the one you should be jealous over. She is living the life! While I work, she explores Bangkok. She is in Chiang Mai right now takling a cooking class. Larb Gai, Som Tam, Gai Bai Tuey, Tom YUMMMMMMM!!!!
JR:
I have been thinking about it. At least for a year or three=^)
Timmy:
Pat Pong is the craziest place. Are you in Thailand now? If so, let's hook up. |
| Here's how you fight the leeches: | Biking Viking
Jul 16, 2002 8:25 PM | | Frequently rub the outside of your socks and shoes with salt, then carry a small salt shaker and sprinkle on them suckers (what an appropriate use of the word) should they latch on.
BV |
| I sweat like a pig ... | elperro
Jul 16, 2002 8:56 PM | | Wouldn't that be enough salt?=^)
Great idea! I have tried rubbing lemon on my skin and shoes. I have tried DEET. Because I sweat so much, these work for about 20 minutes. I'll now carry salt with the lemons to get them off, but I'll definately try the salt rubbing thing. I still have the marks from where the two fatties were sucking on me over two months ago!
_EL Perro |
| It's funny you mention larb gai | kristian
Jul 17, 2002 5:37 AM | | Larb moo was on the menu for last night (but we decided that it was too hot to cook a big meal and had grilled cheese instead :).
We've looked into some of the cooking classes in Chaing Mai. Which one is she doing? You'll have to let me know what she thinks about it!
K (loves (to try) to cook Thai!) |
| My first experience with Larb.... | Timmy
Jul 17, 2002 6:34 AM | | My father in law made it with tripe:'( Very interesting....
Now it's a staple in our house (at least once a week) but with ground pork (Thank God). Easy to make and quick. I've never had it with chicken, but it sounds good.
To answer El perro's question, No not in Thailand. My wife is Thai and has relatives in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Father-in-law is building his "retirement home" in Chiang Mai. I have actually only been there once for about a month two summers ago. Brought my helmet, shoes and pedals hoping to be able to rent a bike, but never got the chance.
Great stories and pics. I'm jealous. We will likely be heading back within the next year, but life has a way of changing our plans lately so we'll see.
Keep the posts coming.
Tim |
| My first Larb experience... | kristian
Jul 17, 2002 7:36 AM | | ...was in the aformentioned National Park in the "mountains" northeast of Bangkok. The place where we ordered our lunch didn't have running water, refrigeration or anything else that a restaurant "should" have. The cook had a chopping block that was really just a 4" thick slice of a tree trunk. He chopped up the pork with two cleavers on the block. We ate the meal on the side of a river and then spent the rest of the afternoon tubing. I remember it as one of the best meals I ate over there.
K (still hand chops the pork/chicken for larb but wishes he had a butcher block like the guy had in Thailand...) |
| [sprays herbal tea on monitor] LOL. (ge) | Fast Eddy
Jul 17, 2002 9:17 AM | | |
| From another BKK resident and biker... | bod
Jul 16, 2002 8:47 PM | | El Perro...
Glad to see you're getting into the scene in Thailand. Not sure how much longer you're going to be in BKK but there are plenty of bikers around - we may have met??? If you fancy a ride sometime - there are plenty of good trails an hour or so from BKK - mail me or post a reply. There are usually people riding somewhere each weekend. I am off to mongolia biking for a few weeks next week - so not around much myself - but can put you in touch with people. Or just do the bike hash at the end of the month - its a one-dayer down towards Pattaya. Its always a laugh and very mixed standard. Also if you fancy it there is a VERY low key off-road triathlon this weekend up in Khao Yai... it should not be a serious event...
Hopefully catch up sometime
Chris |
| I tend to go to the local races... | elperro
Jul 16, 2002 11:50 PM | | if you were at Sing Buri, Khao Eto, or Phetchaburi, you couldn't miss me. I stick out like a sore thumb. And then the Mrazek garners even more atention.
Hey! I am actually really interested in hooking up with you or your friends. The last few times I have riddedn alone. AT Khao Kheow and Krang Karachan Dam. Khao Kheou is HAUNTED!!! Two rides with two ride ending mechanicals! This last time I blew up my Hayes rear hub! I'm of the bike until I repair it. If I do get it fixed by friday, I'm heading back to Khao Kheow for a night ride. If you or any of your friends are up to it, I have a spare light.
I have friends in town this weekend. A trip to Khao Yoi may be good for them. I was going to do the last hash but we had company again =^(
email me Chris: hortiz@sinproductodepuerco.email.com Get rid of the long part.
_Hugo
P.S. Someone please stick "sin producto de puerco" into a translator for me.
P.S.S. oes it look like I am a little out of my element: |
| I tend to go to the local races... | bod
Jul 17, 2002 9:15 PM | | I sent you an e-mail but was slightly confused by your address... If you don't get it I can be reached at chrisatbargerydotcom |
| Great read ! -nm- | JimW
Jul 17, 2002 4:39 AM | | -nm- |
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