MTB Egypt Forums

Hi,
I had a cheap moutain bike (800 L.E) and I am considering buying a new one
my budget is between 4,000 and 6,000 L.E
I don't want to buy Gitane
and I wonder where can I find (and buy) well known brands like trek,GT,kona,specialised and jamis ?

I have been riding for about 2 years
I ride for relatively long distances (about 20km) but never off road

I am looking for full suspension bike,
Also I would like to know what kind of maintenance does it require

Thanks in Advance
Mina Magdy

Welcome to the forums, Mina

First things first: I am curious as to why you want a full-suspension bike when you only intend to ride on paved roads? Do you intend to start riding off-road?

L.E. 4000 will get you a very good hardtail bike. L.E. 6000 will get you an entry-level full suspension bike.

If you are only considering full-suspension bikes, then limit your search in the short-to-medium travel category (100-120 mm of travel). If you have never ridden off road and just starting out, a long travel bike does not make sense, especially if you intend to ride it more on the road than off-road.

An essential feature to have for pedaling efficiency is suspension lock-outs or some sort of suspension "platform" that you can switch on when you don't need suspension (i.e. on the road). Even on Cairo's bumpy roads, modern MTB suspension is not necessary, and if you DO need some suspension on the road, the air in your fat tires is enough

As a general rule. Good suspension is expensive. Air suspension will cost more than coil. More adjustability=more cost.

Bike recommendations in your category of interest would be Specialized FSR XC Comp, Cannondale RZ 120 4, Trek Top Fuel, Marin Quad XCR, Jamis Dakar XC, Scott Spark, etc. Some of these models are probably a bit more than your budget limit, but below this price point you will be looking at mediocre/low-quality full-suspension bikes, and you're better off with a good hardtail instead.

As for maintenance, it is just like any other bike but on top of that there will be the long-term maintenance for the suspension linkage bearings/bushings and suspension fork and shock service (seal and busing replacement, oil levels, etc..). Some of this maintenance is very easy if you have the tools and patience to look at guides available online.

As to where you can buy these: I have never seen any decent full-suspension bikes sold in Egypt, so you'll have to import one. I recommend the US where good deals can often be had on previous years' models. If you're traveling abroad, bring one along to avoid customs and shipping costs.

If you are looking at a specific bike, post it here and I'll be glad to give you additional recommendations

I did some researched on the Internet when I decided to buy a new MTB
Most people recommended that "if you can buy full suspension then buy full suspension bike"
I suffered a lot because my current bike has no suspension at all!
so those are the two reasons I wanted full suspension for

but now I am not sure, you said hard tail is fine in our bumpy roads
and I could a very good one for 4,000
so I think I will reconsider hard tail
still buying good hard tail bike require travelling to US right?
how much taxes (and shipping) will it cost me? any idea?
DHL is making a great service that let the dealer ship the bike to a US address (assigned to you by DHL) and then DHL will ship it to Egypt.
Do u think that will be a good option (since I can't travel and can't get someone I know to carry a bike with him in the plan?)

There are some hardtails on offer in Egypt, but all I have seen so far is low-end bikes.

If you bring it yourself (travel and bring it along as checked luggage) you will not pay any import tax. Depending on the airline and your luggage allowance, your airline might charge you some money.

DHL and Aramex have some personal freight forwarding services, but you will be paying import tax (30%), shipping costs (in the country of origin and then from there to Egypt), and customs clearance fees that will significantly add to the cost. I would not recommend it unless you are sure of what you'll be paying over and above the price of the bike.

Your options for good hardtails in this range are many. Look at what Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Jamis and many others offer in this range. I like the Specialized's Stumpjumper and Cannondale Flash and Trail SL, but those will be over your L.E. 4000 budget unless you can find some deals on 2008 or 2009 models). There is also the Jamis Dakota Comp which you can find for about L.E. 5000 or so. Rocky Mountain and Yeti make some good hardtails too.

Thanks,
then I guess I will have to wait until I travel to US
Thanks for all the info and suggestions