New fun on wheels | Bangkok Post: travel

FREEWHEEL

When I was little, my mother bought me a tricycle. It didn't look as cool as the bikes older boys were riding but I couldn't blame her because what she did seemed like a logical first step. After all, three wheels were evidently easier to handle and thus safer than two wheels.

But people learn as they grow up. And recently, at the age of 44, I've come to realise that a trike could be much, much more dangerous than my mom had thought. And more fun, too!

I was on a working trip in the northern province of Chiang Rai the other day when I saw a small scoop in a local magazine about a group of young men in their twenties and their burning passion for drift triking.

Wait a minute! Drift triking? What on Earth is that? You might ask.

From what I saw in the magazine, it is a high-speed ride down mountain road on a tricycle with weird-looking rear wheels. To me, an addict to downhill mountain-biking, which is also a gravity-assisted sport, this seemed like so much fun!

So I quickly contacted the group and the next evening I went to meet them at the Rango shop, a stone's throw from the Central Plaza Chiang Rai. The shop looked more like a pub, with the bar and tall stools scattered around it. On one of the walls, five or six tricycles were hung by their front wheels.

"We've rent this place for two months now, with no intention of actually selling anything," said Kaeng, leader of the Chiang Rai drift trikers who call themselves the Rango Team. "We just need a place for our members to meet and keep our trikes."

Upon closer examination, I saw that the frames of some of the trikes were modified from BMX frames. And those blue plastic back wheels are actually huge, very thick PVC pipe that allows the trike to drift over the surface of winding mountain roads!

"We made our trikes ourselves," said John, the team's mechanic, adding that going downhill at speed sometimes up to 80km per hour requires a strong rig not available for sale in Thailand. Their hand-built trikes cost around 2,500 to 3,000 baht. The other boys revealed that John was the one who built a trike for everybody.

I was told that drift triking is a new craze in many countries, such as New Zealand, Australia and the US, although the number of people doing it is just a fraction of mountain bikers. In Thailand, there are about 30 drift trikers at the moment, half of them in Chiang Rai.

"We were the first Thais to adopt the sport five months ago," says Kaeng, "Now there are drift trikers in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Chon Buri and a few in Bangkok."

"So what's the fun of riding down the mountain on a tricycle? " I asked.

"Speeeeed!" Everyone replied.

Unlike drifting a car, drifting a trike involves no braking or engine power. Just a little of over steering would be enough for the plastic rear wheels of the trike to lose traction and slide on the road surface.

Doing so at high speed requires precise control and good line selection. A miscalculated attempt would easily result in the trike spinning out of control or shooting off the curve. And there are so many things awaiting you on the roadside, from concrete markers and electrical poles to rainwater drainage and even a steep cliff.

According to the Rango boys, accidents can happen during any run but so far none of them had been seriously injured. "We make it a rule that everybody wears a helmet," said Kaeng.

Asked if they had ever had problem with other road users or the police, Kaeng said that Chiang Rai has so many mountain roads, some of them rarely have cars passing. The team leader claimed that, as locals, he and his friends know which roads are good for their sport. Also, the trikers need a pickup truck to transport them to the starting point on the mountain, and the same truck serves as a pilot vehicle on the way down so as to reduce the chance of oncoming cars running into the drift trikers by surprise.

"One more question," I asked. "I see some of your trikes are not fitted with a brake. How do you stop or slow down?"

"We use our shoes," John, the mechanic, revealed with a laugh. Another boy said that he has to buy new pair of shoes every few weeks because the sole wear out very quickly.

The Rango boys run a Facebook page called "Drift Trike Thailand," in case you have something you want to ask about the sport. To get an international perspective, check out websites such as www.d-trikes.com or http://huffyslider.com. Also, video clips of drift triking are not hard to find on the Internet.

I'll show my mum some of those videos and see what she thinks.

Well, see you here again next Thursday. Until then, if you have questions, news or biking insights you wish to share, please feel free to send an email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th or go to "Freewheel Bangkok" community page on Facebook.

Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor and a mountain bike freak.

 Photos Courtesy of RANGO TEAM