Any other Forumites doing Bike NY?

[BumbleBeeDave]

Are any other Forumites doing Bike NY on May 4? A buddy and I have gotten a room in Central Park West and we are going down Saturday, see some sights, then jump on the ride in Central Park Sunday morning.

Anybody else riding? If so, anyone interested in any kind of gathering Saturday evening for drinks/dinner?

BBD

[dschlichting]

I'm working in it. When you make the left turn from 135th Street onto Madison Avenue Bridge, be sure to wave.

[johnmdesigner]

Since you are riding on Sun a Sat ride is probably out. I'm not riding in the event but would be happy to show BBD and company a good time in NYC!
PM me for contact info. :p

John

[quaintjh]

My wife and I are doing it with our kids and some neighbors. We are meeting some folks from PA as well.

We are still trying to figure out our lodging plans. Last year a buddy and I did it and stayed at his folks house on LI, drove to Staten Island and took the ferry. I agree with Dave that the start is best avoided, but enjoyed the ride up though lower Manhattan. We might try to join just about the Village--depending on where we stay.

Jay

[ergott]

I have a rear disc and skinsuit ready for the race. I should have a Cervelo P3 shipped to me by that Fri. so I can set it up the night before and ride.

:beer:

[BumbleBeeDave]

That could be for the ride or just hang out at area bike shops Saturday or go out for drinks/dinner Saturday evening. Last year when Evan and I did the ride we rode the subway over to Brooklyn and went to R&A Cycles, which was fun. Any other mammoth bike shops in the area it would be fun to go to?

I'm hoping we can be down in the city by noon on Saturday.

BBD

[BumbleBeeDave]

I have a rear disc and skinsuit ready for the race. I should have a Cervelo P3 shipped to me by that Fri. so I can set it up the night before and ride.

:beer:

. . . uh, interesting to watch. How long can you do a trackstand on that bike?

BBD

[WickedWheels]

I think I'm going to sign up with my wife.

BTW, visit a few Jersey shops if you're in the area. Strictly Bikes, in Fort Lee, is a good shop to check out on a Saturday. It's fairly small, but has a TON of high-end stuff.

[ergott]

. . . uh, interesting to watch. How long can you do a trackstand on that bike?

BBD


I just do this a lot
:bike:

[ergott]

Seriously, I've thought about doing it as I haven't in a few years. It's quite the experience. I can jump in at the park and skip the first stop. That should clear up the road quite a bit. If I go I would love to make a photo tour of it.

[Blue Jays]

Wear comfortable and supportive walking shoes to this bicycle ride! :p

[csm]

It's possible that I'll be there. usually stay on Staten Island tho. if I do I'll get into town Saturday noonish.

[MilanoTom]

It was worth doing once to see the sights, but that was about it for me.

At least 3/4 of the riders have no clue how to ride with another cyclist within fifty feet of them, and their uselessness as cyclists is in direct proportion to their need to 1) start at the front of the pack and 2) see how many across they can ride while going 10 mph.

If you've got more than one bike, bring the POS.

Regards.
Tom

[csm]

I've done it three times on a mountain bike. the last time was on a full suspension set way plush. it was the way to go.
most of the people riding it are not cyclists but I've found them to be easy enough to ride around.
that said, I wouldn't ride my road bike there.

[Kevan]

banner: ZEBRA SEEN LOOSE AMONGST HERD OF CYCLISTS

Then there's that gastly Page 6 spread, revealing too much detail.
EEEEIIIUUUUWWWWW!!!!

Have fun, I'm stayin' north where riding is more....civilized?

[BumbleBeeDave]

It's quite the experience. I can jump in at the park and skip the first stop. That should clear up the road quite a bit.

It IS quite an experience and jumping in at Central Park is exactly what we're planning to do to hopefully avoid some of the Herd Of Morons that were so apparent last year. Because we had a large group starting together and waited till everyone arrived at our meeting point before we actually went over and joined the start crowd, we ended up starting quite far back in the pack. As a consequence we spent at least 45 minutes waiting to get to the start line and another hour inching past Radio City Music Hall waiting to get metered into Central Park. After that it opened up a lot but we lost a rider at the first rest stop in Harlem when some other rider T-boned him while cutting across the street to get to the rest area.

After that, for the rest of the route, every time the pavement tilted upward by even half a degree everything came to a screeching stop in a bottleneck. This cost time spent just standing or inching forward. Then when we got to the "festival" at Fort Wadsworth we found ourselves trapped in a giant corral, which had apparently been created to prevent the surrounding neighborhoods from being flooded with 30,000 cyclists. They were letting people out of the "festival" area through what could only be described as a cattle chute. when we finally got out of there after at least another 45-60 minutes, our shuttle bus from our hotel was long gone and we had to ride across the length of Staten Island to get back to our cars. It was a harrowing experience, given that none of us had ever been there before and we had only one rudimentary map of Staten Island.

So by starting right at 8am and jumping on in Central Park we hope to get out in front and gain some time. Are we cheating? Yeah, I guess. but we spent AT LEAST 2.5 hours last year just standing in one place or tiptoing forward perched on our saddles. I ain't doin' THAT again!

BBD

[BURCH]

So by starting right at 8am and jumping on in Central Park we hope to get out in front and gain some time. Are we cheating? Yeah, I guess. but we spent AT LEAST 2.5 hours last year just standing in one place or tiptoing forward perched on our saddles. I ain't doin' THAT again!

BBD

I was going to throw this suggestion out there, but you are already very experienced. My wife and I just laughed how NYC has a ride that incorporated good ole' gridlock traffic with bikes.

Riding the train from Westchester that day with our bikes was coolest part!!!

[Ahneida Ride]

I did the run with BBD last year ... Never again.

I saw 5-7 accidents. one serious requiring the assistance of an ambulance.

At a rest area, I got plowed into and went flying. Thank God for helmets and friends who lend you beater bikes. I took quite a hit.
If I had the Serotta .... well ....

DO NOT ride a Serotta or any other bike that you may treasure.

Ride with extreme caution ... people will fly by you inches away at all speeds. Watch out for pot holes.

Dress warm !!!! There is a lot of walking and waiting. One can freeze
if one is not cycling.

Most people were on Mtn bikes or some type of hybrid. I saw few real
road bikes.

Just one man's opinion. It's a risk vs. reward equation.

If I owned a quasi-decent hybrid that I could trash, I might reconsider.

WEAR A HELMET !!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE !!!!

[BURCH]

Ahneida Ride,

Ah yeah...I remember seeing several accidents too. I would be curious how many occur on this ride. I would not be surprised if it was 50+. This ride is like driving on the Grand Central Parkway to LGA. You don't know what to expect next, but be ready. Definately controlled chaos with outbursts of disaster.

[Ray]

I used to think I wanted to do this ride at least once. But a couple of friends from PA went up and did it last year and it was a pure horror story when they got back. I think starting in Central Park and staying ahead of the masses is the way to do it, but that's not the way I'd want to do this ride - I'd want to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds and that doesn't sound possible unless you really like crowds. I don't like crowds even a little bit any more. The accounts here and elsewhere just confirm it. I always figured a fixie would be a good way to go, but I can't really see myself ever doing the ride at this point.

-Ray

[Steevo]

I've done the Bike New York ride many times, most recently in 2006. It is a thrill to ride with so many people, but be aware, as there are many pile-ups. I always use the old beater-bike for this event. My favorite spots are the car-free expressways and bridges - its a blast to cruise down the FDR or Belt Parkway.

The tour is very slow from the start in Battery Park all the way to Central Park. There is a lot of waiting and walking. In order to minimize the time spent walking and stopping in the crowds, I suggest joining the tour as it enters Central Park around 8 - 8:15 am. Stay towards the front of the pack the entire way, enjoy the ride, take in the festival at the end and head to the ferry quickly. This plan will keep save you anywhere from 2 -3 hours waiting and walking and waiting. The bike path along the Hudson is a pleasant way to get back to your car if you left it in mid-town.

[dschlichting]

Having worked on the 5BBT every year since the first one in 1977, I can make a few comments.
.The 5BBT is and must be accepted as a mass event. You won't get 30,000 professional riders like ourselves. For many, riding upright in a more or less straight line is an accomplishment. For many, it is THE ride of the year --THE ONLY ride of the year. With that said, IMO the quality of both riders and bikes has improved over the last 4-5 years.
.Flow issues have plagued sections of the 5BBT for years. E.g., on Sixth Avenue, you have more or less 5 lanes of road width, and go down to 1.75 lanes on the Central Park roadway, plus the hill. FDR Drive to QB bridge is a similar problem. It is inevitable that back ups will occur. Some of us who can influence planning would like the 5BBT to get out of Central Park completely, but this creates many manpower and traffic control problems for the NYPD.
. More and more participants start the tour downline at some point to avoid the congestion in lower Manhattan. Best to do this NOT in Central Park to avoid conflict with the NYPD cars and motorcycles on the narrow roadway. In the area for which I am responsible (110th St and Powell Blvd thru the Madison Ave. Bridge) we have a lot of people who do this. After the tour goes by for 3-5 minutes, there is usually a period of several minutes where the density of riders is relatively low.
. Crowding and metering of the riders OUT of Fort Wadsworth is directly related to ferry waiting times. The intent is to avoid crowding in the SI Ferry Terminal and on the roadway above it. The roads used by the 5BBT on Staten Island are basically closed, so the issue is not so much of conflict with the local traffic.
. People driving to and parking on Staten Island have historically been caught up in this exit Fort Wadsworth issue, even though they were not using the SI Ferry. This will be remedied this year with SI drivers/parkers being given a break.

Trust this these comments will be informaitve to all.