The cranks are very much turning at the moment in the regions cycle retail industry. To my knowledge there are at least 4 significant new stores due to open in the next couple of months. I’ll go through them in the order I think they will open:
I think first will be Micah’s Bike Shop in the area of Al Quoz, Dubai, behind the Oasis Centre. The store is already fitted out and products are on the shelf. Not only do these guys seem to be the undisputed “Kings Of Bling” (check out the range of anodized bling products in glass cabinets) they are also the first store, to the best of my knowledge, specializing in mountain biking. The store is born from a collective from inside the local mountain biking community itself and brands include Ellesworth, Intense, Loaded and Fox. They have a spacious workshop, proven mechanical expertise, free coffee and a very social outlook. Contact them on micahsbikeshop@gmail.com or via their facebook page
Next I think it will be Revolution Cycles based out at Motor City, Dubai. A project set up by Stewart Howison of Cycle Safe Dubai fame, this store will also have a strong community base in the road scene. I don’t know yet what they’ll have in store for the mountain bikers. Stewart is a committed cyclist’s cyclist so there will be no shortage of specialist knowledge and expertise. The best way to follow this project is to ‘like’ their facebook page HERE.
Following hot on the heels of these 2 ‘independent’ are 2 from the big guns of Go Sport and Ride.
I think Go Sport will be first and this is hot news for Adu Dhabi based cyclists. Opening in the brand new Bawabat Al Sharq Mall. Ranging is likely to be similar to the Dubai Mall Go Sports with its pretty even mix of road, mountain and recreational bikes and accessories. Mid to late March 2012 is the expected opening date but I’m afraid I haven’t got any store specific contact details for you at this point in time.
Ride’s new store is likely to be last but by absolutely no means least as it is being touted as what will be the largest bike store in the GCC! This will see a big change in strategy for the Ride Bike stores as they move out of relatively small mall based stores and into some space on the Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. This will give them room to display their extensive brand line up including Giant, Santa Cruz, Top Peak and Mavic as well as decent workshop space to. All they need is a decent clothing brand to go with their Buff offering and it will be a very complete range 😉 . Ride are very active on facebook making this the best way to keep up to date with their offering and their group can be found HERE.
So times they certainly are changing in the regions very active cycle scene. To my mind its all very very +ve and exciting.
Hopefully catch at a trail head or in a bunch soon
Ian
Ian Ganderton 
Thanks Ian!!
Glad to see it all developing in such a positive way – kudos to all involved in getting this moving, and more importantly keeping it moving !
Hi there, i’m a returning biker, and just dusting off my bike. need to change a few things and need a new frame. Long story, current frame Geometry doesnt suit my arthritis in my hip. got a Sintesi X-wing Aluminum ultra premium frame (custom easton tubing and welding to die for) with XTR and XT all over so dont want to loose them, but need a decent frame to “hang” them on. Had Trek & Scott bike before quite like them, had mates with Kona and like them. Just looking for some pointers really. any help much appriciated. Cheers Phil
Hmmmm, interesting question.
Of course it depends what kind of riding your into. Showka riding can be quite fierce on man and machine so most folks find they end up with a burly trail bike, mine is an old Specialized S Works Enduro, 150mm front and rear with Fox 36 Talas forks (20mm axle).
Thinks to look at is the availability of parts and servicing. Go into the local bikes shops and see what they have and what the shop staff know about them, it varies MASSIVELY. Ride a couple of bikes and see what you find comfortable.
You’ll find that buying a frame and forks then adding your bits on is not the normal way to build a bike here and is largely unsupported (i.e. not many none off the shelf bikes in the shops) but that doesnt mean its not possible you’ll just have to do more leg work to get the info you need.
Talk to us all here on this facebook group too https://www.facebook.com/groups/hotcogmtb you’ll get no shortage of opinions about UAE based mountain biking and bikes that are suitable for it 😉
Hey Man thanks for the post
I am planning to buy a new bicycle where mostly used around the streets in Dubai
I am not into thin sport bike cus I got some weight
I am looking for comfortable nice bike that can do the job
where should I look and how much budget do I need?
Appreciate your help!
Again thank so much Ian!
And I just checked some of your Mountain biking and am also considering to do that 😀
Hi Mohammad,
Sorry but your question is outside of the realms of what I can reasonably answer on this blog. I suggest going to one of the local bike shops and getting some good advice from them. One piece of advice I can give you is make sure that the bike fits you well as this will make a significant difference to your cycling enjoyment. Visit a few of the local bike shops and ride around on as many bikes as you can. Along with guidence from good shop staff you will soon start to feel what fits and what doesn’t.
Sorry I can’t answer your question specifically. Good luck with finding a bike and enjoy your cycling.
Ian
Hi, do you know any bike shop in Dubai that sell Specialized brand?
Hi AK
There isn’t one open at the moment but due to open in the near future is The Cycle Hub in Motor City. I’m not sure what their stock situation right now, I think they do have some bikes stashed somewhere. You can contact them via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheCycleHub
Hi AK
There isn’t one open at the moment but due to open in the near future is The Cycle Hub in Motor City. I’m not sure what their stock situation right now, I think they do have some bikes stashed somewhere. You can contact them via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheCycleHub
Hope this helps
Ian
Dear Ian,
Great info. I also would like to get into the bike scene to supplement my running. My mate completed the Spinneys 92km and that’s something that I would like to set as a goal for within a year.
Being from the UK, I tend to compare what I find here with what I see online via the UK sites (sometimes US sites). All I want is an entry level bike that I can use for a few years. I saw the Specialized Alex sport compact USD $940, Cannondale CAAD8 7 Sora USD $900, Felt F85 USD $1000.
I would obviously need to try them out, but I asked a few shops what they had. Provoke said AED 6000 for entry Trek, Wolfi said AED 4500 entry level Scott, Revolution said AED 4600 for a BH Saphire.
Any idea on how I can get the cannondale, felt, or specialized bikes without an inflated Dubai price, or do I have to bite the bullet and pay AED 5000 for one of the others? Is it worth me ordering from a UK/US site an have them ship it over here?
Dunno if I’m asking too much.
Any advice would be appreciated or a point in the right direction.
Thanks
Ratty
Ratti,
Just like the UK if you buy online you don’t get the service the bricks and mortar stores provide you.
Bear in mind the different economies of scale here too when comparing pricing.
If you don’t feel you want the service a shop provides then you can take your chances with online and risk wasting cash. If you want the service the shop provides then you can’t have everything I’m afraid
Ian
Thanks Ian,
I started doing a bit more research and speaking to other riders and doing the price comparisons. Since it would be my first bike, saving 200-300 dirhams shipping it from the uk wouldn’t be worth the extra service and benefits that the local bike shops could offer. I went and visited the shops listed and checked out many reviews. all of the guys at wolfi’s, revolution, micah, cycle hub, trek (at lamcy), ride are great. i ended up getting a cannondale caad10 from the shop next to BMW (prozone/cannondale). they were very nice as well and the only ones that could get the caad10 for me. in any case, it ended up being cheaper to get it from there even taking into account the tax break and bringing it with me from the UK rather than pay for shipping.
that being said, i ordered the glove, helmet, bib shorts, and frame protection from evanscycles in the uk where i got the tax off, + free shipping to dubai as my order was over 50quid.
looking forward to taking it out for a spin and gunning for that 92 km in december.
great blog and good info. started off in pointing me in the right direction Ian.
Regards,
Ratty
Coolio!! Happy New Bike, enjoy!!