bicycle tour at manhattan
 

hi.im going to nyc august 2 for 5 days, want to rent a bicycle, does anyone know where i can do that?whats the price for one day? im staying at the empire hotel av 63rd street.thanks.............

With the exception of Central Park, I'm not aware of any bicycle rentals -- and not sure one should be riding around very busy Manhattan anyway.

In Central Park, you can rent a bike at the Boathouse for use in the Park.

Enjoy!

Here's the URL for a list of rental places I found by doing a search for "bicycle rentals in nyc"

http://www.bikesummer.org/2003/local/rentals.php

I do agree with Gekko though, it can be dangerous riding around the streets if you're not familiar with the city. In addition to crazy car traffic you've got pedestrians famous for jaywalking, not to mention bike messengers who are brutal. I'd certainly avoid midtown.

Good heavens! I can't imagine riding a bike in Manhattan with the exception of Central Park! Unless you want to spend your time in an emergency room, I'd resign yourself to walking.

Please don't let your own fears and biases about bicycling cloud your advice.

I am a cyclist, a very proficient cyclist who has bicycled across this continent twice, including LA, Topeka, Indianpolis, Syracuse, and Boston. I've taken/passed a nationally certified course, "Effective Cycling". You "naysayers" who give jannik traffic advice, rather than answering the question asked, "where to rent a bike", suffer from what we commuting cyclists call "bicycle inferiority complex".

Skilled cyclists will have no greater problem in NYC than other metropolitan areas, where one must drive his bicycle carefully, defensively, and obey standard traffic rules. For all you know, maybe jannik even wants to get a bike to take OUT of NYC (eg: on MetroNorth). Thousands of NYC cyclists drive many miles every day without incident.

You can also bike along the Hudson from about 42nd down to the Battery. A distance of about 5 miles, give or take a bit. There is a paved running/bike path. Not sure about the rental.

thanks for the info..i was thinking about renting a bicycle on a sunday morning, have been to nyc 5 times,and know that the traffic can be very busy, but sunday morning,perhaps not???. since the city is so big, i was thinking that renting a bicycle was a very good idea,,but now i have to think twice about that...thanks again

rb, I don't think it has a thing to do with biker inferiority but the way the OP asked for a bike. Didn't sound like she/he was an experienced biker but just wanted to be-bop around town.

Now, sounding like the serious biker that you must be, would you really recommend to a novice biker, that doesn't really know the city that well, just to cycle his/her way around?

American Youth Hostels used to sponsor a 5 boro bike tour on one day during the year. They closed streets down on a Sunday morning. It was fabulous. Does anyone know if they still do that?

http://www.nyctourist.com/bikeny.htm
is the website for the ride. The 26th BIKE NEW YORK was held Sunday, May 4, 2003.

http://www.transalt.org/calendar/century/index.html
is the url for Transportation Alternatives (TA) New York City Century Bike Tour 2003

Register Online

America's only fully urban century ride
Sunday September 7, 2003 - Choose Your Distance, Ride Your Pace ( 100, 75, 55, 35 and 15 mile routes ) (T.A. seeks to change New York City's transportation priorities to encourage and increase non-polluting, quiet, city-friendly travel and decrease--not ban--private car use. They seek a rational transportation system based on a "Green Transportation Hierarchy," which gives preference to modes of travel based on their benefits and costs to society. To achieve those goals, T.A. works in five areas: Bicycling, Walking and Traffic Calming, Car-Free Parks, Safe Streets and Sensible Transportation.

GoTravel: No, I wouldn't recommend weekday on-street cycling to a novice, but consider it a big difference between advising someone of heavy traffic (I'm sure most visitors already aware of that) and stating "Unless you want to spend your time in an emergency room, I'd resign yourself to walking."

I know I sound like a pain in the butt, but I tire of other people who find it necessary to attempt to decided what's best for me, and I acknowledge you were NOT doing that ... but those kinds of comments are often what leads up to it.

BTW, it's very hard to rent bicycles many places today as would-be operators worry about liability issues. Most rentals are at or near off-road facilities.

rb, you do not sound like a pain in the butt and have a very valid point. Mea Culpa.

I ride my bike every weekend in NYC. Saturday/Sunday mornings are the best. Central Park is closed to traffic and has a gorgeous 6-mile loop to ride around - it's beautiful!! And it is not far from your hotel.

Also, you can ride on the newly completed Hudson River Park bikepath, along the west side of Manhattan from the south end of the island to 70-something street. You can continue north of there all the way to the GW Bridge (at least!) though small parts of the bike trail is on streets (with very little traffic though). From Battery Park to the GW Bridge is about 15 miles. You can even cross the bridge, and I believe there are more trails on the other side, in NJ.

There is also a bike path on the East side of Manhattan. I've taken it up as far as 42nd street. I think it is discontinuous north of there. It is not as nice/finished as the west side path.

If you like to cross bridges on your bike, the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridge(among others) all have nice, accessible bike paths.

I have several friends who use a bicycle as their major transportation around the city. My building and most others of its size provide basement bicycle storage as there are enough people with bikes in NY that this is an appreciated amenity.

And yes Sunday morning traffic is light.

I don't ride a bike myself, but I don't think it would be so much worse than in Amsterdam, for example, just different -- no trams here but more people who disregard laws, ride the wrong way on one-way streets, etc.

Adding to Elizabeth's comments about cyclists breaking traffic laws....

Those ones should be shot.

Well, ticketed anyways. Yup, I want my rights, but the responsibilities come with them. Traffic laws are for everyone. Thanks for the words, GoTravel.