It’s amazing to me how much of a cycling paradise Chiang Mai seems to be. I just got back from Thailand (Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket) and bicycles of any variety seem to be a bit of a rarity. Chiang Mai seems to be the exception.
One critical note :: Historically, in March and April, Chiang Mai has some of the worst air quality in the world due to the burning season. The region also sees a fair amount of flooding during the end of the rainy season. For ideal cycling conditions, consider booking your visit Nov thru Feb
That is accurate. We don't cycle in March and April, too hot and smoky. The other 10 months are great for cycling, November and December are just perfect!
I am surprised at the title. I live in Spain and wanted tested your theory about this place. Been here for 3 weeks, i may add some of own comments. 1) weather is great for nov- january butbbalance of the year could be a gamble 2) roads are worse than Spain. Spain has probably the best and lots of km available on flat or hills. I live close to Valencia and have done many place in Spain. I just travel from Cambodia border to Chang Mai. Travelling in the country can be very nice but be aware of dogs. Using the main roads could be dangerous but useful at times because fewer roads are available. 3) food is great in ChagMai but it takes time to f8nd decent restaurants, dont be attracted because of cheap prices. I love meat, so fewer choices 4) cycling culture. Finding a group is needed but usually involves hill rides because other roads around and in the city can be hazardous, lots of traffic lights and roads are very bumpy. 5) if you like hills, there are few but lets not compare to Spain which has lot more to offer. 6) the air quality in ChangMai is the worst in the last 3 months. I biked in Japan, south korea and Cambodia. Now when i walk or bike in around t,he city, you MUST wear a mask, otherwise your health will be impacted. 7) lots of coffee shops but always mentioned no sugar, no soy milk, no condensed milk, no syrup otherwise prices are good and decent
@@ccamire to each their own mate. I happen to be from Spain (the dude in the video) and I choose Chiang Mai every day of the week over any place in my own country for cycling (except during March and April). Too many reasons for me to waste time writing here. But again, to each their own. Enjoy your travels 🙏🏻
hehehe understandable, I hate Durian first, then I tried a few more times until I absolutely loved it 😂 but first impressions are generally bad with it, too smelly!! Hope you can come back, cheers!
Thank you!! Here's the bike service place: goo.gl/maps/4A2LXyhMPb1WZdJ98 Enjoy your riding and please, come by our coffee shop if you need more advice :) Cheers!
Thank you very much Steven!! We mostly enjoy doing short trips around Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. But surely I take your suggestion for future videos!! We did a similar type of video a while ago: th-cam.com/video/tXdCuce1vRE/w-d-xo.html Cheers!
You didn't spend enough time on the weather. Seems to me the rainy, hot and burning seasons are not great times to visit. One additional positive you could have mentioned is the cost of a cycling vacation in Thailand. I hope to visit one day, best wishes.
Hi David! You are absolutely right! Just trying to sell the good thing and not focusing on the bad 😃✌🏻But the last smoky season wasn’t that bad as usual for some reason, hope it gets better every year 🤞🏻 and you are also right about the low cost of life 🤑 thanks for your feedback!!!
@@CyclingChiangMai In England and maybe other parts of Europe there are frequent accidents, road rage and near misses. See road.cc - 'Near Miss of the Day' plus other articles. I think in those areas some drivers have an anti-bicyclist sentiment - no 'share the road'. I live in southern CA (sorry, much better weather) and even though there are many bike lanes, they are just lines painted on the road but the actual width of the bike lane often does not provide much distance from cars. Here, the issue is a lot of distracted drivers texting and/or are high on something such that serious accidents and death are too common. High population density sets the stage for both of the above problems and makes it more difficult to be safe as a bicyclist. What is safety like in Chiang Mai? Are there many accidents? Are the roads crowded, are drivers respectful of bicyclists and is distracted driving much of a problem?
Thanks for your feedback David. In my opinion Thailand is quite safe for cyclists as long as you get used to the way people drive here, not the same as in western countries. No place is perfect but Chiang Mai is pretty safe for cycling and there's a general feeling of respect towards cyclists. I've been here more than 4 years and luckily haven't had any accidents nor close calls, but I tend to be very careful and defensive on the road :)
It's great here, but the one big caveat is the burning season where the air pollution can become some of the worst in the world. I am wondering if a mask will work. I am thinking of getting into riding
It’s amazing to me how much of a cycling paradise Chiang Mai seems to be. I just got back from Thailand (Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket) and bicycles of any variety seem to be a bit of a rarity. Chiang Mai seems to be the exception.
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
One critical note :: Historically, in March and April, Chiang Mai has some of the worst air quality in the world due to the burning season. The region also sees a fair amount of flooding during the end of the rainy season. For ideal cycling conditions, consider booking your visit Nov thru Feb
That is accurate. We don't cycle in March and April, too hot and smoky. The other 10 months are great for cycling, November and December are just perfect!
Visiting from Melbourne and popped into the cafe today. Great coffee and even picked up a jersey 👍
Thanks for dropping by!! Hope you enjoyed the coffee and your new jersey. Would’ve love to meet but we are in Europe, see you next time 👍🏻🙏🏻👋🏻
Nonstop beautiful roads and scenery 🚴♂🙂.
Are you visiting soon?
@@CyclingChiangMai I should be there in May for a 3 month stay.
04:15 Is this in Suthep road? There is always a truck, which sells Durian. And the vegan restaurant is not far away.
Yes, exactly there 👏🏻👏🏻
I am surprised at the title. I live in Spain and wanted tested your theory about this place. Been here for 3 weeks, i may add some of own comments.
1) weather is great for nov- january butbbalance of the year could be a gamble
2) roads are worse than Spain. Spain has probably the best and lots of km available on flat or hills. I live close to Valencia and have done many place in Spain. I just travel from Cambodia border to Chang Mai. Travelling in the country can be very nice but be aware of dogs. Using the main roads could be dangerous but useful at times because fewer roads are available.
3) food is great in ChagMai but it takes time to f8nd decent restaurants, dont be attracted because of cheap prices. I love meat, so fewer choices
4) cycling culture. Finding a group is needed but usually involves hill rides because other roads around and in the city can be hazardous, lots of traffic lights and roads are very bumpy.
5) if you like hills, there are few but lets not compare to Spain which has lot more to offer.
6) the air quality in ChangMai is the worst in the last 3 months. I biked in Japan, south korea and Cambodia. Now when i walk or bike in around t,he city, you MUST wear a mask, otherwise your health will be impacted.
7) lots of coffee shops but always mentioned no sugar, no soy milk, no condensed milk, no syrup otherwise prices are good and decent
@@ccamire to each their own mate. I happen to be from Spain (the dude in the video) and I choose Chiang Mai every day of the week over any place in my own country for cycling (except during March and April). Too many reasons for me to waste time writing here. But again, to each their own. Enjoy your travels 🙏🏻
Look like I have found what I was hoping for 😮
🙏🏻😊👍🏻
Wow the climbing insane hopefully one day I can climb there with you sir.
Any time mr Han, the climbs are just 2 hours away from Singapore!! 🤍✌🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I agree😍🙏
🤝😊✌️
Miss it so much❤--except Durian!🤧Hope to be there next year again!🚵
hehehe understandable, I hate Durian first, then I tried a few more times until I absolutely loved it 😂 but first impressions are generally bad with it, too smelly!! Hope you can come back, cheers!
1:30 Steep gradients? I've never seen a gradient road sign in Thailand exceed 8% 😉
Yes, never more than 8% according to the road signs 🤣
amazing! i just got my road bike in Chiang Mai! where is the second hand bike repair shop in the video??
Thank you!! Here's the bike service place: goo.gl/maps/4A2LXyhMPb1WZdJ98 Enjoy your riding and please, come by our coffee shop if you need more advice :) Cheers!
Do you know a good place to ride during the burning season in Chiang Mai? Thanks!
Not in particular, everywhere around Chiang Mai has pretty much the same conditions... Hope for some rainy days like today! :)
Hello, are there any recumbent riders in Chiang mai?
@@Cesar82nd 🤷🏻
Love your videos just come across your channel would be amazing to see you attack some hills with power and heart rate overlay on videos
Thank you very much Steven!! We mostly enjoy doing short trips around Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. But surely I take your suggestion for future videos!!
We did a similar type of video a while ago: th-cam.com/video/tXdCuce1vRE/w-d-xo.html
Cheers!
You didn't spend enough time on the weather. Seems to me the rainy, hot and burning seasons are not great times to visit. One additional positive you could have mentioned is the cost of a cycling vacation in Thailand. I hope to visit one day, best wishes.
Hi David! You are absolutely right! Just trying to sell the good thing and not focusing on the bad 😃✌🏻But the last smoky season wasn’t that bad as usual for some reason, hope it gets better every year 🤞🏻 and you are also right about the low cost of life 🤑 thanks for your feedback!!!
@@CyclingChiangMai In England and maybe other parts of Europe there are frequent accidents, road rage and near misses. See road.cc - 'Near Miss of the Day' plus other articles. I think in those areas some drivers have an anti-bicyclist sentiment - no 'share the road'. I live in southern CA (sorry, much better weather) and even though there are many bike lanes, they are just lines painted on the road but the actual width of the bike lane often does not provide much distance from cars. Here, the issue is a lot of distracted drivers texting and/or are high on something such that serious accidents and death are too common. High population density sets the stage for both of the above problems and makes it more difficult to be safe as a bicyclist. What is safety like in Chiang Mai? Are there many accidents? Are the roads crowded, are drivers respectful of bicyclists and is distracted driving much of a problem?
Thanks for your feedback David. In my opinion Thailand is quite safe for cyclists as long as you get used to the way people drive here, not the same as in western countries. No place is perfect but Chiang Mai is pretty safe for cycling and there's a general feeling of respect towards cyclists. I've been here more than 4 years and luckily haven't had any accidents nor close calls, but I tend to be very careful and defensive on the road :)
is it safe to eat cold food like salads in thailand ?
I guess it depends on the establishment that serves you, but in general should be perfectly fine, Thailand is no third-world country my friend ;)
How are the drivers in Chiang Mai? Do they generally respect cyclists?
better than most places, patient and used to slow scooter traffic :)
It's great here, but the one big caveat is the burning season where the air pollution can become some of the worst in the world.
I am wondering if a mask will work. I am thinking of getting into riding
Yeah, March and April better not be here :(
a mask will only work if it is connected to an oxygen tank
@@ignore-fv7rc do you think that fabric masks can filter oxygen molecules?
Good place to find a used bike?
In Chang 2 mechanic: th-cam.com/video/BVzT_nY0AeY/w-d-xo.html
I ❤️ Chiang Mai 🤗😉🤙💙
You have become fully Thai. because you can eat durian 😲🤭🍍
Yesss, I love Thai Durian, it's the best 😍 555555
04:00 I like her, she eats vegan food and is a cyclist 😄
🤣 yeah, and she is a very strong rider on the climbs! 💥✌🏻
@@CyclingChiangMai Ok, I 'm going to date her 🤣