Cycling Cambodia

That sounds exciting! I'm doing a charity trek across Cambodia - November 2006. I'd go with a tourer, it will be able to cope with your load better. Have you got a route planned yet? The bike I'll be riding is a mountain bike, but then the trek is taking me on dirt tracks more than roads. So if you have a mix of route a tourer will be better. As for frame, that depends on how much you have to spend, really. Front shocks? Personal preference is a yes on that. And I'd go with the panniers. I ride with panniers loaded all the time and the weight for me is better controlled. But these are just MY personal preferences; someone else who has actually completed the terrain may have better advice for you.

Maybe you could call or look at a charity web site that travels to that region to see if they offer any advice?

Best of luck with it! 😉

Spobber said:

I'm planning a two-month tour across Cambodia in January and February next year.
I am trying to decide what type of bike I should buy, and wondered if anyone had any advice for me.
Should I go with a tourer? MTB? Hybrid?
Steel or aluminium?
Front shocks or not?
Panniers or trailer?
If anyone out there has experience touring in Cambodia or Laos, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks,

Spobber

Spobber said:

I'm planning a two-month tour across Cambodia in January and February next year.
I am trying to decide what type of bike I should buy, and wondered if anyone had any advice for me.
Should I go with a tourer? MTB? Hybrid?
Steel or aluminium?
Front shocks or not?
Panniers or trailer?
If anyone out there has experience touring in Cambodia or Laos, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks,

Spobber

I've cycled in Thailand, Laos, Malaysia & Indonesia, but not yet in Cambodia. My preference would be for a steel (just because I like it and it's easy to repair a cracked frame) MTB with panniers. I've never ridden an MTB with suspension, so I can't help you there. I'm guessing you'll find that well paved roads are few and far between.
Whatever storage you have, you will fill it. So, if you restrict your storage, you won't be carrying a lot of stuff that you don't need. I spent the best part of a year riding with 1 pannier and a small backpack.
If you need something during the ride, buy it - don't carry it just in case.
There are a lot of travelogues / blogs out there eg. http://home.hetnet.nl/~busaba/index.html . Read them to see the sort of problems you may encounter. The best thing to carry with you is your attitude - it'll help you a lot more than suspension will. Have fun and don't rush it.

I cycled the length and width of Cambodia two years ago. It can be very trying but terribly rewarding. Conditions can be unbearable, but the people are wonderful. I can't comment on current road conditions but I can't imagine they have improved much. I saw only 30km of pavement (just outside Siem Reap) in the North and about 60km more toward the Vietnam Border in the South. The rest was large loose gravel or heavily potholed dirt....or soupy mud during the rains. It was more Mtn biking than touring.

I seriously would not advise any bike not running 26" wheels with wide moderately aggressive tread.

You do not need to be heavily loaded as camping is a poor option. You CAN camp, but it is easier, [U]MUCH[/U] safer and cheap to stay in hotels, guest houses or the locals. I did the whole trip, even in the remote areas, with no more than 15kg in my back panniers.

Be wary of the heat and humidity. Bottled water is available near everywhere and the only truely safe option (just make sure they are sealed when you buy them). Food can be somewhat dodgy outside of the cities so be mindful, especially if you are not familiar with eating out in Southeast Asia.

TIP: Buy a krama (scarf) when you arrive to guard against the sun and cover your mouth from all the dust worked up by passing vehicles.

Spobber said:

I'm planning a two-month tour across Cambodia in January and February next year.
I am trying to decide what type of bike I should buy, and wondered if anyone had any advice for me.
Should I go with a tourer? MTB? Hybrid?
Steel or aluminium?
Front shocks or not?
Panniers or trailer?
If anyone out there has experience touring in Cambodia or Laos, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks,

Spobber

A friend and I cycled through a vey mountainous north Laos in May 05. My personal preferences are a lighter aluminium MTB with a rigid cro-mo Kona fork, rear rack and Ortleib panniers and small hydration pack. Helmet optional but good for those death defying 80 kmph Mekong (river) speedboat rides.

Get very low climbing gears (up to 34T on a 9spd cassette) There are 20 -30km climbs in north Laos. The south is flatter. I have always preferred the portability of panniers. A bike trailer = another piece of equipement (and a bulky one too) I suppose they're handy for tandem touring/camping or cycling with a fancy fully sussed bike with no rack eyelets. In Cambodia/Laos you might have your bike on a bus roof, a small pick up, a speedboat etc, so
portability is a factor. We put our bikes in a small pick up on a 37 km stretch of greasy mud (in the dry season!) After 33kms the pick up 'died' from its torture and we gleefully rode the last 4 kms on a flooded potholed French made road into Luang Namtha. Big tyres (2.1"😉 and flat handlebars are the way to go. A dropped bar tourer needs more concentration and might result in less control. Lao scenery is extremely distracting.

I'd leave my front shocks at home where they can be serviced/replaced. Out in the boondocks, keep your equipment simple. Bike shops are rare. I guess the 'nearest' equivalent of a 1st world bike shop is in Chiangmai, Thailand or Hong Kong. Indo Chinese roads are rough, and rigid forks are great for endless climbs, as well as 45 kmph downhills. From personal experience, I'd just like to be prepared, so a MTB is my choice. Spare parts and tools...that's another story.

i'm planning on bicycling from Cambodia into Laos. PROBLEM.. talked to Laos embassy in US and they said no crossing into Laos from Cambodia by land borders.... HMMM on the Mr. Pumpy site he details the route to do this... has anybody else ridden into Laos from Cambodia recently 😄... were did you get your Laos visa, what were costs... i'm planning on going in December 2005. thanks for any info.