Bike NY this weekend . . .

[BumbleBeeDave]

Anybody else doing it? Anybody else have the 730 start time?

Yeah, yeah, I know . . . It's a total cluster-****. But I'm doing it anyway!

My buddy Evan and I are heading down Saturday AM and will be loose on the town Saturday night. Looking for a good place to eat and pick up a couple of semi-buxom supermodels--and perhaps enjoy a beer with fellow Paceliners.

Suggestions?

Same question if we are going to visit only one bike store in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon . . . suggestions?

BBD

[titans]

You can check out Bike Expo 2013 on the west side. Have a safe ride Sunday and be on the alert for squirrels of the human variety. :)

http://www.bikenewyork.org/bike-expo-new-york/

[BumbleBeeDave]

You can check out Bike Expo 2013 on the west side. Have a safe ride Sunday and be on the alert for squirrels of the human variety. :)

http://www.bikenewyork.org/bike-expo-new-york/

You apparently have to go to the bike expo in order to get your vest. :mad: Pretty slick way for them to assure expo attendance.

I'm hoping the staggered start times alleviate any problems this year with crowding. Not sure if they are handing out different colored vests for different times, though, to help police the route.

In any event, I'm taking my cross bike so if anybody goes down in front of me I can just ride right over them! :eek: :banana:

BBD

[Ahneida Ride]

Ride a beater bike !

I got run into ..... Luckily I was on a beater.

[Lanterne Rouge]

I'll be there, but in the capacity of a volunteer.

This year I'm a Rider Assist Marshal. Just give me a shout for all your flat tire, seat adjustment and wheel truing needs! :banana:

If you're on the 7.30 start you're in my section. I'm there for the Masi/Giro/VIP riders.

I'm love to wingman for you because Manhattan is obviously overrun with supermodels, but even though you're start is not until 7.30 I need to be there at the ungodly hour that is 5am :mad: :eek:

Plenty of bike shop options. I personally like NYC Velo (2nd Ave and 4th I think) as the mechanics are super cool but it's not overrun with bike porn to ogle at. Sid’s on 23rd has a good array on carbon loveliness - if that's your bag?


Hopefully see you Sunday.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . if we ran into you? . . . Uh, wait, maybe that's not the best teminology to use for THIS event! How would we know you if we encountered you? :p

As for bike shops, last time we did BikeNY we jumped on the subway over to R&A and we also checked out a few in Manhattan, several of which turned out to be real holes in the wall that just had urban single-speed hipster type stuff. I guess we're looking for a more road oriented store that still has some clothing and NYC oriented/branded type stuff. Maybe a jersey that says "My buddy went to BikeNY and all I got was his cheap-ass jersey?" . . . :rolleyes:

Is 7:30am the earliest start? Do you know how many waves? Last time we jumped on the route in Central Park. We were all vested/paid up but wanted to get past the crowd and it worked pretty well. I'm wondering if we need to resort to that this time around with the staggered starts? . . .

BBD

I'll be there, but in the capacity of a volunteer.

This year I'm a Rider Assist Marshal. Just give me a shout for all your flat tire, seat adjustment and wheel truing needs! :banana:

If you're on the 7.30 start you're in my section. I'm there for the Masi/Giro/VIP riders.

I'm love to wingman for you because Manhattan is obviously overrun with supermodels, but even though you're start is not until 7.30 I need to be there at the ungodly hour that is 5am :mad: :eek:

Plenty of bike shop options. I personally like NYC Velo (2nd Ave and 4th I think) as the mechanics are super cool but it's not overrun with bike porn to ogle at. Sid’s on 23rd has a good array on carbon loveliness - if that's your bag?


Hopefully see you Sunday.

[shovelhd]

Ride safe out there.

Echelon is a nice little shop near the Highline, friendly people.

[AngryScientist]

dave

in for beers saturday night!

[Lanterne Rouge]

. . . if we ran into you? . . . Uh, wait, maybe that's not the best teminology to use for THIS event! How would we know you if we encountered you? :p

As for bike shops, last time we did BikeNY we jumped on the subway over to R&A and we also checked out a few in Manhattan, several of which turned out to be real holes in the wall that just had urban single-speed hipster type stuff. I guess we're looking for a more road oriented store that still has some clothing and NYC oriented/branded type stuff. Maybe a jersey that says "My buddy went to BikeNY and all I got was his cheap-ass jersey?" . . . :rolleyes:

Is 7:30am the earliest start? Do you know how many waves? Last time we jumped on the route in Central Park. We were all vested/paid up but wanted to get past the crowd and it worked pretty well. I'm wondering if we need to resort to that this time around with the staggered starts? . . .

BBD

7.45 is the first of four waves. And there are two starts points. They are looking to be a lot more organised this year and avoiding pinch points. There are also Masi riders on the front to keep the pace up at 18mph. Hopefully it will be better than previous years.

Sids, NYC Velo and a few other shops have their team jerseys so that might be a memento option?

RA has plenty of stuff to lust over; for me it's this:

http://www.racycles.com/assets/productimages/large/Cspxredyel-SDRF.jpg

But I refuse to buy it from them as the service, IMHO, leaves a lot to be desired.

I'll PM you my details so if I don't see you at the ride then maybe we can catch up at the after party thing that thay are holding.

I doubt you'll miss me. I'll be the guy on a grey, red and yellow fade Fuso. I'm also 6'4' and 200+ lbs so I'm easy to spot in a crowd.

[BumbleBeeDave]

dave

in for beers saturday night!

I'll call you and we can coordinate. So you've been there before and can direct us to the supermodels--or at least to Sid's and the NYCV shop?

BBD

[justinrchan]

Is the Bike Expo worth attending? I'll be in town this weekend visiting family.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . but they have set it up this year so you must attend in order to get your vest for the Sunday bike tour. They were also quite explicit in the advance PR that you cannot pick up anyone's vest but your own. On the one hand, they may indeed have had a problem with scalpers in the past--as they claim on their web site as justification for doing it this way.

BUT . . . it also seems like a pretty convenient excuse to pump up claimed attendance at the expo. There's 30k riders in the Sunday tour, so they've just pumped up their claimed expo attendance by 30k also when everybody comes by to pick up their bibs--even if not one of those people does anything except walk in, get bib, and walk out.

Here's their web site: http://www.bikenewyork.org/bike-expo-new-york/

Here's the exhibitor list: http://www.bikenewyork.org/bike-expo-new-york/exhibitors/

They claim 90 exhibitors but there's only 76 listed on that page.

Probably worth stopping by, but it's all gonna probably be pretty slick and corporate.

BBD

[spdcyclist]

I'll be a course Marshal (Manhattan North). Muster is at 6:30am. Look for a tall guy with a vest that says, "Marshal". :rolleyes:

I'll post were I'm stationed that day. Hope to meet some of you forumites.

[aarondgirard]

I will be down there. Staying with a friend on the upper east side. I have an 8:30 start time though...

We were thinking of jumping on at the bottom of the park, but are worried that a marshall will stop up given the new security issues. We both have vests and will be on a huge white Cannondale road tandem.

What time are you planning to check out the expo? We will be arriving in the city around noon on Saturday (coming from Albany).

Aaron

[fiamme red]

Same question if we are going to visit only one bike store in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon . . . suggestions?

BBDI haven't been there in about 10 years, but Conrad's on Tudor City Place on the East Side is a nice shop. Lots of high-end stuff.

[EDS]

I haven't been there in about 10 years, but Conrad's on Tudor City Place on the East Side is a nice shop. Lots of high-end stuff.

Conrad's is nice but not much to oogle at since it is so small and not much on the floor.

BBD - If you want to hit some NYC nike shops, depending on where your staying and timing, you could very easily on foot go from SBR (58th between 7th and 8th) to Toga (West End Ave. and 64th) and Signature (across 64th street from Toga -go to second floor). SBR is more tri oriented for sure but has some nice stuff to look at; Toga is a very solid all around shop with good inventory and Signature is, well, Signature, so high end (I like them and purchased my Serotta there).

[BumbleBeeDave]

We were thinking of jumping on at the bottom of the park, but are worried that a marshall will stop up given the new security issues. We both have vests and will be on a huge white Cannondale road tandem.

. . . on Saturday afternoon, hoping to check out Sid's and NYC Velo and we have to go to the expo to get our vests. I'll PM you and maybe we can hook up. Angry Scientist wants to get together for a beer, but I'm not sure if he;'s entered he event or is just coming into Manhattan from NJ to meet us 'cause we're special. ;)

I was concerned about the exact same vest issue given the staggered start times. Wil lhey have different color vests for the different start times that will enable marshalls to locate early starters?

Perhaps one of our own Paceline member course marshalls can fill us in? . . . (hint, hint!) :rolleyes:

BBD

[aarondgirard]

. . . on Saturday afternoon, hoping to check out Sid's and NYC Velo and we have to go to the expo to get our vests. I'll PM you and maybe we can hook up. Angry Scientist wants to get together for a beer, but I'm not sure if he;'s entered he event or is just coming into Manhattan from NJ to meet us 'cause we're special. ;)

I was concerned about the exact same vest issue given the staggered start times. Wil lhey have different color vests for the different start times that will enable marshalls to locate early starters?

Perhaps one of our own Paceline member course marshalls can fill us in? . . . (hint, hint!) :rolleyes:

BBD


sounds like a plan... hopefully one of those marshalls will chime in.

Send me a pm... My wife and I would love to meet some fellow upstaters for a beer.

[gordieax]

FWIW: Last year all the vests were the same color.

[Lanterne Rouge]

. . . on Saturday afternoon, hoping to check out Sid's and NYC Velo and we have to go to the expo to get our vests. I'll PM you and maybe we can hook up. Angry Scientist wants to get together for a beer, but I'm not sure if he;'s entered he event or is just coming into Manhattan from NJ to meet us 'cause we're special. ;)

I was concerned about the exact same vest issue given the staggered start times. Wil lhey have different color vests for the different start times that will enable marshalls to locate early starters?

Perhaps one of our own Paceline member course marshalls can fill us in? . . . (hint, hint!) :rolleyes:

BBD

Somewhat embarrassingly I don't know the underlying structure of the phased starts and how it is going to be policed.

I guess that they're working on the basis of people will do what they're told in respect of what time they're supposed to start and where.

The diagrams that I've got about the start are colour coded but whether or not the bibs corresponend I don't know.

Sorry chaps. I'll buy you a post ride beer to make it up to you :)

[dschlichting]

Hey spdcyclist: See you and your captains Jim and Bob in CP at 0630. I am working in your area.

[BumbleBeeDave]

You can check out Bike Expo 2013 on the west side. Have a safe ride Sunday and be on the alert for squirrels of the human variety. :)

http://www.bikenewyork.org/bike-expo-new-york/

. . . is on the lower east side.

BBD

[shovelhd]

If anyone decides to bail on this bike-a-palooza, come on out to Orchard Beach and watch the races. It's a great spectator course. I'm in the Masters field, blue and pink kit, on a Felt FC.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . the security rules.

http://www.bikenewyork.org/security/

Sucks, but it is what it is. :crap:

BBD

[Lanterne Rouge]

All thanks to the bad folks in Boston. I'm supposed to be carrying tools and a load of spares and first aid kit, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it now.

My current thinking is to shove it down the front of my shorts but I think that would qualify as false advertising.

. . . the security rules.

http://www.bikenewyork.org/security/

Sucks, but it is what it is. :crap:

BBD

[BumbleBeeDave]

All thanks to the bad folks in Boston. I'm supposed to be carrying tools and a load of spares and first aid kit, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it now.

My current thinking is to shove it down the front of my shorts but I think that would qualify as false advertising.

. . . race volunteer marshal? They've made no provision for that?

BTW, do you know what color the vests are this year? I want to color-match my kit!

BBD

[Lanterne Rouge]

We can have bigger bags but we're screened when we check in (did I mention that I need to check in at 5am :mad:). What we're carrying gets tagged with a security label. Although I'm still planning to pack out the front of my shorts.

I'm not sure on colours but I'm in a yellow vest; which will clash nicely with my planned ensemble (a putrid combination is greens, purples, reds, greys and yellows).

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . which will clash nicely with my planned ensemble (a putrid combination is greens, purples, reds, greys and yellows).

You're rockin' this kit with the multi-colored Fuso? Man, YOU should be easy to spot!

I wonder if the transvestites on trikes will be there this year? They were in 2007 & 2008 and were hilarious.

Here's my pics from 2007 . . . http://www.pbase.com/bumblebeedave/bike_ny_2007&page=all

BBD

[dschlichting]

LanterneRouge: separate rules apply to volunteers. Check with your team captain.

[Lanterne Rouge]

LanterneRouge: separate rules apply to volunteers. Check with your team captain.

According the new marshal guide we are allowed bigger bags and they will be security checked and tagged - what have I missed?

[AngryScientist]

well, i did my part, i drank beer the night before.

Dave - how was the ride??

[fvracer72]

This was the third year in a row I rode this event......my buddy and I pull out the fixies and have at it...... I saw a lot of crashes this year as well as a lot of pedestrians crossing through the riders.

The worst crash I saw was a broken carbon frame(couldn't see what it was) with a broken lightweight rear wheel......people were picking up pieces of carbon all over the place.....I don't know what the hell he did, but his bike looked like it had been run over

[titans]

As in Lightweights which are uber expensive or just a pair of lightweight wheels? In either case mucho dinero to replace....

[veloduffer]

This was the third year in a row I rode this event......my buddy and I pull out the fixies and have at it...... I saw a lot of crashes this year as well as a lot of pedestrians crossing through the riders.

The worst crash I saw was a broken carbon frame(couldn't see what it was) with a broken lightweight rear wheel......people were picking up pieces of carbon all over the place.....I don't know what the hell he did, but his bike looked like it had been run over

This can be a scary event. I don't know what that rider was thinking when he chose carbon for this ride. I guess he has more 'disposable' income than most.

[BumbleBeeDave]

On Saturday we went to the bike expo to get our vests and the expo was much better than we expected. We had been planning to go find Sid's bike shop but ended up spending most of the time at the expo. I got some Honey Stinger kit to wear to match the Queen Bee. Thiswas the only thing at the expo I found to be really worth photographing. Yes, they actually sell these things . . .

BBD

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . and ended up having dinner at some Greek place in the Bowery and then meeting Angry Scientist for a beer at a bar called St, Dymphna's. Angry and my buddy Evan then headed off toward McSorly's (oldest bar in NYC) to check out the historical aspects and I headed back to the hotel. Got lost. Finally got back to the hotel after asking many people for directions--and finally finding a couple who actually lived in Manhattan knew where the heck I should go on the subway to actually get where I wanted to go.

While we wandered around we found "Mr. Softee" and this hot dog place that had a pretty interesting sign. We also found this graffiti that I think I will steal and have painted on the Queen Bee!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . the heavy hand of Homeland Security was ever present. I got the strangest feeling we were being . . . watched!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . we got to the ride. Our hotel was on 51st st. between 5th and 6th Ave., so we headed south and joined the stream after the start. First pic is us before joining in. Second is heading north up 6th Ave. with the newly topped out Freedom Tower in the distance. Then we got to Central Park --next two pics.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and into Harlem and then got on the FDR and then over the 59th St. Bridge and we were feelin' groovy! . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJBhdKrwTOc

Cycling wardrobes were, uh, interesting. I don't think this ensemble is Rapha approved.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Use the Porta-John . . . Grab a banana . . . . do NOT get separated from your buds!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . that's the Brooklyn Queens Expressway to the uninitiated.

So if all lanes are closed, what drivers would be there to expect delays? Kinda bizarre . . .

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . coming back to Manhattan. We got funneled into the center lane of the ferry and I was thinking "Damn! I'm not gonna get any pictures from here!" But it worked out.

Then the church as we got off the ferry and my well-earned lunch in a cafe along the west side bike trail at about 70th street.

BBD

[fvracer72]

As in Lightweights which are uber expensive or just a pair of lightweight wheels? In either case mucho dinero to replace....

it is what you feared.....the uber expensive ones
:eek:

[hokoman]

Looks like a great ride....

[Lanterne Rouge]

:(

Sorry I didn't get a chance to catch up with you BBD - cell phone issues and a few incidents, that I'm sure you've heard about.

Awesome photos BTW.

[justinrchan]

Great photos - thanks for sharing. Ended up going to the Expo for a bit. It was okay - too packed but that was to be expected.

[spdcyclist]

Finally got around to downloading some pictures from the 5 Borough Bike Tour...Wonderful day.

The MPBC Marshals...
1697860736

Riding to our Post at Manhattan North...
1697860737

On Post 135th and 5th...
1697860788

City view from Brooklyn....
1697860787

On the BQE headed to the Verrazano...
1697860738

We were stuck in a backup of bikes...cam was snapping away...and this is what I found...and all I can say...This made the 5BBT worth it! ;)
1697860739

Dan
:banana:

[Vonruden]

Loving the photo above.

It was a great day! i rode the 1988 DeRosa and had a blast.

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj533/vonruden1/6661be66c73964d10f35e86e37bb1dbc_zps46c5c2a2.jpg

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj533/vonruden1/5bef580fc98bdad5efee0aeae5925f1e_zpsd14bda38.jpg

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj533/vonruden1/16c9116a604b7b1bbc5eb0c76f17fe15_zps6076aceb.jpg

[fiamme red]

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/an-expressway-speed-record/

July 11, 2013, 8:30 am

An Expressway Speed Record

By RICHARD C. AGINS

Dear Diary:

Overheard during the Five Boro Bike Tour on May 5, at about the 37-mile mark of the 40-mile ride, on the B.Q.E., heading toward the Verrazano Bridge, one bike rider to another:

“You know, I’ve driven on this road hundreds of times, but I think this is the fastest I’ve ever gone.”:)