New Commuter in NYC, needs advice!

walrus1 said:

Hey all, I'm sure this has been asked and answered many times before but please bear with me. I'm new after all. 🙂 So I less then two weeks ago I bought a road bike to use as a commuter. Seeing how I haven't been involved in a crash and still have a pulse I feel like I'm doing something right but here are my questions.  1. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being as essential as tires and 1 being completely unnecessary how important is a bell? I feel like my voice is so much better at alerting pedestrians and cars. But should I buy one?

I think it depends on where you are. In NYC, things are a bit louder, and a bell might not be heard very well. The nice thing about a voice is that you can modulate it's volume according to the situation, something a bell can't do. With that said, having a bell couldn't hurt, and in some places having a bell or similar device is required by law. Getting a bell won't hurt since you'll always have your voice to back you up. You might consider something like the Airzound by Delta. I imagine it's about the loudest "bell" (it's actually a horn) around.

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2. How do I deal with cyclists who go the wrong way on one way streets? And especially when they go against the direction of travel on bike lanes? Right now I feel like I'm playing a game of chicken with them even though I try to give them as much room to maneuver as safely possible.Â

Unfortunately there's little that can be done to convince such idiots to ride on the correct side of the street. I've even encountered such idiots at night riding the wrong direction, in dark clothes,....... I don't know that there is a single best way to deal with those neanderthal throwbacks, but when encounter those people I maintain my travel lane forcing them to adjust their path, while keeping a close eye on them in case I do need to make a course correction. I certainly wouldn't move out into a traffic lane to avoid those people.

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3. How much better is a bungee net for securing cargo compared to bungee cord?

It depends on the net and cord. I've found that cargo nets tend to be less stretchy than individual bungee cords. If you're using a rack on your bike, you might consider strapping a container to that rack. You can put stuff in the container without needing to bungee a lot of the stuff down. The most popular, cheap container is a plastic milk crate.

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4. How often should I put air in my tires?

Ideally you should check before every ride. With the type of inner tubes you're likely to use, butyl tubes, you'll likely need to add air to them on the order of every 3-7 days, maybe longer if your tires are low pressure tires. While squeezing tires to check pressure isn't accurate in the slightest, it can let you know whether the air pressure in your tubes is in the right ballpark. You certainly should have a pump at home to keep your tires inflated. You should also have a pump or C02 inflator as well as a patch kit and/or a spare tube when you ride in case you get a flat.

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5. How do I deal with cyclists who run red lights and stop signs? I refuse refuse to run em! Seems like a stupid way to redecorate asphalt. But I've almost been hit by those that have or have been behind me on bike lanes and expected me to. Any tips?Â

The best you can do with such people is to be aware of your surroundings at all times. This means at a stop sign or light, you should periodically check behind you to see what is or isn't coming. A consideration then is to put a mirror on your bike or helmet which allow you to keep an eye on what's going on behind you at a light or stop sign. Sadly, just as it is with drivers, there are stupid and careless riders.

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6. Any tips for making left turns on two way roads?

Take the lane when you are turning left, which is to say get in the middle of the lane so that a driver isn't tempted to share that lane with you. Signal your turn with your hand. Different places require different types of hand signals, so you should see which are required by NY. When I'm making a left turn I stick my left arm straight out with the back of my hand facing those behind me. An alternative to making a left turn is to get in the right lane or bike lane and proceed straight through the intersection to the right side of the crossing road. Once there and in the proper lane, proceed straight through the intersection. This is useful at really busy intersections and also tends to be less stressful for nervous riders.

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Thanks in advance if you can answer any of them!Â

Have fun and ride safe.

Thank you very much alienator! I'm still not sure about the bike I think they might be too quite for use in the city. But I'm not quite decided on getting it. I think making left turns and dealing with wrong way cyclists is just an experience thing. Two final questions for you. How often should I get new tires? Thanks again!

walrus1 said:

Thank you very much alienator! I'm still not sure about the bike I think they might be too quite for use in the city. But I'm not quite decided on getting it. I think making left turns and dealing with wrong way cyclists is just an experience thing. Two final questions for you. How often should I get new tires? Thanks again!

A lot of people relace their tires when they "square off", i.e. when the crown of the tire stats to become flat. Some folks wait until threads are showing. Choose whichever works for you. You definitely need to replace a tire if a cut goes all the way through the casing (i.e. all the through to the inner tube.

Which of the two do you do? Sadly I won't be biking for a few days until the city is able to clean all the streets off.

walrus1 said:

Which of the two do you do? Sadly I won't be biking for a few days until the city is able to clean all the streets off.Â

You'd likely need a snorkel on some of the streets. I actually use a method that's in between the two. I won't typically run a tire until the threads show, but I will until it becomes obvious the tread is very thin. When the tread gets really thin, the rubber can sometimes life up from the casing (bubble). That's one sign use. The other is gut feeling.

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Originally Posted by alienator [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

You'd likely need a snorkel on some of the streets.

It looked pretty bad on the news reports, hope everyone is OK!

It's actually not all that bad in the park of Brooklyn I'm in which is about 2 miles inland. Lower Manhattan, The neighborhood in northern Brooklyn called DUMBO and Red Hook Brooklyn. I know Breezy Point in Queens all got hit really hard. I'm going to try and go into Manhattan tomorrow to check in on a friend I haven't heard from. I'll let you guys no whats it's like.

May I recommend a kayak? Horns tend to freak people out, you're better off with bell and voice. There is no cure for stupidity, just keep your eyes peeled, your ears mp3-free and imagine yourself as a porcelain ornament ia shooting gallery for insane, spastic infants with machine guns without safeties. Riding in a city like NYC, your tires' no.1 enemy will likely be broken glass, get some 'commuter' type tires (I use Schwalbe, they're pretty good and fairly cheap), tire liners and Slime in the tubes. I replace mine after the sidewall blows.