What used to be a 5-hour journey from Bangkok to Hua Hin is now only 3 hours (on selected trains) because of the new dual track, so I thought I'd try it out to see how it goes.
We booked a ticket for the Bangkok-Surat Thani Sprinter Train #43, departing Bangsue Grand Station (Krungthep Apiwat Station) at 07.30 hrs., the scheduled arrival time in Hua Hin is 10.31 hrs. and the fare is Baht 330 per person.
The train was unfortunately delayed by 15 minutes, but I must say that everyone involved tries hard to keep the train on schedule, so praise goes to the SRT (State Railway of Thailand).
Hopefully with newer trains and the full completion of dual track, the journey will be reduced to 2 hours 30 minutes .... at least that's my dream. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-wohMkWFs8
Just got myself a Brompton for my travels in Bangkok, my previous folder, a Birdy suffered a cracked suspension fork so I got rid of it.
The Brompton is made for intermodal travel, cycling in-between places, a distance of not more than 10 kilometers, anything over that and it gets a bit tiring.
The Birdy, on the other hand, is suited for long-distance rides, something the Brompton can not match. The drawback of the Birdy is the fold and ability in rolling whilst folded.
I've actually owned a Brompton before but sold it to purchase a Birdy. Now I find myself going back to a Brompton, and still crave the Birdy, so I think it will boil down to having to own two folders :)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfr86qqkvcg
Just about had it with the stock tires on the Brompton, so I decided to order a pair of Continental Contact Urban from Bikeinn.com.
I chose these tires because of the reviews, especially from Brilliant Bikes, (you should check out her YouTube channel), so I was intrigued. The wait for the tires to be delivered was agonizing to say the least, wait, wait, and more waiting, but finally, they arrived, and this video is about the very first day of riding.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpp8dZikZQE
Mostly downhill on this wet rainy day, I had to apply both brakes because the road can get rather slippery, besides I didn't want to wipe out after doing a record up hill ride earlier.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoIYA_woO-U
Brompton ride along Klong Saen Saeb Canal, starting around Siam Square area at Saphan Hua Chang and riding on the narrow pathway to Saphan Phanfa in the old part of town, aka Rattanakosin area.
It is a trip that I had actually planned to do on foot long but ended up taking my Brompton instead, which was a good choice. Distance is just over 3 kilometers, though in the video I mentioned 15 kilometers, that was the approximate distance I had already covered for that day.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfwi69XKye8
The renovated Suvarnabhumi bike track is now known as the Happy and Healthy Bike Lane! Rather a long name, but who cares, it's a great place to ride your bike without having to worry about being rear-ended by a car.
It now comes with more facilities including toilets and shower area, plus food & beverage vendors, and a couple of bike shops. Oh, there's also a 1.5-kilometer running track, a bit on the short side, but that's fine.
I was riding a heavy chromoly mountain bike this time around, and at certain points, the side wind was enough to make me move sideways, can't imagine what it would be like on a light carbon road bike. Also, there's headwind to challenge, for road bikes it should be a problem as you are huddled down in an aero position, by my mountain bike was like a sail.
The track is 23.5 kilometers, it seems like a short distance, but the wind makes you realize differently.
Proper gear is required, shoes, helmets, etc. and lights if you are riding before sunrise and after sunset.
Highly recommended if you want to kill a couple of hours, cycling+coffee+chitchat+bike shopping :)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aymMsUYkqWI
Rai Kiatnakhornchai MTB Marathon Championship 2020 (ไร่เกียรตินครชัย)
After spending a couple of months in lockdown, all I wanted was to break free, get on my bike and ride. I searched for events that had not been cancelled and found this event for 9 Aug 2020, never heard of it before, 65 kms is a breeze I though cuz I've cycled much longer.
I'm pretty sure that being in lockdown for so long had a lot to do with my muscles being not up to par, but this was one for sure a very hard race to ride.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYLSbbBzIp8