Cycling groups?

Check out Bangkok Biking on Facebook, they do weekend morning rides that are pretty chill and usually around 40-50k. They meet at Lumpini Park around 6am so you beat the heat and traffic. Also there's a group called Bangkok Cycling Club that does a Saturday ride from Bang Krachao, that's a nice flat route through the green bits south of the city.

For longer relaxed rides I'd suggest the Bang Krachao loop itself, it's about 25k on dedicated paths and you can extend it by crossing the river to Phra Pradaeng. Just watch out for the soi dogs near the ferry landing, they're territorial but not aggressive if you keep rolling.

If you're near Sukhumvit, Probike on Soi 24 does a casual shop ride every Sunday morning, they pace it for mixed levels. No need to be a racer, they'll drop anyone who's too fast anyway.

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honestly the best way to find rides is just showing up at the rotfai park bike track on a saturday morning around 7, there's always a few groups gathering by the main parking lot. some are serious but plenty of casual crews just doing loops and then heading to the market for breakfast

there's a whatsapp group called bangkok slow riders that does weekday evening loops from samyan, usually around 30k through rattanakosin. dm me if you want the invite link, they're pretty strict about no racing vibes

the bang krachao route is solid but i'd skip the ferry at bangna-trad on weekends, the wait gets long. better to cross at wat khlong toei, it's quieter and drops you right at the sri nakhon khuean kan park entrance

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have you checked out bangkokbikes.com? they have a weekly ride calendar that's pretty reliable, mostly roadies but they're nice to new people. the saturday morning ride from phra khanong hits bang krachao which is basically an island of green in the city, super flat and zero traffic

i'd also suggest just going to the cycling lane on rama 9 bridge around 6am on a sunday, you'll see groups forming organically and most are happy to let you tag along. just bring a spare tube and some baht for the 7-11 stops

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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