Lantau Base Camp is a very useful store in, yep you guessed it, Lantau, or Mui Wo to be more…read moreprecise. It is a super useful store selling all kinds of outdoor clothing and paraphernalia, perfect if you are about to take a hike across the island but have forgotten something, or just finished a hike realised that your boots are rubbish and need a new pair. The products in store are all brands, so you know you are buying quality, and all reasonably priced in accordance to manufacturers RRP. There is even an online store, so you don't have to trek all the way to Mui Wo. However, at the store, they often have sales on old stock, so you may be able to pick up a bargain . For Lantau Base Camp, it is all about us getting out and about in HK. The Mui Wo shop has a map outside with trails marked up, so you can get a good idea as to what hiking is available. They also have a bag drop scheme for HKD5 per day, which is useful if you decide to do an easier hike which doesn't require your ice axe. I like to use the bag drop as an extra safety measure when I hike alone, the idea being if I don;t come back to collect it, "call mountain (of slightly big hill) rescue!". LBC also do a number of running and hiking events for the more ambitious and fit. There are details on their website. Personally, I'd let those guys go ahead and plod along at my own pace. Tortoise and hare and all that!

A couple years ago a friend and I attempt a Man Vs. Wild challenge. The goal was to hike from Mui…read moreWo to Tai O and spend a night somewhere camping in between. Wild welcomed Man into its home with open arms, snatched us up, chewed on us for the night, then spat us out. Man - 0 Wild - 1. We limped into a taxi the following morning. This was before we knew of Lantau Base Camp. The shop, near the Mui Wo ferry pier, sells outdoor sporting gear; rucksacks, shoes, tops, gloves, and even water resistant earphone casing to protect your current earphones from beads of sweat. How thoughtful. They also have a range of energy products, protein shakers and the lot - everything we could have used on that fateful night. The LBC also set up nighttime trail runs on Wednesday and Thursday night. No thank You. 10k to 16k. No thanks again. But for all you daredevils out there that have little regard for your life it may be an idea of fun. Until a cobra pops out of a bush or one of those face-sized spiders crawls up a trouser leg. No thank you. If I could go back in time I'd stop off at LBC before our Man Vs. Wild expedition, ask for advice on where to set up camp (Not on the top of a hill during a windy night!), buy some energy supplies, and then give Wild a whooping it would never forget. That last part may be a tad optimistic but you never know.

Owned and run by Tony Pringle, Bike Energy Lab is the place to come if you want to get more out of…read morea bike you already own or want to make sure your new bike is perfectly set up for you by performing a bike fit. Tony takes his time to make sure he understands your background, experience, and goals, using this information so that the bike setup is attuned to them making the fitting a personalised process. He also uses Retul, a motion capture system developed specifically for cycling, to gather real-time, three-dimensional data and gain a very accurate understanding of what happens while you are riding bike. It is a fascinating to understand exactly what position you are in and see how it varies according to your effort level. Using Retul, Tony can make tiny adjustments to the bike setup and immediately see how they impact your overall position on the bike. This really helps find a position that is both comfortable, aero and powerful. At the end of the process he will provide you with all the raw data for future use when you buy your next bike or for comparison purposes at a later date. Arguably best of all, during the course of the 4 or so hours I spent with him Tony imparted so much valuable information, tricks and tips which added to my overall cycling knowledge greatly. 5 stars all the way!

Excellent customer service and reliable safe Ebikes. The customer service is a cut above others and…read moregoes the extra mile to take care of your needs as a customer. They get back to you so fast it will make you feel appreciated as a customer. They are polite and kind and go the extra mile to make sure you are taken care of. I recommend them to you as an ebike manufacturer and distributor. One supremely happy customer here

Rose Sports Goods on the Causeway Bay/Wan Chai border, is a fairly well stocked sporting goods…read morestore. They sell everything from rucksacks, to trainers, to wicking clothing, to tennis rackets. Their product range is quite broad, and they hold a lot of the better known brand names. There are many stores in Hong Kong that sell similar products, but Rose Sports Goods specialise in a couple of different areas. First; they have a good clothing range for sports, second; they specialise in racquets and all things racquet sports related. They even have in-house racquet stringing service, which I suppose is the primary reason for reviewing them. The prices are reasonable, the staff are friendly and courteous, but perhaps not hugely knowledgeable. This store is a little bit cluttered, see you do have to have a good rummage around to find what you're looking for. However, all in all, if you know what you want, it's a fairly easy shopping experience.

If you have any aches, pains, or injuries, this is a good stop for you to pick up gear you may need…read moreon your road to recovery. Phiten products are made to stabilize the body's bioelectric currents, and improve circulation. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't worry. I picked up a knee brace and was relieved because I didn't have to haul miles around Hong Kong to get some extra support. What a great concept to have a sporting goods store inside the MTR station! The staff was also very helpful in providing the right equipment, and they also have samples to let you try items on before making a purchase. This is a great stop to pick up basic gear you need to stay healthy while being active.

We are talking serious business here…read more Ain't no your usual sport shoes or T-shirts "for fashion" here. And no one comes here just for "window shopping". What you can see if a lot of sport enthusiasts here to get the right gears, often to help boosting their performance. I wasn't one of those enthusiasts until I decided to join my first triathlon (albeit a short one). Unlike running or swimming, where you can just enter a race with your usual running/swimming gear, doing a triathlon requires quite some unique equipment. And that was my first time visiting Escapade. It was eye opening to see how many different things you can buy to make your race easier, even for amateurs. I bought a beginner grade tri-suit for just above HKD$1,000. Why do I need one, anyway? For instance, no one, not even the kids, will change suits between different legs, so a suit that fits for swimming, cycling, and running is essential. And a tri-suit provides a comfortable wear for swimming, yet drying off fairly quickly after you leave the water. It also has a "pad" thick enough to absorb shocks between your crotch and your bicycle seat, but not as bulky as a cycling shorts' pad, so that you feel comfortable to run too. Ever since then I'm really interested in the sport gears. Even for less popular sports in Hong Kong like hockey or rugby, you can still easily find whatever suits you. I recently bought a backpack that is designed for trail walking/running, with a water bag included. Relatively lightweight, fairly packed, yet comes with a lot of functions and spacious sections. This is the reason that sets the shop apart others. Like the German architectural principle, "form follows function", this shop provides everything under the idea of "fashion follows function".

Escapade Sports have been around for quite a while. What I like about them, is that they are not a…read moretypical sports shop like Nike, Marathon or those branded ones. Escapade Sports is an actual sports shop where fashion is not the number one key element. Their number one key element is the practicality of the sporting variety. They are a very serious sports shop, but at the same time, they do have a few fun things. They specialise in cricket, rugby, triathlons, trail running and a few other sports. For those who are looking for specific equipment, you have found your haven. They have everything, including nutrition gels, specific trail running shoes, grass hockey equipment and everything in between. The shop in Causeway Bay is bigger than the one in Central, more space, allowing more stock there as well. The only thing is, Escapade Sports in Causeway Bay is a destination shop, you will only go there if you know what you are looking for, it's not one of those shops where you just drop in, just to browse. The staff there are very friendly and knowledgable, so it's cool to go in and ask for advice.

Mongkok Metro Station was the closest station to our hotel. It was about a 10 minute walk. Their…read moremetro system is fairly easy to use and connects to just about everywhere you need to go. The only problem I had during my stay there was that it did not connect the China Ferry Terminal. The China Ferry Terminal is where you catch the ferries to Macau. The closest stop to the terminal was the Jordan Station, about 40-50 minute walk. We just took a taxi and was there in 10 minutes. Their metro runs 4-5 stories deep. The are trains that run on two levels and on opposite directions. All the routes are color coated. When you're in the metro the stops light up so you know where you're at. The metro runs early in the morning to about midnight. It's always crowded on the metro. It doesn't matter whether it's 10am or 10pm. I don't understand why people aren't at work or school in the morning. My cousin, who's a native, said that people usually have dinner around 10pm and that's why the metro is so crowded at night. People don't go home until late. They have all kinds of different shops in the metro. I've noticed Mrs. Fields Cookies and Maxim Cakes at a lot of the stops. Public transportation in Hong Kong is cheap. We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel in Kowloon. It was about 21 miles and was only $30US. I rode the bus for about 50 cents. The metro depends on how many stops you're going, but it was still cheap. I'm going to tell you about the Octopus Card. If you're a tourist, you should get it. It will make your life a whole lot easier. They have a kiosk in the airport. It's like a plastic debit card. You preload it with money. There's a $50HK deposit that you get back when you turn the card in. You preload it with however much you want. Then, you can use it for the bus, metro, ferries, convenience stores, supermarkets, fast food, just about anywhere. You put it up to the scanner and it'll deduct the amount. Whatever amount is left on your card, you can get it refunded when you leave. The only setback is that it's treated like cash. If you misplace your card or if it gets stolen, you can kiss your money goodbye.