Fly2High

Hi everyone!!

I am looking to get a bike and live in Plainview. I drive pass the Old Bethpage Rd and Woodbury Rd entrances to what I believe is the path for Trailview Park.

What kind of bike is needed to ride that path?

Mtn bike (hardtail,suspension fork, full suspension)?
hybrid(hardtail or front suspension)?
road bike(will the path be paved or off road only?

Sorry, I have yet to be on the path.

Are there any links to photos of the path?
I have the following link:
https://www.dot.ny.gov/bethpagebikeway/location


On this link, I am referring to the wine colored line starting at Woodbury, going onto Sunnyside(or adjacent), over LIE and then down to Old Bethpage Rd. Not sure if I would turn back for home at that point of continue to Bethpage park.


If this is the wrong place to post, let me know so I can put it in the right place.

Thanks

Frank

Steve B.

Frank

You are in the correct place for this post.

The map you posted showing the wine colored path shows the northern extension of the Bethpage Bike Path, which is a dedicated paved path starting near the picnic area parking lot inside Bethpage State Park (fee to park, April to November), and proceeds north 5.5 miles to the junction at Woodbury Rd.

Any bike is appropriate, but as it's a nice paved surface, probably more enjoyable on a hybrid or road bike without knobby tires.

When you get to the picnic area lot at BP, the original bike path continues south to Merrick Rd. in Massapequa, another 7.5 miles, so a decent distance of 13 miles one-way.

Note that the state does not maintain this path in the winter, so it's likely to be snow covered and icy in spots (even after yesterdays 2" snow), especially as with the path in the woods for most of the route, the snow and ice does not see much sun, so stays covered longer then local streets. Just heads up.

GlennR

It's paved from Woodbury Road down to Merrick Road.

Any bike can be used, even a unicycle if you like.

The section between the traffic circle and Southern State and south of Clark to Merrick Road is a bit bumpy but no problem with a road bike.

Here's 25 miles if you do some local streets and connect tot he Jones Beach MUP

Fly2High

awesome!! And thanks for the route. I hope to work towards completing it.

Thanks guys.

Right now I was not sure about the bike I should get since I feel I will be riding on the road with the family but I wanted to also take in this trail. I was thinking of a hybrid since I was only familiar with Stillwell (from flying planes there) so I assumed this trail would be the same. Glad to hear it is not. I think instead of leaning towards a hybrid with a suspension fork, I might now lean towards one without or go pure road bike. Wasn't thinking of a pure road bike because of this but now it might be a possibility.

On my short list, now, would be a trek 7.2 or 7.3 FX(instead of the 8.2/8.3 DS) the Specialized Sirrus (instead of the Crosstrail) and the Diamondback Insight 1or 2 (instead of the Trace which I sort of eliminated due to not having lockout forks).

Do you guys have any suggestions on road bikes in this price range? I have heard that, for longer distances, a 'bent bar' is better and more comfortable than the straight on a hybrid. Should I get hooked, which it seems I have even before I get my bike, I would like to plan for more than the first 6 - 18 months.

thanks for the details.

Frank

Steve B.

The trails you see at Stillwell are the mt. bike trails developed and maintained by CLIMB - CLIMB - Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists

I think there's a +6 mile marked loop at Stillwell, some of it being black diamond (technically more difficult) as well as some easier and flatter sections. The mt. bike trail system at Stillwell also connects with the Greenbelt mt. bike trail (blue paint blazed) that heads south from Stillwell and parallels the Greenebelt hiking trail (white paint blaze) in Trailview State Park and that links to the mt. bike trails in Bethpage State Park.

The paved northern extension of the Bethpage Bike Path, as discussed above, also uses Trailview State Park, from the LIE south to BPSP. Thus there are 3 trails - 2 of them not paved, in that corridor and you will see both white blazes for hikers and blue for mt. bikers at each road crossing.

Any hybrid that doesn't use a suspension fork would be good for your *current* purposes. A suspension fork would be a waste of weight and money as none of the riding you are currently planning on doing is over terrain that would want a suspension fork, that you might find out west on a National Forest dirt or gravel road. The hybrid would also be a poor choice for riding the dirt mt. bike trails, where you would want a mt. bike with better wheels, tires and gearing.

As well, given the price point of the Trek 7.2 - $500, I don't know of any entry level road bike in that range, you'd want to be spending a few hundred dollars more for something decent.

I would recommend talking to Doug and Linda at the Bike Junkie in Bethpage. Very knowledgeable and helpful and will always give you a good price on a bike and accessories.

Fly2High

Thanks Steve.
I had run the other day over to Bike Junkie and I was all excited to chat with them and all. An avid biker Paul F. had also recommended me to them so I quickly ran over only to find that they are off on holiday until 1/12. You have no idea what a bummer that was. Also after talking with Paul and the comments here, I decided I might want to look at a pure road bike, more touring than racing possibly but not sure. the idea of a suspension is out now.

My current list of road bikes are:
Specialized Secteur or Allez
Trek 1.1 or 1.2

I decided just to run to Bicycle Planet to get a quick feel for the hardtail hybrids and the road bikes. Not sure if I am the first but I felt like the road bike seats on the Specialized felt more comfortable than the ones on the Trek 7.2 FX.

I have a feeling I will be going with either Specialized, until I feel something better. When I tried a 58cm Secteur and Allez, the Allez had me feel like my arms needed to be locked out at the elbows when on the hoods where I was less locked up with the Secteur (58cm). It will take some getting use to using the current shifting mechanism brifters I think they are nicknamed. It has been THAT long since I was on a road bike.

I also asked if the Secteur could take a 25mm tire and they said it could. I was thinking of switching the 23mm for a little softer ride.

We also did a quick look for my daughter who now is up in a 24" bike - big jump from what she is riding now. How fast they grow at 7!

I think the family has been bitten by the biking bug. We have the Biking maintenance book and the Guy Andrews books on the way to get some basic understandings of what proper care and maintenance should be and how often and when to bring it in for annual maintenance. And of course the guys here have been great answering questions and giving all of us a good feeling about getting into riding.

I will keep you all updated with what we get but so far I have a feeling I will e sticking to the pavement.

thanks

Frank

Fly2High

After having visited all the local bike shops looking for a good price on a 2014 bike, I wasn't having any luck. Seems like most have been sold out already. I think I got lucky when I stopped by the Mineola bike shop and they had a Specialized Secteur Sport on sale for $800. I was looking at a base Secteur but when Bike Planet and Brands were looking to sell me a 2015 base for about $850, I jumped on it. Many of the closeouts also were not available in a 58cm. I did look at the Cannondale Synapse Sora 7 for $795 but it felt a bit more stretched out on it than on the Secteur. Nice too with what appeared to be all the same components (Sora gear).

Now to be fitted...

Thanks everyone.

Frank

Steve B.

Frank

Glad to hear you settled on a bike. Nice bike for the price as well.

So now it's time for the helmet, shorts, jerseys, gloves, shoes, saddle bag, tools, floor pump, etc....

Helmet is whatever you like. I like Pearl Izumi attack bib shorts, as bibs tend to fit better and hold the padding closer to the skin which results in less chafing. Shoes are your preference. I use Shimano R and M 087 road a mountain shoes as I have wide feet. I'd go with Shimano LX level SPD clipless pedals as used on mt. bikes. They're double sided entry and the easiest to get to know. Saddle bag - make sure it has a attachment point for a rear blinkie light, which you will want to uses at some point.

Tools ?, basic bike tool - Topeak Alien II has about everything you]d need, then a patch kit, 2 spare tubes, a CO2 inflator - Genuine Inovations Ultraflate Pro is a good choice, you can buy 12g CO2 cartridges cheap at Dicks or Sports Authority. A Blackburn floor pump is useful for home use, plus get a mini pump for the bike.

Do a practice flat at home, deflate the rear tire, then practice using the CO2 and Mini pump to re-inflate.

Ummmm all I can think of at the moment.

SB

Fly2High

Been scoping out helmets for a little while. Haven't settled. I read on some gov't site that they tested helmets and found as long as they are certified, cheap work as god as the expensive. What are you gaining with cost?

Already got a Topeak Joe Blow Sport II bike pump. Already had a electric pump for the car but wanted something that would not dump a huge volume and wreck the tubes so went with a floor pump and gauge. Not bad pump for the price. Not huge on the yellow indicator since it moves too easily.

Still looking at tools. From all the past hobbies, I have some (allen key set, etc.) but I know I should get some to keep on the bike.

Do not want to find out the hard way when I have my first flat far from home.

How important is it to have tire irons? I saw a video online where they changed it without them and recommended not using them. Should tires be changed with or without irons?

As for shorts, I need to get some riding in and lose some weight before I blind everyone up and down the bike trail!!! LOL.

Good idea on doing a practice flat. I should look to do it a few times on the front and back tires or at least on the back since I need to deal with the chain and all.

Thanks for the heads up.

Frank

Steve B.

The nice think about a dedicated bike tool is it (should) have a set of built in tire levers, and yes you will need them. No way to get a tight tire off the rim without them. You can also buy them separately.

When you do a test run of a CO2 or mini pump, do the whole thing. Take the rear wheel off, tire off, tube out, new tube in, etc.... Practice on the rear as rears get more flats and it'll be good to learn how to get the R wheel on/off. I keep a mini-pump and CO2 unit on the bike. I'll partly inflate the good tube before putting it on the rim, then do some more pumping to maybe 40 psi, then finish with CO2 to 120 psi. Google a YouTube for "How to change a bicycle tire"

Then start thinking about how to carry all those bikes on the vehicle. Some folks use strap-on rear trunk racks, which are the least expensive, least reliable and hold the fewest bikes. Others use Thule or Yakima roof systems, others get a hitch installed and use a hitch bike rack. The roof and hitch systems will set you back about $500.

Fly2High

The good news is that my sister had a Rhode Gear Super Cycle Shuttle that fits my Scion. It is brand new, old time wise, but new. All foam and rubber is as new as the day the box
was opened.

For now, we can use that when necessary to transport 2 bikes. My daughters can still fit in the trunk if all three of us have to go out.


As for tools, I see some multitools have integrated tire irons but I am thinking of getting separates regardless. Also have been scoping out saddle bags. Not sure on the size but so far that is in my future.

As for a frame pump, I was deciding between the Topeak Road Morph G and the Lyzene Micro Floor pump HPG and since there is less plastic on the Lyzene, I think that is the way to go.

Also have decided to get a set of Shimano 105 PD-5800 pedals. I think I like the SPD-SL cleats best.

Frank

Fly2High

Sunday, I rode from my house in Plainview to the start of the Bethpage Bikeway all the way to Jones Beach/Tobay Beach and back !!! Awesome path, nice and quiet and loads of fun!!! With the ride to and form home, I totaled 51.4 miles. Really great to see all the people along the way and I did my best to offer a friendly gesture or greeting to just about all.

I got home with a very tight and sore back and had twisted my foot about 1/3 of the way South but decided that I would push on regardless.

Gratefully, The back is feeling much better and the foot is not as sore. The few hills/ climbing grades that are there did show how out of shape I am and was often found spinning my 34 x 32 to get up them. At least I did not have to walk at all. Only stops was at Jones and Tobay rest stop and did it in 4hrs 51min.

thank you OldNSlow2 for showing me the route.

Solidjake

^ Nice!! I want to do a ride out to Jones Beach one day. I'll probably park at Bethpage, head down and come back up.