Someone asked me the other day how many miles I have ridden in New York City. So I started thinking about it and did a very rough calculation based on my 5 mile daily commute and the 18 months that I have been riding that route, minus a couple of days for rain and snow and maybe 2 weeks vacation out of the city and I came up with 2,500 miles! That doesn’t account for longer rides on weekends just the everyday movement in and around the city. In that time I have gone through 2 tires and 4 inner tubes, had one near miss with a car door, saved lots of money on MTA passes, and fallen in love with the sensory journeys I take through the city.
So how does one start riding around the city? Surrender to the chaos is rule number one. You have to be confident and fearless enough to get out there and ride and just fearful enough to use some sense and be safe.
Never ridden a bike and want to learn how? That’s great! Bike New York has learn to ride classes for adults and kids.
What should I wear? Really anything you want! Your regular clothes are just fine. Take your time if you don’t want to work up a sweat, really spandex is overrated and unnecessary unless you are putting on many miles in a day and need to move fast. It’s delightfully warm now but in the colder months just toss on a few layers and invest in some serious gloves and you’re good to go. Besides, NYC isn’t that cold.
