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OUR MAN IN ENGLAND: THE BIKES OF EGYPT
Austin Curwen
May 6, 2009
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I recently returned from Egypt. There, my definition of ‘cycling
culture’ was turned on its ear. To me cycling culture involves people’s
interest in riding on a variety of levels, but this means cycling as
recreation on some level or, transportation by choice. However, there
the material standards are not what we are accustomed to in the US. In
Egypt, I saw many bicycles and a number of people on bikes but what was
clearly absent was anything with drop bars and there wasn’t a square
millimeter of spandex to be seen anywhere. In short, Egypt was a place
where bikes had a myriad of uses (as you shall see), with the focus on
one simple thing – transportation.
Looking at the bikes of
Egypt, I had several strong first impressions. Most noticeably, steel
is king. I think I saw one or two aluminum bikes, but most of the
bicycles were black, gas pipe, upright single-speeds. With Raleigh out
of the monochrome city bike game, I was curious where they were made.
Although some had Egyptian names and decals, a good number were made in
China. Also, they were all fitted with comfort saddles, and had the
ubiquitous cottered cranks. Many of the chain wheels had interesting
and decorative cutouts. Finally, for the first few days, all I saw were
black bicycles, and I thought that the bike factories had been set up
by Henry “You can get any color you want so long as it’s black” Ford.
After a while, I did see the occasional frame that wasn’t black (I saw
blue, yellow, pink and a few others, but all bog-standard single color
jobs) however I suspect fades, pinstripes and hand-cut, gem polished
lugs are a ways off.
All of that said, it was clear that many of
the bikes I saw were well used with many miles under the wheels, and
likely, the expectation of many in the future. Without further ado,
enjoy the Bikes of Egypt.
This
gentleman is probably headed to work. He is wearing a traditional
jalabiya, a robe-style garment favored by many. In the background is a
guard shack, not an infrequent sighting in Egypt where levels of
security were high.
Ah yes, the old ‘chatting on the mobile in traffic on the way to the office’ pose.
I
bumped into this rig on the edge of a market one night. The double top
tube was a familiar sight, and I assume to give it a bit more strength,
however I also suspect that would keep it off the list at
weightweenies.com. My favorite part is the brake pedal in the middle of
the triangle. This had a trailer so I assume they were looking for a
bit more stopping power.
I loved seeing all of the cottered cranks. These folks take branding to a new level (also notice the rare blue bike).
This
too was a very familiar sight. 1 out of 3 bikes just had a very well
polished pedal spindle on one side or the other. This was a bit
surprising, but they do work, and the Egyptians don’t seem nearly as
obsessed with upgrades as we do. It was more a ‘wear it out’ mentality.
This
trike appeared to be a real workhorse loaded to about 8 feet off the
ground with boxes of chips. I have no idea how the driver could see,
but what an interesting way to re-supply Quick’E’Marts.
This
is one of my favorites. I was wandering through a very narrow market in
Cairo when out of nowhere; this guy came along with the load of bread
balanced on his head. Most ungracefully, I fumbled to get my camera
out, and took off after him trying to get a shot. After about two
corners, I finally did, and off he went.
Shops
in Egypt were also different. Those I saw were small affairs with a
small number of rental bikes available, and inside a handful of spare
parts. The bikes I saw were universally single-speeds, as such, the
occasional new chain and tires would keep them on the road for a long
time.
This
is Mahmood Ibtheem proprietor of a small shop in Luxor right next to
the Ritz restaurant. They are open late hours, and I’m sure they can
fix anything you can bring in.
This
piece illustrated the clear differences between cycling in the US/UK
and Egypt. However, I suspect the thrill the little guy in the front
gets going for a quick spin with his grandpa is universal. |
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