Someone asked me the other day how many miles I have ridden in New York City. So I started thinking about it and did a very rough calculation based on my 5 mile daily commute and the 18 months that I have been riding that route, minus a couple of days for rain and snow and maybe 2 weeks vacation out of the city and I came up with 2,500 miles! That doesn’t account for longer rides on weekends just the everyday movement in and around the city. In that time I have gone through 2 tires and 4 inner tubes, had one near miss with a car door, saved lots of money on MTA passes, and fallen in love with the sensory journeys I take through the city.
So how does one start riding around the city? Surrender to the chaos is rule number one. You have to be confident and fearless enough to get out there and ride and just fearful enough to use some sense and be safe.
Never ridden a bike and want to learn how? That’s great! Bike New York has learn to ride classes for adults and kids.
What should I wear? Really anything you want! Your regular clothes are just fine. Take your time if you don’t want to work up a sweat, really spandex is overrated and unnecessary unless you are putting on many miles in a day and need to move fast. It’s delightfully warm now but in the colder months just toss on a few layers and invest in some serious gloves and you’re good to go. Besides, NYC isn’t that cold.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bike new york, new bikers, riding in nyc
Bike of the Week, June 2
Every Wednesday will be devoted to a bike or accessory that I see on the street. This one caught my eye – sharp color and I love the oversized delivery basket! It’s a Schwinn named Jenny.
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The ever increasing number and quality of bike lanes in New York City is wonderful! Though now that the weather is nice the fair weather summer riders are creeping out onto the streets in increasing numbers and oh I fear for them. Dear fair weather rider, be careful! I love bicycling and want more people to bicycle regularly but with some semblance of order and care. One must remember that a bicycle is a moving vehicle and rules do apply for the safety and protection of all. Bicycling is fabulous fun and wonderful exercise, but please for the love of all things good and right in the world don’t ride the wrong way in the bike lane!
In the past few weeks I have observed a population surge in “salmon” cyclists in lower Manhattan. What is a salmon cyclist? Salmon, don’t go with the flow, no, the bastards swim upstream. Presumably the salmon don’t annoy or cause harm to other creatures – except perhaps to hydroelectric power companies – but the bicyclists that do ride the wrong way in bike lanes run the risk of harm to themselves and others.
Admittedly, I don’t follow all rules all of the time, but this is a situation that really can bring serious damage to people and give cycling a bad reputation. So for the benefit of new and would be riders here are the Top 6 from the 2010 NYC Cycling Map.
1. Cyclists must obey all traffic lights and signs.
2. Cyclists should yield to pedestrians.
3. Cyclists may NOT ride on the sidewalk.
4. Cyclists must ride in the direction of traffic.
5. Use lights at night. (White in front, red in the rear.)
6. Wear a helmet.
For a complete list check out the NY DOT tips.
And really, fear not, get on the bike and pedal around just avoid the temptation of riding the wrong way.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bike, exercise, new bikers, NYC DOT, road rage, rules, salmon riders
Ah May. In New York City, May is one hell of a month, torrential rains and blazing hot all in the span of a few days. May is also Bike Month and when strawberries and snap peas make a coy entrance at the Greenmarket.
May is also the month that I vow to post regularly on the ins and outs of being a lady cyclist in New York City. Nutrition, bike photos, charming and not so charming stories of riding in the city, bike survival tips and oh so much more! All here and more often than ever before!
The torrential rains don’t keep this rider out of the saddle. Well, at least when it is an unanticipated cloudburst and I really need to get somewhere. I was on my way to the gym on a recent Monday afternoon and could see the clouds rolling about over the East River and thought this might work out for me. After exiting the Williamsburg Bridge and heading north on Clinton St my luck ran out. The rolling clouds started to growl and then let out a torrent of rain, followed by shouts and clever rain cover improvisations by people walking on the street. Newspapers and bags held aloft as folks pressed on through the rain.
My soaking was near complete and almost immediate as I persisted through the storm. Water pooled in the where my bag meets the small of my back. Oh you lucky raindrops to run down my face and eyelashes! I rode on. Having reached my destination I quickly changed into my workout clothes and dashed off to my class knowing full well that drippy trousers and sodden ballet flats would greet me once again.
The soaked clothes might not have been an issue if I was going straight home, but I had a bike repair class to attend followed by plans to meet up with a friend after that and I had no intention of being soggy for these commitments. While still clad in workout clothes I hopped on my bike and cruised down the street knowing that a laundromat with a functional dryer must not be too far away. As luck would have it I found a laundromat on East 4th Street, fished out 2 quarters from my bag and tossed the wet clothes into the dryer and 12 minutes later after ducking into the restaurant next door to change into my freshly dried clothes I was off again.
Lesson: when it rains you get wet, but it doesn’t have to ruin your day.
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Riding at night I fall in love with the city all over again. The night lights on the bridge bring to mind a glittery shimmery necklace, elegant and reminiscent of dancing and merriment even in the ascetic days of January. The stars twinkle brightly and when I return to my neighborhood the cars are few and most neighbors are sleeping peacefully.
The night clears the head and opens the lungs and the mind to a time where innocence reigns and anything is possible. I don’t feel the wind on my face and the strength in my legs in a car. Grab your bike – have an adventure!
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: adventure, bike, January, night, riding
I ride to:
get from point A to B, quickly
open my lungs, eyes, and ears to the world
feel physics
NOT go to the gym
save money
get a little thrill
run errands
buy kale and golden turnips
be free to go to work
go home
go out dancing
have an adventure
climb a hill and never break a sweat
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: kale, physics, save money, thrill, turnips
Don’t fear the bike. Sometimes you just have to get on it and say to yourself, “I am riding this thing; I am riding this bicycle I am moving swiftly through traffic powered by my own body. I can do this, I am doing this. Think of all the things that are hard and scary about life that you have done or will do, riding a bike in the city puts it all in perspective and gets you where you need to go quickly, with very little effort.
Think about those tough and scary things and imagine being in a bike accident at age 13 in the seemingly safe suburbs of Chicago and continuing to ride your bike. Riding fearlessly and devotedly everyday to work and band practice for over a decade in New York City – that’s just what Caryn does. Is she fearless? Or is she fierce, facing the unpredictabilities of life with effortless élan on a red Trek hybrid?
Caryn moved to New York City in 1997 and has devotedly ridden her 18 year old red Trek hybrid thoughout the city from her home in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood.
She credits the crew at Bicycle Habitat for keeping her aging bike in tip-top condition. “My bike is sturdy, doesn’t look fancy (theft hindrance), and has a bunch of stickers on it from when I was in college. Because I’m soooo cool!”
An upgrade to a road bike with thinner tires might be in the future but she wonders about the increased probability of theft that a newer bike might bring.
As a veteran New York City bike commuter I asked what changes she has noticed in recent years. “ I have been riding to work since 1997/1998 even when I worked at a fancy midtown office. I would change in the bathroom when I arrived. The owners loved that.” “In the past few years the increase in bike lanes has certainly brought out more cyclists.”
Why She Rides
I ride a bicycle so that I don’t have to depend on public transit all the time, and on some days to avoid traffic. In general, I can get anywhere faster (and cheaper) on my bike. When I’m riding, I feel free and I like how I am in control of the motions I’m making. I also like how I get to yell at people to protect myself. I might not always be able to go that fast, do to traffic and bad drivers but I usually feel pretty great.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: accident, bike, Chicago, fear
At a Transportation Alternatives event I met two lovely lady cyclists from northern Manhattan. Here are their stories.
Kathryn -
I live in Harlem in NYC. I have lived in NYC for 10 years and in this neighborhood for just over a year.
About the bike
I just bought a Specialized Double Allez 2010.
I love that it is fast and comfortable and smooth and light.
I would like a better saddle.
The commute
I ride to class in the Bronx two days each week and sometimes from there to work in the afternoon (a different Bronx neighborhood) and then home in the evening. Occasionally I will ride directly to work from home.
I have been riding to work or class regularly since June 2009. Before that I would sometimes take my bike on the train to work and then bike home. Ten years ago when I lived in Long Island City, I would bike to work once a week in the Lower East Side.
Why She Rides
I often use it as my personal therapy time… If something is really bothering me, I will use the biking time to think through it. It is a good time to do this since biking makes me feel active and strong and in control.
My friends, family and colleagues think that I’m a little nutty… but I’m not sure that that is because of the biking or if they see the biking as a natural result of the nuttiness. Some think it’s cool, but not something that they would do. It seems to be kind of “other-worldly” to most people… except the ones who do it too… A few who have seen me carrying my helmet have expressed interest in going for a ride…
Detta lives in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood and has been riding a bike for 1.5 years.
About her bike
I ride a 1994 Trek hybrid. I have fenders on it and a two rear pannier baskets and I raised up the handlebars. It is a men’s frame.
I like everything about my bike. I like that it is good enough quality to be durable and reliable, but not so high quality that it is a target for thieves to steal the components.
I do not like is that is it black and would prefer a bike in a more interesting color. I also wish that my rear wheel had not been run over by a van because I had to get a rear new wheel and it does not match the front wheel (different color and different number of spokes).
The cycling outfit
In warm weather I wear a short or knee-length skirt with bike shorts underneath and sandals. In cold weather I wear a skirt with leggings underneath and knee-high boots. Most of my shoes have heels. I wear cute stretchy shirts. I wear layers as needed according to the outdoor temperature, rain or wind chill.
Why she rides
Riding is enjoyable and pleasant. Riding takes about the same time as the subway to get someplace but is much more fun. Riding costs less than a subway fare for each trip. Riding gives me time to think. Riding keeps me in shape.
At first my family and co-workers were surprised and they thought my bike commuting was a lot of effort and they thought it was dangerous. My co-workers found my bike commuting a little odd. My family worried about the danger of it and tried to talk me out of it. But over time everyone got used to it. My family got used to the idea that I biked. My bike commuting became a non-issue with my co-workers. One friend started bike commuting after I talked so positively about bicycling as a way to get around NYC. Other friends and co-workers have not started riding, but they seem to be thinking about it.
Thank you ladies! Fun, fitness, time and money saved, the bicycle is truly a magnificent creation.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bronx, exercise, fashion, fitness, fun, harlem, saddle, thinking
In a recent one day return to riding the train all I could think about was why I hadn’t ridden my bike. While I waited a seemingly unending amount of time one thought came to mind loudly, “Dammit, I could be there now if I had ridden my bike. Why didn’t I ride?” And why didn’t I ride? I was going out to meet up with friends (all non-riders) in the evening for a drink and a comedy show. I thought it might be easier to not have to schlep the bike from place to place. How foolish! The brief inconvenience of pushing my bike with my friends between our two destinations that evening would have paled in comparison to the steep and profound annoyance of riding the curiously slow L train.
The waiting… ugh that is the worst thing. On the bike I just go! There is no waiting, I get to my destination as fast as I can or want to ride. Yes, there is traffic and I am traffic, but there is a sense of control and progress that I love. My road rage is minimal and the whole idea of bicycle commuting is so beautifully efficient. Exercise and get to work – perfect! I can save on the gym membership and the MTA fare! Having said that I am grateful that I can bring my bike on the subway if I get a flat or the weather takes a turn for the unpleasant.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: gym, L train, MTA, non-riders, road rage
Yes,yes,yes – cold weather. Winter riding success depends on careful preparation, lots of layers and a sense of adventure. While it isn’t that great of a challenge to ride in the winter in New York City I remember the days when I would ride to work in snowy St. Paul, MN fishtailing through the snow – a fantastic work-out that relied heavily on balance, coordination and keeping the core engaged and let me arrive to work with a fresh-faced healthy glow.
Being a firm believer in making bike riding a regular and normal part of one’s life I wear my normal clothes but add some extra layers to the ensemble. Today’s forecast is clear and cold! The ensemble today will be quite ordinary. The addition of a base layer is the critical difference.
Base layer:
Top: long sleeve silk long underwear top As a side note: I can’t recommend highly enough the merino wool tops by Icebreaker and Smartwool. Thank you to both companies for recognizing that women need some fine wooly warmth and have adjusted the cut and fit for women. I had an Icebreaker that I wore almost constantly in the cooler months when I lived in colder places (namely Wisconsin) but it was lost when I lived in Beijing and I haven’t been cold enough yet to replace it.
Bottom: thick tights on the bottom with knee high wool blend socks over that.
Top layer:
Top: long sleeve knit t-shirt and long sleeve wool zip up cardigan
Bottom: jeans and Dansko clogs; they have roomy toes for good circulation.
Outer layer:
3/4 length wool coat, wide wool scarf, knit hat (under the helmet) and polar fleece gloves. I prefer gloves to mittens for maximum dexterity .
Skincare: Since my face is exposed to the wind I am busting out the serious moisturizer: Weleda’s Everon Face Balm; it is THICK and so lovely with sweet almond oil and beeswax and perfectly protects my face in extreme weather conditions.
Now I am ready to dash off about my day.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bike, biking, cold, exercise, icebreaker, New York City, skincare, St. Paul, winter, wool
