Hello,
I was wondering if it is wise to make certain purchases online via, for example, Amazon.com (or any other similar website). I was mainly looking at Amazon.com & have found some books on MTB mainly books for enhancing MTB skills, or books on riding fundementals, basics etc. I was actually looking for literature on MTB mechanics or a self-help kind of booklet during accidents as well as something on mastering fundementals etc. Haven't found those yet but if you could help with a link or titles of books or simply state your opinion on this that would be very helpful.
I was also looking into purchasing some items that I haven't searched for yet in Egypt like the following (but also found on Amazon.com):
1- Mini tire pump (to carry in a hydration pack)
2- Lock (for the car bike carrier)
3- Stowaway seat bag (underneath the saddle)
4- Spare tubes (any particular brand?)
For the tire pump, do all pumps work on all types of tires or do vavles/tires vary?
Appreciate your comments!
Regards,
Nora
Hi Nora,
Buying cycling equipment (or anything else for that matter) online is great considering the much lower prices and diversity of product choice. The main problem is usually prohibitively expensive shipping costs and/or customs clearance. Some courier services are available (e.g. Aramex ShopNShip) that enable you to partially circumvent these hurdles, but they're not very useful if you will be buying multiple or large/heavy items.
With regards to self-help mtb instruction material, there is a lot of freely available material on the net that you can make very good use of. I suggest the videos on youtube, vimeo or similar video websites, and there are websites such as
http://mountainbike.about.com that pool together a bunch of resources.
There are two types of tube valves: Presta and Schrader (see
this for explanation). Schrader valves are generally more robust and simpler to use. A lot of the new pumps have a dual head for both types of valves.
Hey Nora, Hani
Mini pump: I saw a couple in Sports Mall in Mohandessin but I haven't tried any of them.
Lock: I got a good numeric combination one from Aboulgoukh Sudan st. for 50 EGP or so. Decent length with heavy plastic covering on the wire to protect the the bike frame.
Spare tubes: Also from Aboulgoukh, I got a few no brand that I haven't tested yet. Take Hani's advise and get the schrader valve one. They won't know what a schrader valve is so ask them for tubes with بلف العربية since the same valve is used in car tires as well.
Gear bags: I would recommend getting a medium size back pack with hydration pack build it and carry all your stuff in it. My reasoning is that you'll need the hydration pack anyway and you'll be carrying that on you back so just carry everything else in there as well. Stow away bags are fiddly, have limited space and take a bit of time to attach and detach from the bike. And since I now use my bike to run daily errands as well, I don't want to hook & unhook those tiny bags every time I stop.
I found a couple of very good back packs here in Egypt with built in pockets for the hydration pack and a pass through opening for the tube, but without the hydration pack itself. You can get one of those and just order the pack from the US to minimize shipping. let me know if you need more info on this.
Buying & Shipping: Life is too short, just ship whatever you need from the US. Waiting for a good opportunity to get stuff cheaply could take months and that means months not going out there and having fun with the proper gear. I just bought a bunch of stuff from REI.com myself.
I have a Shop N Ship account and it very expensive. I only use it with companies that do not ship directly to Egypt.
I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon from books to electronic accessories. You have to know that a lot of the stuff sold on Amazon is actually sold by other vendors and Amazon acts as store front for them. If that's the case you'll find a line on the product page that says "Ships from and sold by XYZ". So if you order a bunch of stuff from Amazon minimize the number of XYZ companies you buy from to minimize the shipping cost.
Keep the tire side down
A.B.
Thanks for sharing the info on this A.B.
I second your thoughts about the saddle bags. A hydration bladder in a normal backpack or a decently sized dedicated hydration pack will provide all the gear storage you need for most rides. I have a couple of saddle bags but rarely use them.
Question: How do you get your stuff when buying online and shipping directly (not using something like ShopNShip, for instance)? Do you go to the post office and pay customs to clear your shipments? Does it ship directly to your door witha customs invoice? I am curious.
Hani Wrote:Question: How do you get your stuff when buying online and shipping directly (not using something like ShopNShip, for instance)? Do you go to the post office and pay customs to clear your shipments? Does it ship directly to your door witha customs invoice? I am curious.
I usually choose and express shipping method when ordering online and it usually comes via DHL, UPS or some similar service. These companies 95% of the time deliver the stuff to your door.
So what is the place with the most varieties, decent quality and fair prices ?? Bescletta Stores, Aboulgoukh , Sports Mall??
DARKKNIGHT Wrote:So what is the place with the most varieties, decent quality and fair prices ?? Bescletta Stores, Aboulgoukh , Sports Mall??
Unfortunately non of those places have decent bikes or accessories. What they do have is often of low quality and/or overpriced.Try buying online if you can.