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Advice wanted from New York City cyclists.

May 27, 2009
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Hello,

Because of a possible job transfer, I am considering moving from a delightful suburb (imagine Thurston Howell, III, taking cocktails on the veranda at 7 pm-ish with his luvvy), with some quiet roads, into Manhattan, the densest burrough of New York City population-wise. On a recent group ride here in suburbia one of the cyclists had driven out from his home in Manhattan. He said he sometimes cycles out of NYC across the George Washington Bridge above the Hudson River into New Jersey, and then north along 9W which continues into New York State.

During the winter, my cycling is limited to weekends, so on weekdays I swim, walk (I raced on the track (3:57 best for 1500 meters ~ 4:14 for 1 mile), road or cross country course (25:50 best for 8 kilometers ~ 25:58 for 5 miles) from age 15 until about age 40, but after that running started to harm more than help me (not a huge surprise after running about 50,000 miles); I'm 47 now, and much more likely to walk than run), do (in)stability/balance/strength work in the weight room or with a fitness ball, medicine ball, Bosu (you may know of this, a hemisphere), balance disc, or resistance bands, plus I stretch and use a styrofoam roller. During the summer, I usually manage four or five days of cycling each week, while doing the above-mentioned pool or gym work two or three days per week.

Any advice from someone familiar with cycling in NYC on how to cycle train (I've never raced on the bike) while living in Manhattan? Thank you.

Peace out,
Irenaeus
 
First of all if the roads are not covered with snow or ice, the cold does not stop the true nyc cyclist. So riding in the parks (Central or Prospect) is the standard. You´ll just need to invest in cold weather cycling gear. Also if possible commuting by bike is always preferable to the train. The most common long ride is the one you mentioned, normally a Sat. or Sun. The destination is often Nyack, but there are any number of routes off of 9W once you´ve crossed the G.W. bridge. For good flat rides Long Island is great, but fairly windy in the winter. Still great.

I´d venture after a few rides in the park you´ll find one or two friendly cyclists you can pump for local info. Don´t be too put off if one or more give you the nyc brush off. Just wait to find a friendlier cyclist to talk to....they do exsist in nyc.

There are a lot of fit riders in nyc and never a lack of good weekend rides. My favorite nearby area to ride is about 1/2 hr drive to Harriman National Park. Absolutely perfect riding, almost no cars, surrounded by hills, trees and the occasional deer and if you want to climb head over to nearby Bear Mtn. In the summer you can finish your ride with a dip in the lake.

NYC may not be as ideal for cycling as Bolder,Co. or many other cycling meccas in the US, but it is home to an active and very strong cycling community. You should have no problem fitting in.

Good luck.
 
May 25, 2009
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On any given weekend...

On any given weekend, even in the winter there is a steady flow of cyclists (racers, recreational riders, triathletes etc..) who head up Riverside drive (on West side of Manhattan) or the Greenway bike path to the George Washington Bridge (GWB) and over into NJ and NY state. The great thing about this is that besides the fact that always have people to ride with but also cars who use this route are used to seeing cyclists and if you ever have a mishap or mechanical someone will stop by and ask if you need help. Additonally there are well placed bakeries (with massive bike racks) along the route at strategically placed intervals as well as many shops along the route as well.

Weekdays after work Central Park (CP) and Prospect Park are true secrets of the NYC cycling community IN CP after 7 pm you have a 6.1 mile hilly loop that is 3 lanes wide and closed to traffic. It is usually very well lit (when some lights aren't broken) and all you need are front and rear flashers and you are good to go. anway, this is a start. Visit a shop or hit nyvelocity.com for more info.
 
Jul 14, 2009
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Irenaeus said:
Thanks for your responses.

Irenaeus
Don't worry about the racers and riding there are plenty of both,and good ones. Go to a site like Compare Cities. You are going to get hurt with real estate . Most city apts are so f,.king small that it is hard to keep your bike inside. Expect to pay 1500-2400 for a good 1 bedroom. To buy 400k plus 300-600 per month in fees. If you are making 60 you need to make 85-100 in NYC. If you have a wife or child don't come without a large chunk of cake provided by your employer. Make sure they give you a little house hunting time and cash. If you don't have a wife or girlfriend come here and find out why Tiger was doing all his shopping in NYC. Beautiful women are like litter, laying around everywhere. Central and Prospect are clear (but damp sometimes) almost all year.
 
Jul 14, 2009
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Bala Verde said:
I thought the NY Bike snob described a land of make-believe, with lots of bikers in flashy leotards or other types of lycra making their way to the town of Nyack...

Slippery-When-Hairy

He was also right and that does exist. Additionally there are the guys (and gals) with a $12k rig with a Santa Claus gut and a personal trainer for every sport he or she decides to take up. The roadway 9W does weed out a few of the fashion sheep, small rollers with little cross winds make it just challenging enough at 20+,hard to sit on for any distance and uncomfortable at 25+. Small hills big pain,even on a sub 15lbs bike with a Super Mario cat print skin suit.
 
A

Anonymous

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After living in (and leaving) Boston for 15 years, a easy town compared to NY...damn, god bless you man and just make sure your life insurance is up to date...but, right on!
 
May 12, 2009
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taking cocktails on the new york asian escorts veranda at 7 pm-ish with his luvvy), with some quiet roads, into Manhattan, the densest burrough of New York new york asian escort City population-wise. On a recent group ride here in suburbia one of the cyclists had driven out from his home in new york escorts Manhattan. He said he sometimes cycles out of NYC across the new york escort George Washington Bridge above the Hudson River into New Jersey, and then north along 9W which continues into New York State.
 
Aug 14, 2009
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10 years removed from the scene, and prior replies have covered many of the specifics - but the big picture is that there are a surprisingly large number of great rides possible in/around NYC, easy access to rural routes, and a huge & awesome cycling community.

The over the GW bridge/9W route is maybe the single most popular, but just one of many (and not the best by any means - though a nice choice if you want an almost precisely 50 miles round trip (starting from the boat house in Central Park) with donuts & coffee (and gees, what is their specialty pastry? I forget - is that place even still there) at the turn around point in Nyack.
 
Aug 14, 2009
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Tangled Tango said:
NYC may not be as ideal for cycling as Bolder,Co. or many other cycling meccas in the US, but it is home to an active and very strong cycling community. You should have no problem fitting in.

Good luck.

Lived both places - obviously Boulder is better in many (most) respects - but I found the community in NYC better - in Boulder, there seems a big gap between the casual riders and the hard core riders - at my age & with limited time to train, I fall in the gap between - whereas in NYC there were (are?) rides for every level.

Obviously though there are no rides in NYC with a 4000 ft elevation gain - Bear Mountain and BishBash (western Mass) were my biggest climbs while living in NYC - doesn't quite match, say, Left Hand Canyon to Brainard Lake, or even Flagstaff.