The second best place to ride a bike outside of Brooklyn, is Central Park.
As the weather gets colder and riding a bike isn’t as easy of a decision to make, because now you have to prepare for it and have warm cloths for the colder weather. Central Park is great alternative to that, not that it’s warmer there, but because riding in the park during the winter is very scenic. The bike paths are surrounded by nature and let your mind escape the busyness of the city and enjoy a nice view. Aside from the great view, its probably the easiest way to  get from 59th Street to upper east side on a bike in 10 minutes with no traffic. It’s a great exercise and you get to actually race or try to keep up with guys who have professional bikes and are training. The path are dedicated paths for bikes, and they continue through the entire park, so you ride around the park worry free of motor vehicles.

Above is a the main bicycle path in Central Park.

Video below are some of lovely cyclist I was able to capture as they sped past me.

credit: NYC.gov

This is probably something I should have discussed in my first blog post, but having been new to owning a bike as an adult I didn’t know that their were actual rules towards cycling in the city. Those who cycle in NYC no matter what conditions such as the delivery guys, mail guys and those who have committed to making cycling their only form of transportation are probably aware of these kind of regulations. But the NYC.gov website has the rules and regulations for cycling in NY, such as wearing a helmet, having front and back lights on your bike when riding at night. Pretty much all of the things you would expect something that says rules and regulations. But because of certain of the growing number of recent bike and car accidents or bikes and pedestrians accident, the rules are being more enforced. Just not long ago a young lady was struck by a bus driver when she had the right of way and was riding her bike in the bike lane, the bike driver argument was that he did not see her. She was a young Swedish model who had moved to the New York to continue her modeling career. Here’s the link to the story.

Swedish model gets into bike accident caused by a bus driver.

The NYC.Gov website has little booklets to bikers can use to get a better idea of the rules and regulations of cycling. You can get the actual booklet if you like at some of your local bike shops or just download the PDF from the website @ NYC.gov.

NYC.gov

Central Park also had to make some panel changes and speed limit changes because of an accident caused by a cyclist hitting a woman while riding in the park. NEW YORK TIMES

Michael Nagle for The New York Times

Night Rider

NYC the city that never sleeps, specially during the holiday times the traffic flow are higher than normal and not as safe to cycle around. For those who are avid bike commuters the cold weather nor the holiday season traffic will deter them from continuing to ride around the city. But for the others who enjoy cycling as form of freedom seeking or a therapeutic exercise, consider night riding.

An article from Bicycling.com discusses the health benefits of cycling. Researchers have found that cycling works as a form of stress relief by releasing mood-lifting chemical like endorphins. Being that we live in a busy city such as new york, cycling in itself can be a very stressful experience. A cyclist in New york would have to be concerned with the cars and pedestrians of the busy new York City. But lucky even the city that never sleeps has a down time, and that’s late nights. If you’ve never considered before I would advice you give it a try, cycling at night. It’s one of the most relaxing experiences a bike enthusiast can get in NYC. The roads are mainly empty, the city bright light are beautiful to watch, and the less amount of people makes you feel like you have the entire city to yourself. So just the other day I went out in the middle of the night, with my camera in hope to capture the city in it’s quiet time, and some folks cycling in the night. I ended up keeping the focus on the Queens Borough Bridge as I got memorized by the city sight from that angle.

Here’s some interesting news regarding cycling I think you guys will enjoy.

People don’t like biking uphills, and this company is looking to make it easier on cyclist.”KPLU.ORG”

Citi Bike is working on improving its user experiences; they’ve even hired an aid from a former MTA management.”NEW YORK TIMES”

A vintage approach to Cycling “NEW YORK TIMES”

How to Catch a bike thief “NEW YORK TIMES”

The mayor of Rome refuses to give up cycling “The Telegraph”

Hope you guys find these round-ups as interesting as I did.

Cycle Path: Bridge cycling, The Williamsburg Bridge

Bridge riding has always been one of the biggest hurdles for bike riders to overcome, and today I borrowed a camera and took it to the Williamsburg Bridge to see how other bikers took on the challenge of riding across a bridge. In the beginning of the video you’ll see a young lady taking on the Williamsburg Bridge with a single speed bike. If you’ve ever rode one of those bikes before you know it isn’t easy, but she does it gracefully, on a colorful bike at that. The end of the video also shows a young man entering the bridge from Brooklyn on a single speed bike and he seems to do it effortlessly as well. But overall the Williamsburg Bridge happens to be one of the easier bridges to cross versus the Brooklyn or Queensboro Bridge.

group of french tourist, touring the city bridge using Citi bike

When the WilliamsburgBridge opened in 1903, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was one of the last major bridges designed for the horse and carriage. Now, the Williamsburg Bridge is one of the major crossings of the East River. It connects over 600 bikers and other motorists everyday between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Today Brooklyn has the most cyclists in comparison to any of the other boroughs in New York City. The Williamsburg Bridge has become the main bridge that connects Brooklyn cyclists to the city.

Group of curious and friendly bike riders who asked what I was recording.

Take a look at these links below if you’re interested in purchasing one of those colorful single speed bikes from the video.  Or one  just like the gentlemen standing in the picture above is holding, they can be customized to your liking.

http://www.republicbike.com/build_aristotle.asp

http://www.citygrounds.com/aventon/aventon-mataro-low-fixed-gear-bike-built-by-city-grounds-3702/color/POLISHED

I got to briefly interview Masha about using Citi Bike’s in NYC, Masha is an SVA student and a designer. I got to ask a couple of questions as she was just parking a Citi Bike after running some errands.

1. Please share a little about yourself, and what do you do in NYC.

My name is Masha and I am a designer living in NYC. As a student at the School of Visual Arts I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so much opportunity.

2. Please share why you chose to be a cyclist in NYC?

Physical activity has always been a part of my life. I use cycling as an excuse to stay fit while running errands around Manhattan. It also exposes me to the history in New York City when I accidentally take a wrong turn.

3. What do you think could be done to enhance the cycling experience in NY ?. In your case with city bikes

Awareness needs to be brought to the attention of pedestrians about cyclist. They forget that bike riders now become vehicles and if they were more attentive to cyclist, it would create a safer environment for everybody.

Steve with his beloved bike

“I think people are going to find the pink lock funny”

” the results of me constantly tweaking this bike”

I had the pleasure of chatting with cool, calm and collective biker by the name of Steve. Such a small world, it turns out that Steve and I at some point in our life both attended LaGuardia CC in Long Island City. We shared a common interest in photography, but the main conversation starter was Steve’s bike. Steve has been cycling in New York for about 8 years, so he knows his way around the city on a bike. I asked him a few questions about what it’s like being a cyclist in a crowded city of New York, and what might have lead to him being on a bike rather than the train, bus, or in a car. Steve mentioned that he just enjoyed the easy feel of biking, and he liked getting his hands dirty by building and fixing his bikes. As he moved to New York from Scotland, he felt that the best way to get to know the City was to get lost in it, “there’s no better way to get lost in the city than on a bike”. Steve studied photography at LaGuardia, so he takes a like into viewing the landscape of New York as he tours it on his bike. Aside from the fun part of cycling in New York, we also talked about some of its dangers. He laughed as he said this but I could actually relate a bit about this experience,” it almost feels like everyone hates bikers in New York”. Taxi drivers not respecting the bike lanes sometimes, being hated by pedestrian or drivers if you try to share the road. But    although New Yorkers are known to be rude, bike riders tend be actually nice to each other, by greeting with nods as they bike pass each other or giving bike compliments as they ride by, it’s a heart warming feeling, and it’s welcoming feeling, something that’s very rare in NY sometimes.