The Thai cycle cafe is an idea that myself and several Thai friends had whilst doing a mountain bike tour in Thailand. We are in the process of starting a members club for people who love cycling and all things about bikes.
We will be holding informal meetings (piss up)at the Panakorn bar and restaurant in Bangkok once a month and if you are interested in becoming a member then please email us at thaicycletours@yahoo.com
The cafe members are also in the process of registering a Thai travel company which will be taking tourists on one day rides outside the city. if anyone is interested in finding out more about our future paid tours please feel free to get in touch with us at the address above
Our first Members Tour
Well we made it, after months of planning routes, buying equipment and a lot of hard riding the Thai Cycle Cafe headed off from Bangkok Noi train station and towards the mountain plains that separate Thailand and Burma on our first tour of 2007.
The first tour was completed by the cafes founding members myself and Mr Nong both of us riding Merrida 24 speed mountain bikes. The ride was more of a test than anything else and as anyone can tell you 70 clicks with a fully loaded pannier on a mountain bike ain't no easy task. It also gave us a chance to survey the mountainous Suan Pung area which we are considering as a place to take tour groups in the near future.
So here is a break down of the tour for anybody considering doing it solo.
: left Bangkok Noi station at 7.45am 30 Baht for passenger 80 Baht for the bike.
: Arrived at Ratchaburi station at around 10.00 am
: Cycled up to Chom Bung city along highway 3208 for 30km and had lunch set off again around 12.30Pm
: Carried on along highway 3208 where the road started to get a little hilly and the mountain ranges began to appear on the horizon. The countryside really is beautiful around here and the traffic is so light that we rarely had to worry about it.
: About 30-35Km and 4 hours later we arrived in the small town of Suan Pung. the last 10 clicks of this road are very scenic with lush mountains and forests on each side. there are also plenty of water stops along the way and lots of places to take a breather.
: After cycling through the town we found the police box and swung a left down a small country lane to the pavotai resort. We Checked in and pitched our tents right next to the river (nice).
:Next day Surveyed the hills and the water falls around Suanpung and found an even better camp site near a water fall called Geng Som Meow which is around 25Km from the center of town. The terrain in this area is very hilly and after the 70Km ride the day before our legs had turned to mush, luckily a friend took pity on us, piled us into his 4x4 jeep and gave us a tour around the mountains.
:The next day we managed to put our bikes on an air conditioned bus.(stop is near the police box, bus every 30 Mins plenty of space for bikes) which took us back to Ratchaburi in time to catch the train to Bangkok.
Overall the tour was great the route was challenging with some nice climbs and descents. The road surface was near to perfect (although thinner tires are a better option for road tours like this) the traffic is light and to my surprise not too many dogs. Pavotai is a nice enough resort and the rooms start at 800 Baht for basic air. or you can rent a tent 80Baht per night 50 Baht if you bring your own like we did. camping is right next to the river and there are many other options if you head further into the hills.
The Cycle Cafe will be going to Kanchanaburi in June on its second members tour if you are interested in joining us for this 3 day jaunt please email me and I'll give you the details along with required equipment and the cost no big groups please.
Cheers.
The first tour was completed by the cafes founding members myself and Mr Nong both of us riding Merrida 24 speed mountain bikes. The ride was more of a test than anything else and as anyone can tell you 70 clicks with a fully loaded pannier on a mountain bike ain't no easy task. It also gave us a chance to survey the mountainous Suan Pung area which we are considering as a place to take tour groups in the near future.
So here is a break down of the tour for anybody considering doing it solo.
: left Bangkok Noi station at 7.45am 30 Baht for passenger 80 Baht for the bike.
: Arrived at Ratchaburi station at around 10.00 am
: Cycled up to Chom Bung city along highway 3208 for 30km and had lunch set off again around 12.30Pm
: Carried on along highway 3208 where the road started to get a little hilly and the mountain ranges began to appear on the horizon. The countryside really is beautiful around here and the traffic is so light that we rarely had to worry about it.
: About 30-35Km and 4 hours later we arrived in the small town of Suan Pung. the last 10 clicks of this road are very scenic with lush mountains and forests on each side. there are also plenty of water stops along the way and lots of places to take a breather.
: After cycling through the town we found the police box and swung a left down a small country lane to the pavotai resort. We Checked in and pitched our tents right next to the river (nice).
:Next day Surveyed the hills and the water falls around Suanpung and found an even better camp site near a water fall called Geng Som Meow which is around 25Km from the center of town. The terrain in this area is very hilly and after the 70Km ride the day before our legs had turned to mush, luckily a friend took pity on us, piled us into his 4x4 jeep and gave us a tour around the mountains.
:The next day we managed to put our bikes on an air conditioned bus.(stop is near the police box, bus every 30 Mins plenty of space for bikes) which took us back to Ratchaburi in time to catch the train to Bangkok.
Overall the tour was great the route was challenging with some nice climbs and descents. The road surface was near to perfect (although thinner tires are a better option for road tours like this) the traffic is light and to my surprise not too many dogs. Pavotai is a nice enough resort and the rooms start at 800 Baht for basic air. or you can rent a tent 80Baht per night 50 Baht if you bring your own like we did. camping is right next to the river and there are many other options if you head further into the hills.
The Cycle Cafe will be going to Kanchanaburi in June on its second members tour if you are interested in joining us for this 3 day jaunt please email me and I'll give you the details along with required equipment and the cost no big groups please.
Cheers.
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