Cycling and Mountain Biking in Northern Thailand

In 1995 we launched our first fully supported mountain biking Adventure through Northern Thailand. This was the beginning of the “Northern Trails Biking Adventures”.

Today with our fleet of quality mountain bikes, full work shop, qualified mechanics, tools and support, we remain the leading organizers of mountain biking tours in Northern Thailand. We offer professional, quality off-road biking and multi-sport adventure tours at affordable prices, while retaining the personal touch and flexibility so important to the success of this kind of holiday.

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Equipment

We provide well maintained quality Shimano equipped mountain bikes. We carry a fleet of imported TREK mountain-bikes, mostly model TREK 4300, with 24 gears and front suspension. Spare parts and tools are taken along in our escort vehicle. Our bikes should fit persons from 130cm to 200cm (4’ to 6.6’). The Trek bike frames sizes range between 13" and 21.5". Models 4400 with Rockshox Dart forks are available for our longer tours.

Food and accommodation

Depending on the program, we stay in selected hotels, usually blending Northern Thai style with comfort. (Refer to your program). Sometime we stay with a family in a hill-tribe village. Food is taken at local restaurants or or in the hotel. Nutrition is important when cycling. Main meals are served with rice. There is always enough food and we eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Drinking water, fruits and snacks are always available in our escort vehicle. Other drinks are not included in the price, but widely available at local restaurants and shops along the way.

What to bring?

Recommended personal equipment: Gloves, sunglasses. A pair of mountain-biking shoes, or running / cross-country shoes (hard-soles reduce foot fatigue). Bicycle shorts and gear (if you do not have padded cycling shorts, we recommend light cotton shorts, with an elastic waist-band). We require all participants to wear a helmet at all time!

Clothing: Long sleeve sweater or jogging suit, windbreaker, cotton T-shirts or lycra’s. Please pack all in a soft bag that we can take in the escort vehicle. We also recommend a fleece for winter season, and a waterproof during the rainy season. A small backpack can be practical to carry small personal items such as camera, etc.. For most of our tours, large suitcases can be deposited in Chiangmai (at your hotel or our office) or even be taken in the escort vehicle. On request, if you bring your own SPD pedals we can install them on our bike. (Make sure you bring shoes and pedals). Some cycling equipment can be found in Chiang Mai, including helmet, gloves, etc..

Can you join?

Anyone in a good physical condition can join our regular cycling trips. Participants riding bicycle on a regular basis will better enjoy the trip. If someone feels tired, they can always rest in the escort vehicle. You don’t have to carry your belongings either, so the trip is more fun! On request, subject to availability, non-cycling accompanying persons are welcome to join the trip, traveling in our escort vehicle.

Risk of Adventure…

Participants understand that this type of adventure travel may incur some risks!
We provide a local, very limited coverage, accident insurance, as per Thai Law.
However, we strongly recommend participants to contract a personal travel insurance before taking this trip. Make sure the insurance contract is for “accident” and stipulates no restriction for outdoor activities such as mountain-biking, cycling, trekking.

We require participants to sign a “liability release” before trip departure, stating their agreement to absolve all responsibility from the tour operator and/or its affiliates, for any causes such as accidents, monetary loss, bodily injury or death.

More options?

We also organize a wide range of day-trips, cycling/mountain biking trips, departing from Chiang Mai. Look here for details.

Please send us an email if you have any special request, tour group, long tip, bike rental. at Contact Travel, we operate our own cycling tours since 1995. We maintain a large fleet of bikes, escort vehicles, guides, in order to customize any size group.

For more cycling tours in Thailand and Southeast Asia, visit our partner site Northerntrails.com. also operated by Contact Travel .