El Andalous - Flying Pigeon Gone Flat

My Poor Flying Pigeon!

I had the brilliant idea to pump up the tyres on my bike the other week. I’m never quite sure when they need doing, but whenever it feels harder to go uphill, I decide it’s about time. I pumped away, wondering how you can tell if it’s pumped too hard, but also deciding I surely didn’t have the strength to overpump them.

Off I went for my snorkel. The bicycle bumped along and I wondered if I’d overdone it, but reckoned they’d go down in time anyway, so no problem.

I parked my bike, went for my snorkel, dressed, got back to my bike to find it fallen on the ground with two flat tyres. It’s just as well I wasn’t going anywhere that evening because my fifteen minute bike ride turned into a forty-five minute walk.

I didn’t like pushing the bike with flat tyres, so I was lifting it a bit as I went, hoping to avoid further damage. The sun was beating down. I needed the toilet. I knew the walk was doable because people have walked right round to the other side of the bay; it’s just not what I’d choose to do and certainly not with a broken bike beside me.

I tried pumping up one of the tyres, but was convinced I could hear air leaking out from somewhere, so didn’t try very hard. I’m guessing I overpumped them as I read that air in the tyres can expand in heat and my bike had been in the blazing sun. However, perhaps I’d driven over something sharp? I’ve no idea.

I left it a few days before trying to get it fixed, but soon realized that I use the bike quite a lot. Walking to BestWay, which doesn’t take that long at all, seemed a nuisance when it was so hot. I went by foot to my old, closer snorkeling spot. Again, I used to walk it before but now it seemed a chore. And I had to plan out more time to do these things.

I fretted over how much it would cost to get it fixed. I had no idea what to expect or whether to haggle. I asked our local bike hire company if they could fix it. They said they could, but never turned up. I asked Ahmed, our manager. He said he had a friend and he’d let me know when the friend was in Sahl Hasheesh. It would be before Saturday. He never turned up.

I lost my energy until someone posted on Facebook asking if anyone knew where in Sahl Hasheesh to get a bike repaired. This inspired me to try again.

I phoned Esmat who said he would take me and the bike into town and back with his minibus for 500 LE. This was around twice the price for a normal taxi and I knew our local taxi service had a minibus and would do it for half the price. So I may as well just go to them.

I went back to the bike rental company (by text, this time, rather than in person; it’s the same company that does the taxi service, hence why I may as well just ask them again). They said they’d come the next day to take a look at the bike.

Minutes before they were due to arrive, they asked if I could go to them rather than them to me. I said it would be easier if they came to me. He’ll be there in five minutes, they said, sending me a photo of the guy who would come. Maybe twenty minutes later, he arrived on an electric bike towing a contraption to put my bike on. He said he’d let me know when it was done. Progress!

To my surprise, they contacted me an hour later to say it was fixed. I was really expecting them to take it into Hurghada. He’ll be there in five minutes, they said, again. I guess for Egypt half an hour later isn’t so badly off of the estimate of five minutes.

I’d asked via text how much it would cost and they said 100 LE (around £5). I had to read it three times to make sure I hadn’t got it wrong. I didn’t have any change for tip (which they truly deserved), but was happy to give him 150 LE as I’d been dreading an exorbitant sum and they’d brought the bike there and back for me as well, which had obviously cost them some effort.

The price did make me wonder what they’d done with it (maybe they did need only to pump the tyres up!), but the bike is working, so I’m really happy. I guess the true test will be when I next pump my tyres up (which I’m a bit nervous about), but even if it only lasts until then, I’m pretty pleased for now.