2 things: Roosevelt Island / The Greenway/s

Hi.

We intend to rent bicycles for at least one day during our stay in NYC (weather permitting...%26amp; BTW what are chances it will be safe to ride in mid February?). We like the look of ';Bike and Roll'; rentals who offer a hop-on hop-off rental so you can drop your bike at one of their numerous city locations...walk and sight see etc...before picking it up again and pushing off.

Are there any regular cyclists out there who use the Greenways? I am wondering what the gradients are like and whether my level of fitness is up to scratch. I am a recreational cyclist but my partner is a serious cyclist...I am wondering whether we should get a tandem so he can pick up my clack ;0

FWIW we plan to ride for as long as we can %26amp; the map provided on the website shows that we can use the Greenway to go from UES all the way to around near Roosevelt Island; i.e. a long way!

Can anyone tell me whether you are able to take bicycles on board the tram over to the island? We will have locks provided however I am reluctant to leave them. For reference we will be riding over late morning/midday (perhaps when there are less commuters?). I do not wish to cramp other commuters but unless bicycles are prohibited by law then I would prefer to take them with us and cycle around the island before heading back.

Thanks in advance!

2 things: Roosevelt Island / The Greenway/s

Of course, that should be SLACK! I hope no Australians are reading this and take offence (or amusement) at this faux pas ;)

2 things: Roosevelt Island / The Greenway/s

I bike a fair amount. The Hudson River path is the most developed. I like to bike all the way up to Inwood, the very top of Manhattan, you get beautiful views across to Spuyten Duyvil, you get panoramic views of the George Washington Bridge, the NJ Palisades, The Bronx, etc.

It is a nice ride all the way down to The Battery.

The East Side is not really developed the same way. There are more missing links on the East Side.

Best way to get to Roosevelt Island is probably just take the bikes on the F train.

Central Park has some gentle hills but nothing intense. Manhattan is an island, there are some hills but nothing like the mountains.

The steepest hill in Central Park is at the northern extreme. To avoid that hill I typically take the 102nd Street transverse.

I like to bike in Prospect Park and across the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges too.

Happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Thanks MFFM for your reply. I did actually mean UWS (damn the E and W being next to each other on the keyboard!). You seem to have understood what I meant anyway!

I had noticed that the bike path seems to come to a stop not far from the United Nations Building on the East Side. It appears to use dedicated bike lanes on 1st and 2nd Avenues instead, would that be correct? Just curious...probably wont use them especially if the weather is foul.

Glad you mentioned the bridges! I was wondering what your thoughts are about cycling over Manhattan Bridge one way and coming back over the Brooklyn Bridge? It seems everyone does the Brooklyn Bridge but if you want a picture of it...and you%26#39;re ON it...that kinda makes it hard! It makes sense to be somewhere else to take a photo op and the info I have suggests Manhattan Bridge has bike paths too.

Thanks again :)

haha, lol msMelburnian, at your partner picking up your %26#39;clack%26#39;...had a chuckle at that one....your idea of the bicycles and routes sounds good, i may pinch that idea for my April trip! hope you have a great time!

hehehe I was hoping no-one would discover my mistake! ;)

I think April weather might be more salubrious for you but we%26#39;re hoping for, at the very least, some sunshine - riding will warm us soon enough so the temp doesn%26#39;t matter so much. We%26#39;re in the city for 6 days so we%26#39;ll be playing it by ear and checking the next day%26#39;s weather so when it looks good that%26#39;s when we plan on cycling. It sounds good on paper %26amp; hopefully it all pans out for us!

I%26#39;ll be posting some feedback on Bike and Roll (they also have outlets in other states and get good feedback; I%26#39;m using them in San Francisco too). I really like the idea of being able to drop in at various rental locations, leaving the bike with them in safety, then sight-seeing on foot before returning to collect the bike again. FYI they have outlets on Governor%26#39;s Island - where there is also a so-called Greenway around the island - and in Brooklyn not far from Grimaldi%26#39;s (lunch anyone!?).

I%26#39;m heading off to the US in 4 weeks (and quietly hoping to win Powerball in the meantime)!!

We walked the Manhattan Bridge last March and there were a lot of people biking on it. You can easily stop on both bridges to take pictures. I would pick a day that%26#39;s less windy to do the bridges. On the best of days there%26#39;s a breeze up there. What I wouldn%26#39;t do is try to bike in Manhattan traffic. We do love watching the delivery guys and girls maneuver their way through the taxis, cars, and trucks. It definitely takes skill and guts!

Have a wonderful time!

We%26#39;re recreational cyclists, too, and I think the wind could really slice right through you on the Hudson River greenway and riding over the bridges if you%26#39;re not dressed properly. It%26#39;s always at least 5 degrees colder along the water.

But, if the weather cooperates, it will be awesome!

Also, just a warning that the inclines on our bridges are very challenging! They look reasonable, but it%26#39;s all an optical illusion. Yikes! The better bikeways on our bridges are Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge (too many tourists knock this from potential #1 spot), and Queensborough-59th Street Bridge.

Here are some options:

Start on the Upper West Side (maybe get a bagel at Zabar%26#39;s?) and ride down the greenway along the Hudson, all the way to Battery Park City. You can take a break at the World Financial Center. Continue around the tip of Manahttan to Battery Park and Bowling Green.

I think you can ride ';off road'; (i.e. on a greenway) to South Street Seaport and City Hall. then you can ride back and forth across the Brooklyn Bridge.

If you really want to see Roosevelt Island, sorry to say, but I%26#39;d take the bikes on the subway. Pick either the first or last car of the train.Take the F train to the Roosevelt Island station. It%26#39;s a very deep station, but there are elevators. Don%26#39;t take your bike on the escalators.

Frankly, I think your Roosevelt Island stop will be very short. The views are gorgeous, but it%26#39;s a rather small island, and it is plagued with depressing 1960%26#39;s - 1970%26#39;s ';institutional'; architecture. Ironically, the 1930%26#39;s Deco nursing home and the abandoned TB hosptial are the prettiest buildings.

BTW, the new 9th Avenue bike lane is great, so make sure to try that, too.

You can order the FREE paper bike map from the DOT in advance of your trip, or pick one up at any bike store:

鈥yc.gov/html/鈥ikemaps.shtml

home2.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bike/cwbm.shtml

Finally:

If you can, bring an extra good bike lock with you, in addition to the one provided. Bike theft is high. We usually carry 3 locks - we lock each bike to a pole or stand and then lock our bikes together. Make it too time-consuming to steal your bikes.

(Although this video would prove otherwise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7zb8YXrmIA)

Never, ever leave any accessories on your bike or in your baskets. Unclip any lights and water bottles and take them with you when stopping.

Ride defensively and always assume cars are ignoring you. NYC drivers have gotten much better over the years, but they still need training. ;o)

A great organization to contact is Transportation Alternatives:

www.transalt.org

LMAO! I just Googled ';clack Aussie slang!'; Oopsie!

Here%26#39;s the video again. Hopefully the link will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7zb8YXrmIA

There are a lot of great nyc cycling videos on Youtube.

I%26#39;d advise against biking the Brooklyn Bridge -- people certainly do it, but due to the large volume of pedestrians on that span, it%26#39;s rather more hazardous and hard to enjoy from a biker%26#39;s point of view. (and from a pedestrian%26#39;s point of view, they might just want to stick their walking stick into your spokes for almost running them over!)

Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges both have excellent bike paths where there%26#39;s a greater chance bike/pedestrian separation will be respected :-)

Wow great to wake up to all this helpful info :)

I%26#39;ll be sure to check out that 9th Avenue bike lane - despite my partner%26#39;s concerns I think it would be pretty wild to ride on the city streets! Really hoping for some good weather to make the most of the full day we have planned...

queens...while you%26#39;ve got that Aussie slang guide handy you should check out FANNY and then you%26#39;ll know to never refer to your derriere in that vein again ;o We Aussies are all class, LOL :D

Thanks all!