Best products from r/NYCbike

Few things. I think that most of the people here pointed out the biggies - rules, regulations, legal necessity stuff, maps, etc. I'm still newish to the city and just got a bike a few months ago. What really really helped me was joining some cycling groups. People are typically very friendly and they know their bike stuff and can help you if you have a flat, etc.

I first joined bicycling groups on www.meetup.com. The only one I've ever rode with was Social Cycling NYC though, really great folks. I also joined the 5 Borough Bike Club (5BBC); I've only been on one ride so far but, again, great people.

There are lots of rides to participate in too. The first Friday of every month, Time's up does a Moonlight Central Park ride. Really cool, I did the last one. There is also one of these for Prospect Park and I hear that one is nice too. Time's up also does a ride called Critical Mass, but I haven't personally went, just heard about it. These are free rides. Some (all? I don't know) of the 5BBC rides are free but there is a yearly membership ($20 and if you join in October, I think, you essentially are buying the 2013 membership and have the rest of 2012 free). However, I'm not sure how much free time you'll have to gallivant around!

Joining an organization like 5BBC or Transportation Alternatives also gets you discounts at bike shops as an FYI. Each organization has a list of participating shops.

Anytime I've ridden in Brooklyn, I've really enjoyed it. There are many more bike lanes than up my way in Queens. Take advantage of that and explore! A ride to Rockaway beach is nice too.

Some gear you might be interested in that I thought was helpful:

26 in one multi tool

On frame pump


Also, I don't know what sort of pedals you have or prefer. However IF you decide to get clips or clipless pedals, some of the bike folks I've met told me a few things. (I have clipless pedals btw) If you've never had clips/clipless pedals, get a pedal that has the the cleat thing on one side and a pedal platform on the other. This way, you don't have to be clipped in if you don't want to be.
I got these.

Also, for the shoes that go with said pedal: I was told for predominantly city riding that you can wear out the cleat on the bottom of the shoe faster if you have the treadless road bike shoe. Also, if you do any walking on hard surfaces with this shoe I guess it wears out quicker. If you buy a mountain bike shoe it has a perimeter of tread that goes around the sole. Keeps the cleat more protected from grinding on the pavement. It will still grind on certain types of ground or flooring though.

Since I already have Amazon open:

This Versus this

I have Pearl Izumi shoes and I really like them.

I use to bike commute from Prospect Heights to Midtown. Not quite sunset, but I'll give you some tips.

• The ride is long, and in winter your hands will go numb. Also, as it gets dark so early you're going to want to invest in something that will make you super visible to drivers. I used a few of these (https://www.amazon.com/LED-Reflective-Belt-Rechargeable-Lightweight/dp/B00N1SN7I0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1483995375&sr=8-6&keywords=visibility+running)
  
• For me, biking in Midtown was the worst. Cabies and drivers aren't expecting you. I had to be very careful there until I got to the protected lane on 1st / 2nd.
  
• Invest in panniers, it made bringing my laptop much more enjoyable. Before that my shoulders would get soar from the weight of my backpack. I used these (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044U8W3E/ref=s9_acsd_zwish_hd_bw_bEHNt_c_x_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_r=PHZ5YEF0BQTB493HNW43&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=df4b1a7a-041b-544a-87d6-d9451ee55b2c&pf_rd_i=3403421) for over a year until I moved to Chelsea and stopped bike commuting cause I could walk to work.
  
• I was able to bring my bike into the office, not sure about bike parking. Limited at best and mostly on street which is risky. You may have some luck with garages having space if you ask around / basement space if you ask your building management. Garages over a certain size are required to have bike parking (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bicycleparking.shtml#indoor) but you might have to fight for it.
  
• Biking was the best decision I ever made. I got to work in a better frame of mind, and got home happier than I ever did taking the subway. Would recommend it. But stay safe!

OK one thing first of all. Air quality index:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/aqi/aqi_forecast.cfm
For me when the numbers hit the 100s I try filtering, or not riding at all that day.

I've tried a few things, and for the most part the best solution for me is a moist bandanna. It's easy to modulate how much you breath through it: keep it a little loose and you can inhale through it only when necessary, wear it tight and you can still open your mouth to grab an easy lungful if you want.

Maybe the best option is a disposable N95 mask. These can be used for up to 20 hours (ymmv), and it's not hard to acclimate to the harder breathing. Kind of like high altitude training, maybe?

I invested in a Respro mask and, while the ease of breathing was fair, the comfort was terrible. The velcro strap sits right on your neck, basically making it very uncomfortable to actually bend your neck while riding. Possible they've improved the design recently.

EDIT: The first thing you want to do, as in do this right now, is find the serial numbers of your bikes and record that information. This will be critical in the event that your bike is stolen.

*****

So for starters, you'll probably want two locks. A big, heavy U-bolt, as well as a cable/chain lock that you can put through the wheels. Ideally the cable/chain would have its own lock. Avoid those integrated rotary locks; they are shit. Here's an interesting guide testing the safety of a few popular models.

1. Pick the right thing to lock to. This seems obvious but a lot of people screw it up anyway. If you can lift your locked bike off of it, don't lock it there. (example 1, example 2.) Avoid street signs for this reason. Also, check to make sure that the object you're locking to is secured to the ground. Sometimes thieves will lay traps that look like good places to lock, but then they just pluck the trap off the ground and take the bike with them to remove the lock later. (example 1, example 2.) Other times, thieves will saw through a rack and then hide the gap with a piece of tape.
   
   
2. Always put your strongest lock through the frame. Your wheels are removable and much less valuable than the rest of your bicycle put together.
   
   
3. Always lock your wheels. Ideally you can put your U-lock through the frame as well as one of the wheels. That's particularly a good idea because it eats up empty space within the lock, which makes the lock harder to break or cut without breaking or cutting your bicycle. But even then, you'll have an unlocked wheel. Use your secondary lock to go through that wheel. If possible, also put your secondary lock through the frame and also lock it to the object you're locking to.
   
   
4. Have your bike exposed for as little time as possible. If you can have your bike inside, do so. For one thing, this prevents damage to your drivetrain if it rains. For another, your bike won't be stolen. I use something like this to store my bikes in my apartment.
   
   The theme of locking your bike is to make it too much of a bother to deal with. You can't make it impossible for your bike to be stolen, but you can make it hard enough that nobody will care. This framework also means it's a good idea to never leave a super-expensive bike unoccupied, ever. Your bikes look fine for general commuting/locking, though.

I feel your pain. If I were in your shoes I’d sure as hell want to bring my bike into my apartment too.

I’ve got two bikes I switch between regularly, and recently got this from Amazon. It’s right against the wall just inside my apartment, so I can hang them up and take them down easily just as I’m coming and going.

Don’t worry about hanging your bike by the rim of a wheel. Unless your frame is made out of ultra dense material from a collapsed star and weighs a ton you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t discount a pulley system with the ceiling, even if it’s tall either. Installation would certainly be a pain, but worth it once you got it done. I’ve seen some innovative setups on YouTube, you can look there for some inspiration and brainstorming. It’s also possible you could make something just to fit your needs in a DIY project. Before I bought my rack I was contemplating following some instructions online to make one myself out of $50 or so of PVC pipe or wood from a hardware store. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Bells are great, but you need a good one. Most bells suck. I have had the best luck with Crane bells like this. Very loud and clear.

Edit: here is the version that is more modern and fits thicker bars.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Continental-Gatorskin-Bicycle-700x23-Folding/dp/B001UL5JNG/ref=sr_1_9


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

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Can't believe no one mentioned the airzound. $30 bucks. Basically a metal container that you fill with air (using a bike pump) and you have a air horn attached to the other end. Its the size of a water bottle and comes with mounts so its easy to install on a bike.Saved my ass many times and I've had it for years. On the horn itself, there's a pressure modulator so you can adjust how loud you want it to be. It's much louder than a car horn so if you're using it around people I suggest lowering it a bit, but it's perfect for places like the Brooklyn Bridge where people get in the path and biking up 8th Ave.

Edit: it's actually on sale so I would jump on this offer if I didn't have one already.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000ACAMJC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483767526&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=airzound&dpPl=1&dpID=4142OBsQHPL&ref=plSrch


I can post pics of my setup if anyone's interested.

> 80db at 50cm. That's loud!!!

I don't think that the person writing that sentence has any idea how loudness is measured... because that's not loud. Usually dB is measured at 1m for a start, so that horn is only 74dB at 1m. A bit louder than a vacuum cleaner, but not necessarily as loud as normal traffic, if you believe this scale.

For comparison, this one is 115dB-

https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Cycle-Airzound-Hooter-Rechargeable/dp/B000ACAMJC


That's loud!!! But the sounds are not as cheeky, I'll admit. :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CWR1ZML/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077RWP3CC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you're riding a road bike maybe these two things will interest you. I'm sure it'll work on any bike though with that kind of stem. It really does hold the light secure and also low enough to not blind anyone coming towards you. I, myself, was also getting very annoyed with the mounting systems. This setup works perfectly for me.

One of the biggest issues I've had with cameras was with mounting. GoPro system was always a nightmare that is at best really inconvenient. Contour products mounted much better, but it's a crappy camera that rightfully went bankrupt for the third time.

I finally figured out a system that works really well for me. It snaps in and out in a second. Works for the back mounting as well.

Components:

• Transition Bracket. Surprisingly obscure component. This item comes with both clip parts even though only one is pictured.
  
• Seat mount. MAy not work with all seats but works with standard modern ones. Measure distance before buying.
  
• Front Mount. Only works where handlebars are screw attached to the fork stem. Older bikes may have that part welded.
  
• Also this part. For non GoPro cameras that still have a photography screw attachment. My back camera utilizes this.
  
  Anyways. I am a big proponent of everyone getting a camera. This setup made everything so much easier.
  
  Bonus: If you have multiple bikes, you can switch cameras between them in a second.

This

This is the first time I've used it, but it seems to work well. The big selling point is that it pretty much will work with any phone, even one in a case.

Same as others have said here. SPD clips with MTB shoes as those have treads that allow you to (sort of) walk.

I've had these pedals forever (https://www.amazon.com/Wellgo-Shimano-Compatible-Multi-Function-Mountain/dp/B00E7UZBNA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wellgo+dual+sided+spd&qid=1566833564&s=outdoor-recreation&sr=1-3 )

although if I were still riding clipped in in the city, I would probably go with these as I like feel of egg beaters much more.

https://www.amazon.com/CRANKBROTHERs-Brothers-Double-Pedals-Spring/dp/B016OQXZG4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=egg+beaters+dual+sided&qid=1566833634&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-3

The cleat on an egg beater is about the same size as an SPD one.

Ibera worked great for me

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJCSBJ4/

I run a go pro front and back.

If you have a go pro and a rear rack mounting hole - this little mount works a treat:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XFQFG1V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GWBXL16/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

like this:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QgBynff86yxkAT1Q8

I suggest getting some kind of bike rack for the apartment in the future. My wife and I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment and manage to store 2 full size bikes on one. I hope you find it. Anything left outside will be stolen/vandalized given enough time.