04-09-2009, 02:21 PM
04-09-2009, 03:31 PM
Cairo suffers from a sever lack of good bike shops. There is one or two that carry low end to medium range road and mountain bikes, like Besceletta in Heliopolis. However, they cannot be recommended because:
1- Most of their products are severely overpriced: they mostly sell car-branded bikes like Peaugot, BMW, Jeep, etc. In my opinion, most of those bikes are not worth the money. Outdated, heavy frame designs with low end shimano components.
2- They do not carry a good choice of frame sizes.
3- They do not KNOW much about frame sizes. I once asked one of their staff members about the frame size of a certain bike and he gave me a blank stare and said "26". What he meant of course is the standard wheel size for most mountain bikes: 26 inches (FYI the less common wheel sizes are 29' and 650C)
4- Their aftersale service sucks (based on reports from people who purchased bikes from them)
5- They do not carry any sort of decent accessories.
Your best bet would be to import (or partially import) a bike.
As for the tire choice for riding in Wadi Degla, the general agreement seems to be that the fatter and knobbier, the better. Makes sense considering that the wadi's terrain is very rocky and harsh. There is a lot of tires to choose from out there. My personal favorites are WTB Motoraptor 2.4, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4 and Maxxis Crossmark. I usually run a wider tire with more aggressive tread patetrn on rear for better traction.
1- Most of their products are severely overpriced: they mostly sell car-branded bikes like Peaugot, BMW, Jeep, etc. In my opinion, most of those bikes are not worth the money. Outdated, heavy frame designs with low end shimano components.
2- They do not carry a good choice of frame sizes.
3- They do not KNOW much about frame sizes. I once asked one of their staff members about the frame size of a certain bike and he gave me a blank stare and said "26". What he meant of course is the standard wheel size for most mountain bikes: 26 inches (FYI the less common wheel sizes are 29' and 650C)
4- Their aftersale service sucks (based on reports from people who purchased bikes from them)
5- They do not carry any sort of decent accessories.
Your best bet would be to import (or partially import) a bike.
As for the tire choice for riding in Wadi Degla, the general agreement seems to be that the fatter and knobbier, the better. Makes sense considering that the wadi's terrain is very rocky and harsh. There is a lot of tires to choose from out there. My personal favorites are WTB Motoraptor 2.4, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4 and Maxxis Crossmark. I usually run a wider tire with more aggressive tread patetrn on rear for better traction.
07-28-2009, 02:09 PM
Hani Wrote:Your best bet would be to import (or partially import) a bike.
What do you mean "partially import"?
07-28-2009, 02:13 PM
abadr Wrote:Hani Wrote:Your best bet would be to import (or partially import) a bike.
What do you mean "partially import"?
Either buy a frame from abroad and build it up here (OK components are relatively easier to find in Egypt than good frames), or vice versa: find a decent used (or new) frame and get the components from abroad (shipping costs will be much less than a complete bike or a frame).
A friend of mine just put a full Deore XT build kit on a 9 year old used Trek hardtail frame, and it rides great!
08-19-2009, 02:34 PM
Ok ... So we can buy reasonably ok parts in Cairo, so where,that is except at that bece%$^ place.
08-19-2009, 02:48 PM
RogueBorg Wrote:Ok ... So we can buy reasonably ok parts in Cairo, so where,that is except at that bece%$^ place.
I was never able to find decent mountain bike parts in Cairo. Road parts (especially mid-range transmission groups and wheelsets) can be found with relevant ease.
We're launching a webstore next September that will carry a good selection of mtb parts and bikes.