04 Jul 2023
I’ve biked gravel and paved roads leisurely but never have done mountain biking. Really great value for a good mountain bike, helmet, arm/leg gear, hotel pickup, backpack and water water, two meals included, and professional guides. It is steep, rocky, and beautiful. Wonderful time with Tui, Arm, and Amp (she was actually biking as a customer but nevertheless great company)! Notified of pick up time through TripAdvisor and pick up was on time. 30-40 minute drive to the mountain top. We hiked for 1-1.5 hours to Hmong Village. Stopped multiple times for water breaks and to show us various plants, bugs, and scenery. Lychee trees, banana trees, coffee trees/shrubs are everywhere. The bike ride down took 1.5-2 hrs and it gets rocky and steep often. Everyone fell at least once but no big injuries because we were all going slow. Got really lucky because we beat the rain by 10 minutes. At the bottom of the mountain, we ate at these huts by the lake.
Tip 1: Wear athletic long sleeve and athletic long pants. So many mosquitoes and although we didn’t see any, we were warned of leaches. Also, gives you some protection if you fall off the bike. Fell twice and my clothes/safety gear protected me.
Tip 2: Buy mosquito repellant and motion sickness medication in advance. They will stop by a convenience store for you to buy anything you need but I believe motion sickness medication are available in pharmacies.
Tip 3: Go slow! Even if you fall, it will not cause a major accident.
Tip 4: Do not turn your bike suddenly or you will fall. Either keep a straight line even if you feel like you’re going to slip or stop the bike completely. It helped me to fall less.
Tip 5: Did it rain the day before or is it going to rain today? Best to go another day. Gets muddy and slippery. As a beginner, it’s scary when my bike feels out of my control and muddy terrain means lots of slipping.
Tip 6: If you are more experienced than beginner, there are a ton of courses to choose from. Just let the tour guide know and they can adjust the difficulty.
Tip 7: Because I signed up for this alone, they actually pulled me into another group. Got to hike for 1 hour and bike for 1.5 hours. I’m glad it worked out that way because it is much more fun biking with more people.