# Moving to NYC, hows the riding?



## burger (May 7, 2004)

I'm debating taking a job in NYC. I would probably live in the city to avoid an hour long commute. Is there any riding in the city that isn't overrun with cars? I also like to mountain bike, is there anything I could ride to out of the city or possibly hop on a train and go mountainbiking?


----------



## stoked (Aug 6, 2004)

burger said:


> I'm debating taking a job in NYC. I would probably live in the city to avoid an hour long commute. Is there any riding in the city that isn't overrun with cars? I also like to mountain bike, is there anything I could ride to out of the city or possibly hop on a train and go mountainbiking?



I grew up in Brooklyn and now live across Hudson River in Jersey City. One of the biggest reasons for my move was to get closer to trails. getting out of the city by car could take over 1/2 in bad traffic. In terms of MTB you are very limited and have to travel an hour to NJ trails to find good single track. For group rides go to NJ forum section of mtbr.com. 

Riding on the rode is better and closest place to ride is doing 6 mile loop in central park. It is closed to car traffic certain hrs of the day and weekends but you gotta worry about j-walking pedestrian more than cabbies. There are some hills so it is not all flat. Riding in the city streets is challanging as you have to dodge around people and crazy cabs and buses. Some avenues have bike lanes. You always have to be on the defense else you end up on the hood of a cab or floor. 
There is also Prospect Park in Brooklyn with 3.5 mile loop that is similar to central park in terms of riding . They have saturday morning races there and also races every tuesday at 7pm at Floyd Bennett field in brooklyn. 
Going to Long Beach , Long Island is also a good option via Brooklyn. 
For long rides you could ride up north on west side and go across GW Bridge and take 9W roadie route to Piermont, Nyack or Bear Mtn.


----------



## andrello (Oct 6, 2004)

The riding here is dangerous. There is no place within the city that is free of motor traffic - they even let them speed through the parks. A cyclist is killed at the rate of about 1 per week in NYC. And the NYPD seems to hate cyclists.

Sorry for being so negative. I'm just getting sick of being assaulted with a deadly vehicle nearly every time I go out for a ride. Most cyclists here go over the GW bridge into Palisades Park (some nice rolling hills and country feel) and up 9W. The best time to ride is at the crack of dawn.

We also have the highest rate of bicycle theft in the world.


----------



## bighead (Feb 27, 2005)

Check out Transportation Alternatives at www.transalt.org. They also have a great downloadable bikeway map for the five boroughs (and crash statistics for the morbid). Its a jungle...I would second the bike theft thing - I don't lock a bike up unless I'm comfortable with the possibility that it might get stolen. Like riding in the city, its a calculated risk. 

On the plus side, I commute from Brooklyn to Upper Manhattan, and most of it is along the West Side bikeway - pretty cushy, by NYC standards.


----------



## jarheadnyc (Oct 16, 2002)

*Riding in NYC*

I ride in NYC and the surrounding areas for quite some time now and yes it's a highly congested area for cyclists, so use caution. You should look into the two main cycling clubs in the area they have numerous weekly rides in and around the city areas and suburbs. Check out the www.nycc.org and www.5bbc.org you will see the rides are listed weekly and you can post on the nycc.org message board to get more input into riding in NYC. If you’re interested in racing you can check out www.crca.net the local racing association in the area. PM me if you want more information offline.


----------



## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

The best of rides, the worst of rides...

To answer your question, the only place Manhattan is not overrun with cars is Central Park during overnight and midday hours. I think it's closed to cars weekdays 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then all day Saturday and Sunday. But there is a serious petition drive to close it to cars 24/7/365

Good: There are literally thousands of cyclists in New York City, from scroungy messengers to World Champion racers. You'll never feel alone. I have met cycling friends I'll have for life. The racing scene is very active in Central Park, April through October. You can get more than your fill of road racing and time trialing by joining CRCA. The New York Cycle Club is huge, offering dozens of group rides every week.

There is a nice bikepath on the west side, along the Hudson River. But it's only worth about four miles of decent riding. Most of it is too crowded or narrow, with many vehicle crossings, for anything other than toodling at 10 mph.

The beauty of living in Manhattan is that you can hop on your bike and in 45 minutes be across the Geo. Washington Bridge. There you'll find great climbs, light traffic, wide shoulders and many, many roadies. There are literally hundreds of miles of roads to ride. You might want to look for an apt. on the Upper West Side to be close to the bridge.

New York also has some excellent shops and superb mechanics--although many shops cater to casual riders and would not know a Campy Ergopower lever if it bit them.

Bad: Crazy drivers, pedestrians, skaters and, yes, cyclists. You are taking your safety in your own hands when riding on the streets between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. I was hit by a car last year (his fault; hit and run). Most of my friends have been hit or gone down on bad pavement. The road conditions are awful: potholes, grates, metal plates, glass. 

Nine or 10 cyclists have been killed in NYC this year, not one per week. That's horrible, but 35 were killed in 1999, so maybe things are getting better. The good news is that the 2005 deaths have rallied the cycling community to demand better conditions. Critical Mass here is a sick joke. The NYPD arrests CM cyclists almost every week.

In warm months, the bike paths and parks are too crowded between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. to ride very fast. You'll learn to adjust your schedule.

Commuting: Ride before 7:30 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Otherwise, the subway is faster and safer. Most office buildings in Manhattan do not allow bikes inside. If you bike to work, use a $50 bike with bolt-on parts (no quick releases) and bring two strong chains and locks. Otherwise, all or parts of your bike will be gone when you come out. Or bribe a garage attendant to let you park it underground.

If MTB is your passion, don't live in Manhattan. Period. I tried it and spent countless hours and dollars driving to and from the trails. Good luck finding a place to hose the mud off your bike. I used to wash my bike in my living room with a bucket and sponge. I then moved out of Manhattan to be closer to the trails, but hated the hour commute to the city and the lifestyle in the 'burbs. I moved back to Manhattan and became a full-time roadie. My MTB has been in storage for two years.

PM me if you want more info.


----------



## daneil (Jun 25, 2002)

TS has hit it pretty squarely on the head. That's probably the best account of NYC riding I've ever heard. I'll have to steal that everytime someone asks me about riding in the city now! 

Although you forgot to point out that NYC breeds some extremely excellent riders/racers. The conditions are horrible, but they force you to learn some pretty good bike handling skills. Just remember that Hincapie started his career on Kissena raing in Prospect and Central Park. 

BTW you racing this weekend? I'll be at PP on Saturday, but pretty much the rest of BVF is doing the TTT on Sunday in Jersey so I think I'm racing alone for once.


----------



## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Probably not racing PP this weekend. Good luck out there.



daneil said:


> TS has hit it pretty squarely on the head. That's probably the best account of NYC riding I've ever heard. I'll have to steal that everytime someone asks me about riding in the city now!
> 
> Although you forgot to point out that NYC breeds some extremely excellent riders/racers. The conditions are horrible, but they force you to learn some pretty good bike handling skills. Just remember that Hincapie started his career on Kissena raing in Prospect and Central Park.
> 
> BTW you racing this weekend? I'll be at PP on Saturday, but pretty much the rest of BVF is doing the TTT on Sunday in Jersey so I think I'm racing alone for once.


----------



## stoked (Aug 6, 2004)

team_sheepshead said:


> My MTB has been in storage for two years.


I know this is a rbr.com not mtbr.com but you need to dust off that bike and have it get muddy and dusty the right way, on singletrack. I ride road a lot but I am MTB rider at heart. MTB skills also makes me fly down the hills with no fear.Also there is nothing like getting face to face with a 600lbs black bear at Wawayanda during a 12 hr race.


----------

