I decided to plan a bike trip to Thailand with a friend of mine. We decided this after seeing a bike tour that goes from Bangkok to Phuket. I was hoping I might be able to quickly absorb some of the obviously abundant knowledge here on that topic. Not only do I need a little advice on the biking aspect of the trip, but also on planning a trip from Japan, period.
I am not a long-distance rider by nature or in practice. The farthest I've gone in a single ride was about 80km. We want to make the >800km trip in 7 days, so that would put me over my longest distance for each day. I don't anticipate that being a problem, but if you have any warnings, let me know.
Now for the questions:
I remember reading about MontBell insurance in one of the sticky threads. Do I call Bellcadia Co and just set that up over the phone? Are there any pre-requisites, as in having a certain affiliation with Japan, beyond being a visitor?
Do you think a GPS is necessary? If I get the Garmin Edge 705, is the Southeast Asia map necessary? Do you think eBay is a reliable place to get one? I know there was a discussion on this, but only a quick mention of eBay. I would like to put a little effort into trying to get it cheaper there if it's reliable.
Do you have any suggestions for items to bring beyond a pump, a helmet, a few tubes, a patch kit, a multi-tool, two water bottles, lights, a cell phone, a few pairs of socks, sunglasses, one bike outfit with bike shoes, one beach outfit with sandals, a toothbrush, a small bivy, a tarp to put over stuff we want to keep dry in case of rain, sunblock, bug spray, soap, a camera, some food, and maybe some very basic first-aid stuff? Or is that already too much (as in, you would bring less)?
I am curious about your personal preferences for food to supplement your meals with. I'll do some more research on this, but I think that may be one of the biggest issues. If I ride to any reasonable extent, I go into calorie deficit very easily. I will be doing other workouts in addition to the riding (body-weight exercises), and already know I'm going to come back looking like a different person. What do you prefer/suggest?
I have a bike case, but I'm not sure how I would get it from Bangkok to Phuket. Would you recommend just arriving at and departing from Phuket and doing a different route? Or do you know a reliable way to send something ahead within one week? Or do you have an alternate solution? Are rental bikes ever worth it for trips that long?
How much does it cost to bring a bike with you on flights with Japanese airlines?
What company would you recommend getting a flight with?
How much is the tax on a flight to Thailand?
Do you have any suggestions on good, cheap bivies? This one caught my eye, http://www.greatoutdoorsdepot.com/od-storm-bivi.html, but I have no experience with outdoor equipment.
I would appreciate any information you can provide. I am really excited about this trip and want to fit in as much pain and pleasure as possible. Maybe, as a side, you could recommend other places for me to visit while I'm in Japan for good biking. I probably won't go back to the US for a year, so I have plenty of time. This thread could become a good complement to the "Dream Bikes" thread.
I am not a long-distance rider by nature or in practice. The farthest I've gone in a single ride was about 80km. We want to make the >800km trip in 7 days, so that would put me over my longest distance for each day. I don't anticipate that being a problem, but if you have any warnings, let me know.
Now for the questions:
I remember reading about MontBell insurance in one of the sticky threads. Do I call Bellcadia Co and just set that up over the phone? Are there any pre-requisites, as in having a certain affiliation with Japan, beyond being a visitor?
Do you think a GPS is necessary? If I get the Garmin Edge 705, is the Southeast Asia map necessary? Do you think eBay is a reliable place to get one? I know there was a discussion on this, but only a quick mention of eBay. I would like to put a little effort into trying to get it cheaper there if it's reliable.
Do you have any suggestions for items to bring beyond a pump, a helmet, a few tubes, a patch kit, a multi-tool, two water bottles, lights, a cell phone, a few pairs of socks, sunglasses, one bike outfit with bike shoes, one beach outfit with sandals, a toothbrush, a small bivy, a tarp to put over stuff we want to keep dry in case of rain, sunblock, bug spray, soap, a camera, some food, and maybe some very basic first-aid stuff? Or is that already too much (as in, you would bring less)?
I am curious about your personal preferences for food to supplement your meals with. I'll do some more research on this, but I think that may be one of the biggest issues. If I ride to any reasonable extent, I go into calorie deficit very easily. I will be doing other workouts in addition to the riding (body-weight exercises), and already know I'm going to come back looking like a different person. What do you prefer/suggest?
I have a bike case, but I'm not sure how I would get it from Bangkok to Phuket. Would you recommend just arriving at and departing from Phuket and doing a different route? Or do you know a reliable way to send something ahead within one week? Or do you have an alternate solution? Are rental bikes ever worth it for trips that long?
How much does it cost to bring a bike with you on flights with Japanese airlines?
What company would you recommend getting a flight with?
How much is the tax on a flight to Thailand?
Do you have any suggestions on good, cheap bivies? This one caught my eye, http://www.greatoutdoorsdepot.com/od-storm-bivi.html, but I have no experience with outdoor equipment.
I would appreciate any information you can provide. I am really excited about this trip and want to fit in as much pain and pleasure as possible. Maybe, as a side, you could recommend other places for me to visit while I'm in Japan for good biking. I probably won't go back to the US for a year, so I have plenty of time. This thread could become a good complement to the "Dream Bikes" thread.
