Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.squirtdad
11-02-07, 02:29 PM
Just back from a trip to NYC...first time in a lot of years.
The majority of bikes I saw were of what i would consider utility here is the rundown
Pedicabs: This was new to me.....they were all over midtown/5 th ave/Central park. I saw them in Soho/Little italy also. The bikes looked to be all the same frame, with differences in wheels, handle bars, gearing and some differences in the seating area. The ride was expensive, but fun. My wife and I took one in search of chestnuts. The driver was personable and crazy. We cut in and out of traffic on Park and Maidaon, raced another pedicab over to times square. In heavy traffic probably faster than a cab.
Food Delivery: Almost every resturant/deli (unless it was high end) had a small armada of bikes with baskets chained out front. The bikes were typically department store mountain bikes. The chains/locks holding the bikes probably cost as much as the bike. Lot's of guys delivering food.
Messengers: Stereo type...but saw several on fixies, messenger bags on the back, going the wrong way through busy traffic.
Commuters/get from place a to b: Hard to tell, but saw number of people who looke to be using the bike for transportation. Mix of bikes road, mountain, comfort, and a fair number of folding bikes.
Exercise/Fun/race: Mostly on the weekend....lots in central park a few going down Lex (lot less traffic on the weekend)
bikes locked: Saw a wide variety of bikes from the delivery cycles, to old puchs, to nice surlys, old single speeds, fixies (new and modified). common to all was huge lock and huge hardened chain. Main had all he paint worn off by the chain. Saw a number of nice bikes in camo.....duct tape, ugly paint, no decals, bed liner paint job.
All in all my impression was that I saw more bikes than I remember when I lived in Ny 25 years ago.
The majority of bikes I saw were of what i would consider utility here is the rundown
Pedicabs: This was new to me.....they were all over midtown/5 th ave/Central park. I saw them in Soho/Little italy also. The bikes looked to be all the same frame, with differences in wheels, handle bars, gearing and some differences in the seating area. The ride was expensive, but fun. My wife and I took one in search of chestnuts. The driver was personable and crazy. We cut in and out of traffic on Park and Maidaon, raced another pedicab over to times square. In heavy traffic probably faster than a cab.
Food Delivery: Almost every resturant/deli (unless it was high end) had a small armada of bikes with baskets chained out front. The bikes were typically department store mountain bikes. The chains/locks holding the bikes probably cost as much as the bike. Lot's of guys delivering food.
Messengers: Stereo type...but saw several on fixies, messenger bags on the back, going the wrong way through busy traffic.
Commuters/get from place a to b: Hard to tell, but saw number of people who looke to be using the bike for transportation. Mix of bikes road, mountain, comfort, and a fair number of folding bikes.
Exercise/Fun/race: Mostly on the weekend....lots in central park a few going down Lex (lot less traffic on the weekend)
bikes locked: Saw a wide variety of bikes from the delivery cycles, to old puchs, to nice surlys, old single speeds, fixies (new and modified). common to all was huge lock and huge hardened chain. Main had all he paint worn off by the chain. Saw a number of nice bikes in camo.....duct tape, ugly paint, no decals, bed liner paint job.
All in all my impression was that I saw more bikes than I remember when I lived in Ny 25 years ago.