Comments on: NYC ain’t no joke http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/ Nothing To Lose But Our Chains! Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:26:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jason http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-7534 Jason Mon, 19 May 2008 19:30:29 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/#comment-7534 Hi John, Good to hear from you, man. I dug your photos from 5 Boro tour. I'm not sure whether your comment is a response to me or to Jack, but I don't think either of us have negative feelings about the city. In my own case, I found it daunting, but, as I wrote in my post, still someplace I'd like to ride. See you this summer, Jason Hi John,

Good to hear from you, man. I dug your photos from 5 Boro tour. I’m not sure whether your comment is a response to me or to Jack, but I don’t think either of us have negative feelings about the city. In my own case, I found it daunting, but, as I wrote in my post, still someplace I’d like to ride.

See you this summer,

Jason

]]> By: John http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-7533 John Mon, 19 May 2008 17:05:07 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/#comment-7533 That's too bad about your feelings about the city. The absolute highlight of our trip to ride the five boroughs was the time we spent <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_w0pPtKqUAbE/SB81BcpDwCI/AAAAAAAAEcQ/YjXGGUHMnU0/s400/S7300046.JPG" rel="nofollow">riding on Canal St.</a> 7th and 8th ave. That’s too bad about your feelings about the city. The absolute highlight of our trip to ride the five boroughs was the time we spent riding on Canal St. 7th and 8th ave.

]]> By: Jack http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-7490 Jack Thu, 15 May 2008 15:55:33 +0000 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/#comment-7490 Hey Jason! Glad to hear you're tasting the cyclo-delights of NYC! I've found that the Big Apple offers the best and worst: eminently bikeable streets in the Village, parts of Brooklyn, etc., basically every neighborhood that dates to the very old days of pedestrian culture; but also disasters like some stretches of the Manhattan avenues, which seem more like x-ways for heavy trucks. The Hudson R. Greenway and to a lesser extent the bikeway along the East River are delights, though - and more of these paths are coming. (My son and I did the New York Century a couple years back and got a taste of biking in every borough other than Staten Island - a real pleasure, and it benefits Transportation Alternatives, a great advocacy group that has, among many other things, succeeded in making Central Park less auto-ridden.) During rush hours, which lately seem to cover most of the workday, the bike is the only vehicle that works superbly on street level, never mind the exhaust fumes. And now that all the Manhattan bridges are open to bikes, and that the subways are open to bikes as well, and that the commuter trains have at least limited bike carry-on service - well, biking rules for getting around large swaths of NYC. Admittedly, it's not for timid souls sometimes! Make sure your handling skills are in order, and that your machine/tires can handle rough pavement, debris, etc. But I've found that you can work out routes that are at least as bikeable as byways in the Upstate cities. BTW, note to tourists: when visiting I sometimes stay at the Greenpoint (Brooklyn) Y - not far from the bikeable Williamsburg bridge. The Y is cheap (around $40 a night for a private room with bath down the hall), and you can get to points in Manhattan pretty easily. Besides, Brooklyn itself is a great place to bike in. Another BTW: NYC is great territory for folding bikes; if I lived there, I'd definitely use one as my prime mount - folders give flexibility, as is obvious. BTW #3: you need real locks (carry 2 of them) in NYC, like the specifically NY models, U-locks and chains, from Kryptonite. I gave my K NYC U-lock to my son, but I retain a K New Evolution Mini, the lock preferred by messengers for its portability and resistance to leverage attacks. But of course, if you have a folder, you can lug it into many venues... Well, all suggestions are welcome about other aspects of NYC biking - I think of it as an ongoing learning experience.But despite any challenges, I always have a fine old time there on my bike. Hey Jason! Glad to hear you’re tasting the cyclo-delights of NYC! I’ve found that the Big Apple offers the best and worst: eminently bikeable streets in the Village, parts of Brooklyn, etc., basically every neighborhood that dates to the very old days of pedestrian culture; but also disasters like some stretches of the Manhattan avenues, which seem more like x-ways for heavy trucks. The Hudson R. Greenway and to a lesser extent the bikeway along the East River are delights, though – and more of these paths are coming. (My son and I did the New York Century a couple years back and got a taste of biking in every borough other than Staten Island – a real pleasure, and it benefits Transportation Alternatives, a great advocacy group that has, among many other things, succeeded in making Central Park less auto-ridden.) During rush hours, which lately seem to cover most of the workday, the bike is the only vehicle that works superbly on street level, never mind the exhaust fumes. And now that all the Manhattan bridges are open to bikes, and that the subways are open to bikes as well, and that the commuter trains have at least limited bike carry-on service – well, biking rules for getting around large swaths of NYC. Admittedly, it’s not for timid souls sometimes! Make sure your handling skills are in order, and that your machine/tires can handle rough pavement, debris, etc. But I’ve found that you can work out routes that are at least as bikeable as byways in the Upstate cities. BTW, note to tourists: when visiting I sometimes stay at the Greenpoint (Brooklyn) Y – not far from the bikeable Williamsburg bridge. The Y is cheap (around $40 a night for a private room with bath down the hall), and you can get to points in Manhattan pretty easily. Besides, Brooklyn itself is a great place to bike in. Another BTW: NYC is great territory for folding bikes; if I lived there, I’d definitely use one as my prime mount – folders give flexibility, as is obvious. BTW #3: you need real locks (carry 2 of them) in NYC, like the specifically NY models, U-locks and chains, from Kryptonite. I gave my K NYC U-lock to my son, but I retain a K New Evolution Mini, the lock preferred by messengers for its portability and resistance to leverage attacks. But of course, if you have a folder, you can lug it into many venues… Well, all suggestions are welcome about other aspects of NYC biking – I think of it as an ongoing learning experience.But despite any challenges, I always have a fine old time there on my bike.

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