It's the start of another year (and a Happy, Properous, Joyful and Healthy 2007 to you all) and while I was on away from my bike for the longest time since buying it (ten days in all - I mean - can you believe that!) I still managed to get out and about by pedal power while out in northern Thailand - a lovely little place called Pai to be exact!
Unfortunately the bike hire firm didn't have anything as sophisticated as a Cannondale racer so I had to make do with a "common" mountain bike (oh I'm such a bike snob!) but as it happens I really had a good laugh - not only did I have a go at riding off-road (without falling off despite near hysterical laughter) but I also found the road riding section to be most reasonable - okay so I couldn't sprint for quite as long, nor climb to such great speeds as I've seen on my own bike but it really wasn't bad at all as an added bonus the seat was disturbingly high too (yes believe it or not - I actually had a bike that fitted me - perhaps not frame-wise but certainly the seat-peddle-handlebar ratio was correct!)
The only thing I really couldn't handle was the climbing - it was freaking hard and not very rewarding! This was undoubtedly a combination of chunky tires and heavy bike... The quick shifters weren't bad although full-throttle changes were best avoided due to the nowhere-near-smooth change action and the lack of toe-clips...
I liked riding around Pai so much I'm actually considering moving to the northern city of Chiang Mai - not only does this city have a more diverse geography (that means more hills to you) but with far less traffic on the roads it should be a whole heap safer... Actually scratch that last bit - I passed a nasty road traffic accident on the way into Chiang Mai in the early hours of New Years Day and the poor fellow who was riding a scooter involved in the incident simply looked like that ride was to be his last - alas the coach I was sat on-board didn't stop so I've no idea whether he made it or not...
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