I grew up in NYC and used to do fun things like ride over the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges on the roadway. You had to jump the expansion joints which were large enough to swallow a skinny wheel and a lot of the rider too.
Cycling in the city requires a lot of adrenalin and commitment but you can move right along with all those yellow cabs. After moving to Boston I was hit twice my first year by drivers who follow a passive-aggressive game plan. Everyone drives as if they're all alone even in the densest traffic. Fortunately I survived long enough to figure it out and bike commuted for many years. Now too far out in the burbs.
Mike Sherman
Sharon MA
> This has very little classic content, but I did see a few lugged steel
bikes during my week in THE CITY. First of all, there are a LOT of fixed
gear bikes in New York. I saw many track and just plain fixed gear, but a
lot of them had freewheeling cogs on the rear. I was impressed that there
are so many wide boulevards to ride in Central Park without traffic. After
watching the hundreds of cyclists here, I now understand why Gianni
Pergolizzi says he can get a good workout in the park. Also, the bikes on
the streets have locks and chains that weigh as much as the bikes. I'm not
kidding here. And, the idea of placing tape around the tubes to obscure a
nice frame is alive and well. I did see a fair amount of cheapo bikes, but
seeing a nice bike with electricians tape on the tubes was a first for me.
I learned that you can take a bike on the subway. If you do it at rush
hour, don't expect to win a popularity contest. Riding in traffic doesn't
look like much fun. While I didn't see any wrecks, I would not have been
able to do what these riders here do. Weaving in and out of traffic where
the favorite color of the cars is yellow isn't my idea of fun. Riding in
one of the yellow cars and seeing how they drive would scare the heck out of
me if I were also a rider here. Pollution is a way of life. Other than the
park, I don't see how anyone can enjoy riding where your deepest breathe
inhales as much pollution as they have here. I did see a nice 1880s
tricycle in a picture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Don't recall the
artist, but it seems like it was a Renoir or Monet. Any art lovers that can
recall when those guys painted? Finally, the one thing I did gain an
appreciation for is food. You won't starve here. In fact, it would be
worthwhile to ship a bike to the hotel for a morning ride just to justify
the excess caloric intake that comes with a trip to New York. Lou Deeter,
"big, fat & beautiful" on the way home from New York city to Orlando FL
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----