Hey all,
Just had a few questions I thought I'd throw out to all you helpful thorn tree members.
I have to admit that until recently, bike touring was something that had never crossed my mind as a feasible alternative to the often frustrating backpacking route. Being an active and adventure seeking traveller, I was looking for something a little more than conventional backpacking has ever offered me. I can't remember how the idea came to my head (searching the internet I assume) but when I saw the possibilities and freedoms that bike touring would offer I was automatically hooked.
I am currently living in South Korea (another damn English teacher with run-on sentences, I KNOW!) and for the past month or so have been trying to find out as much as I could about bike touring. My research has included this forum, Ken Kifer's bike pages, and MrPumpy.net. Last month, I bought a cheap mountain bike and have been getting the rust off in the busy streets of Incheon in hopes of getting into some sort of shape beforehand. Anyways, to the questions.....
My contract is up in July, at which point I will be going home (free flight thanks to my wonderful employer) to Canada to visit friends and family and to get prepared for my trip. I plan on buying a mountain bike, rear panniers and other equipment (basic repair kit) at home and spending my free time practicing riding with a full load and what not. Is it realistic that I can find a decent mountain bike and panniers for around $600? I don't want to spend a tonne of money but also don't want a cheap bike that's going to give me problems. Does anyone have suggestions for reasonably priced mountain bikes (I don't want front or rear suspension) that won't break the bank? Are there any other things concerning my purchase I should pay attention to?
I plan on flying into Bangkok sometime near the start of September. I don't want to start my trip in a jungle like Bangkok so figure that I will take the train to Ayutthaya and start my trip there. I'd like to bike northeast and eventually make it to the border of Laos at Savannakhet, where I believe you can get a visa. Then I will follow Mr. Pumpy's proposed route from Savannakhet to Vientiane. From Vientiane I'd like to continue north, preferably as far north as possible, and cross into Vietnam. Does anyone know where a good border crossing is there? And can I get a visa for Vietnam in Vientiane?
From Northern Laos, I'd like to cross into Vietnam, spending some time in the mountains near Sapa, before heading to Hanoi. I'd like to take the straight route, from Hanoi south to Ho Chi Mihn. Then from Ho Chi Mihn, across Cambodia, and eventually back to Bangkok.
Obviously this is a pretty rough plan right now, but my question is how realistic is this plan? Neither time nor money (hopefully) will be much of a concern, so I have no qualms about straying from my route or changing things. How badly will the rainy season affect the biking? I know that in September there will still be rains and that Northern areas of Vietnam could be quite wet when I'm there, will I be able to make it still?
Is there anything important I should remember or something vital that I'm forgetting? I guess what I'm looking for more than anything is a little feedback. Suggestions, ideas, advice, to help me get the ball rolling a little bit more...
Thanks for the help.... and for simply being a member of a community that helps inspire people to do things they might not ordinarily do....
You have made the right choice in bike touring!!! There is some great choice in bikes in Canada but don't rule out the possibility of a touring bike, especially if you don't want suspension. They are far more comfortable for long distances. Also, check out Arkel panniers... great design and Canadian to boot. I can't help you with most of your route but as far as going from HCMC into Cambodia I have some info for you. Check out my blog at www.bikerdiane.blogspot.com for details on the route. I did a loop from HCMC up to Battambang, over to Siem Reap and back to HCMC so some of that may be useful and more recent than Mr. Pumpy's site (January 2007). What part of Canada are you coming back to visit? I would be happy to help out with getting you set up if you are anywhere near Toronto when you come back for your visit.
Thanks for the advice Diane.
I'll be coming back to Saskatchewan, so that is going to limit my bike choices a fair bit. I'll either be looking for a bike in Regina,
or heading to Calgary.
How hard is it to find a decent mountain bike without suspension? The reason I'm leaning towards a mountain bike is that I'd like to have that extra mobility incase I decide to do some off-road trekking. What are my chances of finding a reliable mtb for about $350? Are there any touring bikes that I should look into? The most I'd be willing to pay for a bike would be about $500-$600.
Also, I will be sure to check out your route from HCMC to Cambodia. Thanks, again.
Saskatchewan might limit your bike choices but on the bright side, there is always the Internet! In that price range you will find an ok bike but I am not sure if you will find one without shocks or not. I haven't looked at mountain bikes in a while but the last time I did I came up with a Kona bike that was steel and had no suspension. I am pretty happy with it although now that I have a touring bike I almost never use the mountain bike. Aim for steel if you can (for durability and comfort), but it will be fairly hard to find. Get the best wheels you can too. Make sure there are brazons so you can attach racks to it, otherwise you will be limited in your racks or will have to take a BOB trailer for gear. In that price range it might be worth checking out used bikes. You can get a much better quality one if you do your homework first and know what size and bike you want. Mountain Equipment Coop have an online gearswap with plenty of bikes for sale... www.gearswap.com. You can also check Craiglist for Calgary or Saskatoon... http://calgary.craigslist.org/ or http://saskatoon.craigslist.org/. They have bikes for sale locally. Naturally, don't forget to ask at your local bike shop if they have any used ones for sale. My local bike shop owner gets himself new bikes all the time and if someone asks about his, he almost always will offer to sell it so he can get the next best thing. The worst they will do is say no!
PM me if you have more questions and I will give you my direct e-mail address.
You have a fine itinerary, but you'll be going at the most water-logged time of year! If you can start two months later, you'll have much drier conditions. You'll probably hit some unpaved roads in Laos, which can be awful after a rain. You could search the Internet for travelogues of cyclists who rode in the wet, then decide for yourself.
Savannakhet to Vientiane is a good road but has very little in the way of scenery or things to see unless you detour off the highway. Entering Laos from Nong Khai (near Vientiane) will be a better bet. I cycled the nearly the whole length of Laos in 2002-03, and the story and photos may help you plan, www.arizonahandbook.com/ThaiLao1.htm</a>.<BR><BR>Between Laos and Vietnam, the Na Meo crossing (east of Sam Neua in Laos) is the farthest north of those open to international travelers. It has only been open a few years and isn't in all the guidebooks. Vientiane should be a good place to pick up a Vietnamese visa, as they are not available at borders. My experiences of the Na Meo crossing--a very scenic region--are at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/asiaoneyear</a>.<BR><BR>Happy Travels,
Bill
The VW Vagabonds have just completed a very similar route and they've kept a fairly detailed log of road conditions, hills vs. flats, and guesthouses along the way. Their site is http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Bike/BikeRoute.html</a><BR><BR>You need to click through to the day to day route section to get the detailed info. It might be good stuff to refer to along the way.
We're in Bangkok right now and have just completed southern Thailand (Phuket to Bangkok). We'll be heading through Cambodia, Laos, and possibly Northern Thailand in the next few months so you could check in on our site to see how we're doing. We keep a journal and try to throw in route condition information wherever applicable.
You will love SE Asia - it is a wonderful place to be a cycle tourist!!
Sarah Erck
Around the World in 2007
http://www.erck.org</a>
Hey guys, thanks again for the advice.
Bill, I have actually talked to my boss at work and will be staying an extra month, so I probably won't be starting the trip until early October.
One more quick question - What guide books and maps do you use when your travelling? My idea was to find a good country map and then use the LP for each specific country. Are there any other recommendations?
thanks..
NE Thailand in October is fine. You will be rained on but most likely not for days at a time. Its also really green there and pretty.
If you are just going to ride from BKK to Mukdahan and from Cambodia back to BKK, I don't think you need a guide book. I haven't seen a guide book that does a good job with the NE. They will mention the hotels in the provincial capitals but thats pretty much it.
For maps, I've used the PN Atlas for Thailand, 280 baht and it provides good detail. On my last trip there I used a map from Think Net, 120 baht, which also was fine. The one thing that I liked about it is that they show resorts/hotels/motels that are out in the country side.
I don't think you need a map for Cambodia as there aren't that many roads to worry about. The times I've been there I just copied a map from the local library copy of the LP guide.
I've only been in Loas and Vietnam a little bit so I won't comment on them
Here are a couple of good links:
Shinji has a good page of motorcycle trips, but he has done the NE as good as anyone and he reports on the hotels that are out of the way.
GT Riders is another motorcycle page, but it seems to have better info on Laos and Cambodia that can be found in other places.
And Crazyguyonabike has a bunch of trips in SE Asia that can give you more in SEA
Have a good trip.
trusted partner
