Montauk Ride 2008

Photo by: David Y.

Yesterday me and a couple of my friends rode out to Montauk, the furthest tip of Long Island. We had planned on riding in the annual ride that happens in early June, but opted to take a more private tour since we own cruisers, and not pro bikes (well not yet). We were given the map from a friend of ours that took the tour, and tracked it on his GPS. We were set on doing the full 100 miles, and then at the llth hour we decided to cut the trip short due to train times, and this being our first ride, we wanted to give ourselves enough time to finish and get home. We started the day at 5:30 am to make our train to Long Island that left at 7:30 out of Penn Station. We made the train fine, and transferred at Babylon to our destination at West hampton. Off the train we had time to use the restroom, and apply the sunscreen for our trek across the Hampton's and into Montauk. We started out onto Depot Rd. making our way down to the shore and onto Dune Rd. where i saw some of the most beautiful beach houses i had seen in my lifetime. There is something about the pure white homes, and manicured landscaping that just makes my mouth drop. The homes were like something you would see in your favorite home style magazines, or something you could only dream about (for me anyways). We decided that we would stop every ten miles or so and take a 10 to 15 minute break to down some water, snack on something, and re-apply our sunscreen. The first 10 minutes were great, we made it with the greatest ease. We then took Ponquogue Bride up to Bennet Cove where we dismounted and walked onto the beach. This was the 20 mile marker, and i was getting tired. We stopped for 10 minutes had some gatorade, water and some Pasta. The beach was so beautiful, the sand was so white, and looked exactly how i imagined it to be. There were families out playing in the sand with their dogs, and people playing in the surf of the ocean. i took a second to shoot a picture of the home that i used for the title of this post. From here we took the route up to South Hampton where we were making pretty good time, and then right at Montauk Hwy, and Rose St. Latoyia had a flat. i guess there was some glass on the road and she got it in her tire. We took the bikes across the Hwy. to a gas station and began to call around to see where the nearest bike shop was. After a minute of calling around we found one called "Rotations". They wanted to charge us 85. to come and fix it there at the station (which was a 3 mile ride for them), or we could get it to them and get charged 18$. We opted for the 18. price, and had no other choice but to hitch a ride with some guys who had a truck, and didn't mind taking us down the road. We got there and waited for about 20 minutes for them to fix it, and then started back on the road of Montauk Hwy. to our next 40 mile marker. What i noticed, and liked, about the Hamptons and Montauk, was that there was a bike lane the whole route we took. Even on the Hwy. they had the shoulder reserved and marked for bikes. This was a foreign idea to me, down south where i am from originally you never see bikes riding along side the traffic on highways, so to ride along side it the rest of the way was a little nerve racking, but fun at the same time. We made our way to the 40 mile marker and that is when i started to notice my right leg cramping up a bit. We stopped to get directions and down some water before we hit the road again to our 50 mile marker, even with the flat tire episode we were making good time for our 5:30 train back to NYC. We rode out and again saw some beautiful homes and even a vineyard. This is when i noticed that both my legs were really starting to cramp up, we were nearly out of water, and had just a little bit of gatorade left. We decided to take Old Montauk Hwy. all the way out to Montauk Hwy. and then we would see Montauk where it dead ended. We kept going and i was trailing back about 1 mile to the girls, my legs were on fire. i finally had to stop and walk my bike about a mile to walk off the cramps in my thighs. i got back on the bike, thanks to Megan, who wouldn't let me hitch a ride to the train station and finished up the last 5 miles. Once we made it over the last hill, we saw Montauk, it was such a cute town of small white buildings, and a center plaza drive. i regret not being able to see the lighthouse, but we were so tired that we made it to a small restraunt and downed 3 pitchers of water, and took some on the road home. We got back on our bikes and rode 1 more mile to the train, and had time to lay down on the platform and rest our weary legs. We got on the train and took a few pictures of the sunset over Montauk bay.
This ride was an amazing experience, a learning lesson, and a true test of discipline. i couldn't have asked for a better team to ride with, Latoyia with her amazing strength kept us at a good pace, and Megan was a great motivator and navigator. i would recommend doing this ride in the Fall or Spring, not so much in the dead of summer, and if i did it again i would def. want to take a road bike, and plenty of water. The scenery was amazing, and one that i won't forget for a lifetime. i can honestly say that i made a memory, and overcame a hurdle that i will keep with me forever. i hope, if you get a chance, that you try this ride and take time to plan it out with your friends as we did. Happy Biking!

NYC: Preparing Myself, and Griffin for a Century, and A Sneak Peak at Things to Come!

This past weekend i was riding my bike to the local Home Depot. to pick up some hangers (i like the wooden hangers) and on my way home i noticed that Griffin's Left pedal was a bit stiff. I was a block from my apartment (which is all uphill, and steep) when i heard a loud pop, and all of the sudden my left foot slid off the pedal. I somehow managed to snap the pedal off the bar that holds it. When i got home i had to retire the bike to the designated spot. So in preparation for this next weekend, i have to get the pedals replaced. But what can you expect from a 50 yr old bike? he's an old man, and soon i'll have a new one which will allow me to retire Griffin to a Brooklyn cruiser. i am looking at getting a new bike, which i am seriously excited about! it is made by Specialized, a well known name, and is called, "Langster London". i was flipping through my Bicycling magazine this month and noticed a write up about it, and knew that is what i wanted. So next month it will be a reality for me. i am so excited about this new bike i can hardly stand it. i have posted a picture of it above and a link to it if you click on the title.
Also in the upcoming weekend i will be riding to Montauk LI, with my friends Megan and Latoyia. We will be taking the LIRR to the Babylon stop at 7am, and arriving at 8:30am. Our route will be a straight shot and mostly flat throughout the 100 mile terrain. In preparation we will be doing the following:
1. Mapping this route to take with us.
2. Hydrating with H2o the day before
3. Latoyia will be taking her GPS system
4. Marking all the stops of the LIRR (for emergency)
5. psyching ourselves up!!!

i will be taking pictures along the way to show on my next post. Wish us luck on this ride, and pray that weather permits us to finish. Until next week!

Biking: Getting Them While They Are Young; NYC: Century Bike Tour 2008; NYC: Bike Sharing

Recently i read an article in the NY Times about schools encouraging the children to ride or walk to school, but the interesting part was the parents escorting them on their own bikes. i remember when i was younger and living in Texas, the elementary school was about a mile from our house. Together me and my brothers would walk to and from school, as long as we had each other we knew we were safe. i think in this day and age there are so many dangers in kids walking alone, or even in groups, but i think it's pretty smart to have them ask the parents to ride as well. The program has been started in 40 states, and is going strong. For more on the article just click on the link above.
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NYC: Century Bike Tour 2008

registration is now open for the Sept. 7th 2008 century bike tour of NYC.......
(click here for the details)
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NYC: Bike Sharing Program

NYC dept. of transportation is seriously, and permenently looking into the Bike Sharing program to increase public ease of transportation.
(click here for the details)

June Review: Past, and Post......

When i look back at the month of June i find myself searching for things to write about. June in NY is the jumping off point, for many of us that work in corporate offices, for Summer Fridays, road trips to the Hamptons, weekends at Fire Island, and perhaps time to plan that last minute summer getaway. This month i found myself riding my bike more often in the city, and less and less in Brooklyn. There is something about riding through the city amongst the traffic that gives you a HUGE adrenaline rush, all your senses are working at once while you whiz through the sea of yellow cab's. Although i may never leave Brooklyn (it's my home away from home) i find myself getting more and more comfortable taking my bike into Manhattan. Some things i did accomplish this past month are: Learning to add parts to my bike, taking my bike over the river to Governors Island, and Learned, but did not blog, about "Summer Streets" in NYC. In a nutshell, the city of NY is planning a new program this summer called Summer Streets. This program involves the closing of 5 miles of streets in Manhattan three Saturdays in August. For more on the article just click on the link.

i am happy to see the closing of June, this has been a tough month for me, and i look forward to the month of July. This Month i will be partaking in a private Century to Montauk. This ride usually involves a good 1500 bikers and shelling out a good 176$. Me any my friend Megan are planning on taking our vintage bikes out to Long Island and riding it ourselves. i am super excited about this ride, and will surely get you pictures of our journey. Good luck and Happy riding in July!

Find Your Way, and On The Design Tip....cont.

Photo by: Megan H.
Even though NYC is only 13.4 miles from top to bottom, and 2.3 miles at it's widest parts it is easy to get lost when you are pounding the pavement, or if you are on wheels. So to make things easier someone came up with a site for bikers to find a safe route while getting around the city. The site is called, "ridethecity.com" and if you are interested you can just click on the link.......it's never too late to be safe, even if you are on a bike.

On The Design Tip cont.

So a while back i introduced to you the link i added called, "On the Design Tip" which i launched with "Design 59". i mentioned adding some fashion sites and other design related topics and names to the list. So in the spirit of design here are two that i read regularly:

The Sartorialist, which is a NYC based Photographer and Fashion Icon photographing the everyday male and female in their natural habitats as designers would see them for inspiration. i hope that you enjoy this blog as much as i have.

New York Daily Photo, this is an interesting blog based again on photography in NYC. You can count on timeless images captured all around the city. i encourage you to take a peek and get lost on the over 1,000 images since 2006, with links to other great cities.

Alas....Governors Island

Photo by: Amy H.

One of the beautiful things about living in NYC is the endless amount of exploring there is to be accomplished. If you find yourself with nothing to do, or have an open day, you can always look on the many websites that cater to this very type of theme. Some of the better sites i like to visit are Time Out: New York, and Forgotten NY. This past friday i took off work to ride with a friend to the small Governors Island. Before i decided to head there i, of course, did some research on the island and what to expect when i got there. i found out that the ferry runs out of NY every hour on the hour, and departs Gov. Island every half hour, and the best part is it's free!

Upon hearing this good news me and my friend Amy packed a lunch and Griffin and headed out to the island for an afternoon (yes you can take your own bike on the ferry). The first thing we did when we arrived was rent Amy a bike (they rent bikes out for free on Fridays). Once we did this we took the bikes and headed for a small patch of grass and had a picnic and looked at the view of Manhattan while relaxing under the shade of the trees. The fun part about Governors Island is that it is very bike friendly, and has many trails to ride around the neighborhoods which are kept up by the ground keepers in their original state. There are several landmarks here which have signs posted giving the viewer a chance to learn a bit about each plot.

If you happen to find yourself with nothing to do there are several events going on this summer which include concerts, the orchestra, and many festivals including some great artsy and cultural events. i hope you enjoy our pictures as much as we enjoyed the ride!


(for more on Governors Island, just click on the title of this post)

Do It Yourself, and if you CAN'T.....I'll Show You How!!!!

Photos by: David Y.
If you ride a bike in New York City there are certain rules you must follow to avoid the cops, and their annoying tickets, and also just to travel a little more safely around the busy streets. When i was checking over Griffin, i was looking for the following:

1. Adequate Brakes (check)
2. Working Horn or Bell (check)
3. Working Headlight (nope)
4. Working Tail-light (nope)
(for more on these rules just click here)

i knew that if i ever wanted to legally ride in Critical Mass i would have to obtain a working headlight, and tail-light for my bike. i knew i wanted one of the generator light sets, mainly because of the vintage feel, and how true it was to the bike's age, but also because it seemed a little more green not having to worry about batteries and their disposal. i ordered the Dynamo Lighting Set online (from Azatlan Bicycle). When the package arrived it came with no instructions, just all the parts. i waited a couple of days before i decided to call a couple of bike shops to get quotes on instillation of the parts. i was informed by both that it would be a minimum of 40$, and they would have to keep it over night for proper installment (apparently they are tricky to put on, and very senitive). So after hearing this i decided, "if those chuckle-heads could do it, then so could i!" and i did! So i have decided to take a moment and show you how to install a, "Tung Lin: Dynamo Lighting Set"

1. Tools used: these are the tools i used to apply all the nuts/bolts.

2. Parts: these are all the parts that came in the box.
3. Instillation:

• A.) You are going to have to apply the generator as i have, allowing the black rotator to actually touch the back tire. test it by lifting the back of the bike and running the pedals to make sure it is spinning. see image below.

• B.) i installed the back light first, fitting it where i wanted it to be seen. Then i applied the wire to the bottom connection as shown.

• C.) i then installed the front head light to the handle bars making sure it was on tightly, then i ran the small wire (weaving it along the bikes bars to the top back connection) and connecting it like i did the back light.

4. Test: Lift the back of the bike again, and spin the pedals to make sure the lights are all coming on, if they are not then you need to check your connections.

5. Enjoy: Take your whip for a spin!