Anything from a bike rain jacket to a big plastic bag with a couple of extra holes.

Last year, I used a camel back without incident. Until after, when I left it on the ferry. You don't even want to know the story.

Rain!!! CRAP!

Update, if it's cold, in the morning, no Rangers sweatshirt.
I'll be wearing a light weight black and green jacket.

I'll be wearing a green or black sweatshirt and black leg covers. Might have on a yellow vest under the blue ride-vest. If raining, I'll also have a clear plastic rain-shell.
Also black helmet with bikeforum.net stickers on the sides and two red feathers, vertical.
If you're at the the Broadway Dunkin' Donuts, look for the feathers. Coffee is still on me.

Since you're the only one here who posted a when and where for a bikeforum meet up I should be there.

Hey, I'm just posting my schedule.

See ya there.

So which bike should I take?

My wife wants to take the tandem. But her friend (who has ridden before) thinks we are nuts due to the crowds. I am fine navigating the tandem even in crowds.

We will probably take singles as well in case my wife changes her mind. In that case I am torn between my roadie (OCR C3) or my old Mtn bike with slicks. is a roadie ok for this ride? I haven't been to NYC in awhile and never noticed the road surface that much.

-D

Road bikes do fine. Being city streets there are some potholes and paving joints to watch for, but most of it should be ok. There used to be some really rough patches in Queens and Brooklyn, but they repaved those parts a couple of years ago.
Be especially careful on the bridges - a couple of them the big finger-jointed expansion joints that can eat skinny tires.

Past rides I've seen tandems and bent tandems, trikes, handbikes and even a Pennyfarthing. A tandem shouldn't be a problem. Once you're into Central Park, the crowd tends to thin out a bit.

I missed the deadline this year. The ride filled up a month before the event, and I got locked out.
For the past 7 or so years, I've been part of a group of friends who do the ride.

Can't say I'm upset though. It get more and more crowded every year, and the route hasn't changed in forever (except when they were doing construction).

Good time when the weather is good. The beers on Staten Island and on the ferry back to Battery Park taste way good.

After Thursday you may not want to wear it anyway

Is anyone coming from Jersey (Jersey City)? I'm trying to plan ahead, wondering what the commute via PATH will be like that day (I'm imagining 10,000 bikes on the PATH train). Also, coming home, is it best to wait for the ferry to get to the PATH at WTC, or just bike over the Bayonne Bridge and up the Boulevard?

Also, can anyone recommend a good place to meet friends in Lower Manhattan prior to the event? I'm hoping to catch up with a friend or two from Manhattan, but I'm worried there's no way we'll find each other. Are certain streets closed off and uncrossable (even by bike)?

Looks like we'll have a reason not to rush home, after the ride now. I was really hoping for a blowout the other way around.

Some people get there around 6:00. Too early for me.
6:30 to 6:45 should be good enough for a good spot in line.

The 15 mph is the speed that the head of the tour is going at (pace car). If you get clear road and can safely go at a good speed, go for it.

NAH.. once you break away from the pack on the bqe.. you ca go as fast as u want... ..
slow people just stay on the right.. wannabe racers too the left...

Alright then. I think I'll be getting there at around 6-ish. Thanks for the info, and it's a relief to hear that the 15mph is not a speed limit, or else people would be sitting on their brakes!

The front of the tour does move at 15mph --and FYI, will the throttled back to 12-13mph in the rain.
But assuming you are not in the front and you have open space in front of you, nothing prevents you to go for whatever speed you deem prudent.
But after 30 5BBT's, I can tell you that the most spectacular crashes happen when people speed and slam into someone who is still learning what riding in a straight line means. You can count on a dozen or so of these every year.
In reality, this is not the event in which to open your throttles.

Hah. I'm not going to be looking to tailgate the pace car. Besides I'm riding with a buddy of mine who's pretty new to the sport. I just didn't want to have to worry about exceeding the speed limit while coasting down a hill.

Looks like non stop showers until after noon.

But it's at least going to be in the low to mid 50s in the morning, 60 by noon.

Just checked the weather again....t-storms in the morning, turning to rain till around 1. I don't like the idea of riding in the rain with 30,000 others, so I will probably bail.....

thinking the same thing...sucks.

Is there a chance it will be cancelled?

I know they say rain or shine, but there's a huge difference between rain and a sea of 30,000+ moving lightning rods riding through a 3+ hour thunderstorm.

Guess I'll see how I feel tomorrow after having my car and bike totalled this afternoon.

If I'm there scratch the red Trek 2200 and make it a black trek 6000 MTB instead.

I doubt that they would cancel unless the weather conditions were dangerous.
Rain or shine, but T-storms???

"best laid plans..."
I've had a raging cold for two days and almost didn't make it out of Virgina. I'm in NJ with my parents and feeling better today than yesterday, but I may still have to bail tomorrow. I won't try to make the early start (sorry, no coffee at DD this year) but if the weather cooperates and I feel up to it I might join in the tour later, somewhere above Central Park. Looks like the afternoon weather might be ok.

ps - saw a lot of cars headed north on the Jersey Turnpike today with bikes attached. Guessing that a fair number of them are headed for BNY.

Totalled???

Windbreaker, fleece, jersey and shorts. I am also taking a dry pair of socks. Looks like it will be wet as we set off!

Last year was gorgeous but cold and windy.

Word to the wise. Start from Park Place to Chambers St to Canal St to Houston St.

Rainy morning with Sun after Lunch.
https://www.intellicast.com/Local/Wea...ation=USNY0996

Have a great 5BBT! Ride safe and smile!

Riding in the rain...awesomely blech. Oh well, gotta roll with the punches.

Had to be towed. Looking at the amount of damage...and the receipt from my last accident, I'll be shocked if they don't total it. Also bent the frame on my bike. Oh yeah, and the air bag didn't even deploy.

Considering that I probably didn't get enough training miles in to begin with, and now I'll be forced to ride on a MTB with the fattest knobiest tires, plus the fact that I'm sure I'll be even much more soar tomorrow, I think I'm going to bail.