After looking at satellite images of North Korea I was thinking – I wonder where else has good riding.

Where have you ridden thats well off the beaten track;

Afghanistan
Iran
China
Tibet

I’d love to go to Iran with or without a bike.

Are Oahu and Maui off the beaten track? It’s the USA admittedly.

Not very off the beaten track but northern part of the Czech Republic is fantastic riding. There are loads of forests,some mountains, no gates and if a track is on a map it’s legal to ride.

Afganistan looks absolutely mint, there’re are even Ski resorts! Pakistan is borderline, probably safer, but not by much in the more interesting northern parts.

Less risky;
Tibet/Nepal/India
Mongolia (check out NWD 10 for the Gobi Desert)
The Ande’s

Plenty of mountains here in India but I don’t think I could cope with the heat out on a bike.

Anything in russia?

I don’t think I could cope with the heat out on a bike.

I’m willing to give it a go, it’s piggin freezing here.

This has always looked sort of a mad ride http://www.ironcurtaintrail.eu/en/

I was pottering about at the Muztagata base camp a few years ago and saw a bunch of Chinese guys walking up with a horde of porters pushing some very expensive, very unused looking bikes up. Don’t know how far up they got but I imagine it’d be a pretty cracking descent.