Solo bikepacking the most iconic route in Thailand - Mae Hong Son 

just for riding in this humidity you achieved something big. thanks for providing this much footage. I figured it would be a great idea to see thailand by bike and you just delivered proof of that.

I know all the roads you were driving but from the seat of a motorbike. What you are doing is unbelievable coz I know how steep and endless this slosh’s can be. With your drone you add a very crucial view to the experiences of this landscape. As you mentioned the view from the road level is mostly blocked from bushes and forests. Wish you good health and safety!

Thanks a lot for sharing. Love the mountain roads there. I was on solo ride there in November last year. On my on-off road Suzuki motobike. Took me 5 days to get from Singapore to Chiang Mae. Well worth it. Enjoyed the mountain roads for 4 days. Must do it again another year. Best is to rent a Motobike in Chiang Mae. Took me 5 days to get home. Thanks!!!

We have been excited for this video, we rode it last year and heading back next month…..safe travels….Sitting in Toronto watching the rain….

New sub. Incredible footage. Thank you for your hard work both cycling and vlogging^^

still the most underrated bike channel on youtube 💯💯 fun fact: the original carolina reaper was grown in my hometown. funny to see how far it has propagated

Hi Johnny, another great content, work and effort!!! The process of positioning the camera to film, GoPro, flying the drone and doing those climbs, plus following up with video editing and processing. Hope your channel will receive the deserved amount of audience. Keep it up!!!

This is a great video. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

Loved watching this. I did the exact same stops in January 2023 except we overnighted in Chom Thong and did Doi Inthanon on our last day. No panniers up Inthanon so that was good but boy was it brutal. Thanks so much for all your great work putting this together as I just took photos on my crap phone.

Gorgeous footage. Crazy day stats with those elevations too :)

Really enjoyed that (and a very well-made video too!). I got a coffee table book of cycling tours in a Secret Santa a few years ago and it featured the Mae Hong Son loop. Been wanting to do it ever since. Happy cycling!

Absolute natural on screen - really cool film

Thanks for sharing the journey.. Lots of work done in capturing the moment.

Did it again in November. Your video reminded me of how beautiful it is and how much I don’t see when I’m going up some 15% non stop pig of a climb.

I wished I could be riding there so some of my friend named that route Ring of fire .Stay safe and enjoy your day and thank for sharing

This was a great video. It is a dream to cycle around Thailand. Your content is well done and your a tough cyclist. Solo too! Wow.

Man, this a crazy great challenge you did out there. Very beautiful views. You aren't missing anything in Canada my friend, rent prices are still climbing, buying house just forget it. Those if us who work hard get more load from their bosses. those who can't deliver, they are just left alone and get the same paycheque. Total Socialism we are building here, so don't rush to come back any time soon. 🚴

You are in danger of dying when on a road in Thailand. I have travelled there many times and it is rated the 16th worst country in the world for traffic casualties! As you said, the traffic can be quite aggressive so beware. Great ride and video. I have no idea how you can pull those kind of of grades and distances in that heat and humidity - very strong riding. I would like to do a ride next visit to Thailand. Have you done or know of a less demanding route that still gets you off the beaten track? How do you like living in Chiang Mai? I know it has gotten quite big and Smokey, but still nice? Thanks

Thanks for making such a high quality video FYI riding in Thailand can be abit dangerous, so be careful 😊

Thanks for sharing this amazing biking trip. Even watching it at home, I can feel the heat & sweating you're having. Be safe on your next biking adventures.

That was a beautiful ride. I live in Thailand myself but haven't done the loop. Chapeau for doing it with all the video kit. Also heard you speak some Thai; some people take a lot longer than 18 months to do that. One of the things that kills me about this beautiful country is the habit of littering. It looked like one of those early viewpoints was a victim. Anyway. Loved the vid will look out for more.

Thanks for sharing, good to hear and see all of the positives, route so beautiful, plus also some of the alternative options.

@49:34 I think I know exactly which 7-11 you stopped at there (from the layout. id been there many times in the last few weeks) Looks like you had to go about 25-35km when it was pretty dark great drone footage. Verrrry nice

Just came back from Pai, Mae Hong Son didn't do the complete loop as I didn't have enough time... It's no joke those gradients will definitely come back for more

Iv done the Mae Hong Son Loop in both directions. If you plan on riding out in the early morning, take some warm clothes. Turtle neck, pull over face bogging, wind blocker etc. Late morning and the rest of the day is quite warm.

Hi Johnny.....loved your video of the loop.........very good quality............the ride looks great and you have inspired me to come there...........and the roads are super..........just a couple of things from an old bike-packer........I noticed your downhill speed was much faster than I would go so please be careful..............your hands were more often than not.........on the top of your handlebar brakes...........very dangerous.........should be at the lowest point possible which gives you more balance in case of holes on the road or silly on coming trucks........... also your riding shirts were very dark .......also very dangerous .........on the last leg I did not see any bicycle lights............riding at night wearing dark clothing and no lights.........riding at night is very dangerous...I have about 4 lights on all the time..........even during the day............I hope you are not offended by my comments..........I am 72 years old......cheers Kenny from Melbourne

Spot on, spectacular views along your journey to the top. Amazing drone😊😊 shots . Never seem such beautiful scenery. Enjoy your wonderful moments. Where's your home base?

Wow, amazing video! Well done!

the up toward Inthanon is unrideable fully loaded, you went on the anticlockwise direction which is the most difficult due to that insanely steep long climb, unless you went through Hot??? ... i am riding the loop now, great work great vid ... i am in Mae Hong Son now, Mae Sariang was beautiful i stayed 4 days.. next stop Ban Rak ... what a beautiful country this is... started in Phuket 4 months ago,,, the River Kwai is so far the most incredible part of Thailand.. i spent 2 months riding both sides of it.. SangkhlaBuri is a must from Kanchanburi if you want a beautiful ride

Everytime I passed Mae Sarieng, Inthira shop was packed with tourists. It's very well known among Thai tourists and I haven't had chance to try.

These are great videos. I would love to know what gear you take on your bike and also where you get the music. You got some great skills here!

Great stuff. Instead of 7/11 for coffee, consider bus stations for strong filtered robusta.

Great video!! Thank you for making these. I am sure not carrying the extra weight would have been easier!

I commented already on one of your other videos but I am coming to Chiang Mai Thailand later this year and you're getting me stoked. Just bringing my bike, laptop, and a suitcase. Part of the draw for me is the affordability - I can just do freelance work instead of working a 9-5, and this will buy me a lot more time for what i really want to do - cycling and exploring. Also I noticed in another video you just leaned your bike against a rail and walked away to a temple. Is this safe/okay here? I would be paranoid about my bike getting stolen if I did that back where I live in the US.

Love your vids, went to CM Last month for Garmin trip and Doi Suthep, Can't wait to leave my work in BKK and go back555

you are staying at B2 hotel in Pai, did you cycle passing along the mountain route of Huai Nam Dang national park? if yes that is a huge climb of over 1500m elevation and over 50km long distance mountain terrian. also there is over 20 % gradient at the top section route to the national park.

Great...

Will love to go back and do this route. 😊

Loving your videos, Johnny - thanks for sharing! Will be cycling in Thailand in January, what would you recommend for a week long bike trip in the North? Debating whether to go to Nan or do mae hong son loop, what do you recommend? I guess the latter will be more crowded during that time …

Great video as always. Thanks for the travel tips at the end. A friend was saying that Wahoo might be less problematic than Garmin. Maybe there's something to that.

Awesome videos, I've lived in Thailand 15 years and never been to Chiang Mai. What model Garmin are you using?

Just finished watching your video. Great! Thanks! Why settle in Chiang Mai, May I ask?

How can you not order the moo ping too so yummy! Maybe you’re veggie?

Oh man, i missed ya in chiang mai.

Hello, I live in Koh Phangan and am planning to do this loop in November. What gears did you use? I'm currently changing the gears on my bike because I can't climb some of the hills in Koh Phangan (25%+ grade). I guess Mae Hong Son is probably similar but with even longer climbs.

Hey man what time of day did you leave CM? I arrived in town this week with my roadie but the roads have already shit me up😂

Oh that’s classic garmin just unpair them all and repair usually fixes it.

I did the same but on a motorcycle.

Good video good ride 🎉 what a camera you using?

😍🤙🏻

10km elevation?? that's mt everest level

What's the recommended low gear-inches to tackle this?

🥧

Hope you were joking about "all that weight!" . I got laugh at bicycling thru Europe !! You have Nothing. Lol

Never Ride Thailand! " A tourist minivan lost control on a curve in Mae Hong Son, crashing into guardrails and a tree, leaving multiple passengers injured (Sept 2023, ASEANNOW). According to the World Health Organization, at LEAST 20,000 people die on Thailand's high-speed agressive roads every year. It get's worse with narrow roads that have Thai motorcyclist and Vans of Pai-bound tourists from Chiang Mai driving around traffic at top speeds. NEVER bike in Thailand. Never. RU-vidrs like Jonny and others need to stop hyping this dangerous country which doesn't have any sort of culture for safety or common sense. Also!! North Thailand has the most toxic air pollution in the world every year from November to May. Biking during that time is the equivilant of smoking to packs of cigarettes a day* if you are biking because you are absorbing more air. *25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air = 1 cigarettes of PM2.5 particles.

Thank you for your inspiration ride to me. I'll ride CNX-PAI-CNX first time in my life next week🚵‍♂️🦵😎.