Northeast - NYC: bike ny 5 BURROUGHS RIDE (WHAT BIKE)

Whats up everyone,

Im an upstater and registered for the ride , Im very much looking forward to it. Im wondering what bike to do the ride on and what pedals.

I know NYC is flat been on foot a number of times.

Choice #1 my custom marinoni LD commute bike (full dresser)


choice #2 My 1992 falcon road bike now a single speed with fenders

pedals

1) speedplay frogs with lake sandals

2) tioga or crank brother BMX pedal with Keens or hike shoes (I commute on the BMX pedals but do long rides on the frogs)

your thoughts please
Many thanks

"John"

I've ridden on a fixed gear a bunch of times (clipless), and a mtb a bunch of times (platforms). Whatever you're comfortable on is fine.

I'm with Jyo - whatever you like - but know that it gets very crowded in spots, and you'll have lots of riders with poor bike handling skills/ettiquette around you (kids, people who haven't been on a bike in years, etc), so I've seen some nasty tumbles at compression points or bottlenecks.

I'd lean towards BMX platforms, just my two cents.

Whatever keeps your butt comfortable longer. It's not a long ride mileage-wise, but you'll be in the saddle for longer than you think due to the slower speeds.

Whatever bike you can walk with easiest. ;)

There's 30,000+ participants on the ride, and the distance is short anyway. It will be ridiculously crowded, especially at numerous choke points.

Re: pedals, whatever you can clip out of faster.

It did feel like a lot of walking last year :( but if you get there early enough, it may not be as bottlenecked. i'd opt for platforms over clipless on this ride.

I only did this ride twice (fun, but too crowded for me, I do TA's century in Sept. now instead) - the second time a friend recommended we jump in on 6th around Bryant Park - it worked great, we beat all the craziness downtown and only had to stand and wait for a short while before getting into the park. The first year, starting at the WTC, we must have stood on 6th for 2.5 hours....awful

Hey John,

MOST of NYC is flat, but the Bronx and Washington Heights has some very nice climbs
that surprise everyone.

That said, ride your most comfortable that you can clip in and out of easily.
Crowded or not crowded you WILL have a good time.

Rob

You WILL be walking!!!! Maybe a LOT. DO NOT wear road shoes!!!

So keep in mind that the 5BBT is a mass event, not a club ride, so with the exception of a few sections, you cannot reasonably expect to open it up. The route is nearly all flat, except for the little hill in CP and the climbs over the 2 bridges. And on those climbs, you will be too busy dodging wobbling cyclists to push it up the ascents. Quick dismount / unclip from the pedals would be operative issues, IMO.

While there is a lot of walking at the start and at some choke points, you can open it up a bit once on the FDR drive and in Brooklyn. The part of the ride in upper Manhattan and the Bronx is very short and avoids the hillier section. The biggest climb is probably the Verrazzano Bridge into Staten Island.

I've been doing this ride for years and I'm always surprised by how beat up I feel afterwards, but it hadn't occurred to me its because of the time spent on the bike vs. how far you actually go. 42 miles is not a long ride if you can do it in 2-3 hours. When its over most of a day, it gets long.

I would strongly suggest the BMX with platform pedals. Did the ride the last 3 years...it is a fun time, just expect it not to be a quick ride and, as the above posts indicate, crowded. IMHO it is one of the best ways to see the city and enjoy the sights...have fun, get to the start early (7am) and relax, it's not a race...it's a walk in the beginning that sooner or later turns into a ride. ;)

I'd suggest platforms and the most comfortable saddle you have.