Can you lock up a bike in NYC, NY?

JTE83

Can you lock up a bike in New York City, NY? Mostly Manhatten? Will thieves be able to break a U Lock there? Will they strip a bike of good parts there?

If my next job is in Albany, NY - then I will spend some of my weekends visiting NYC - so I gotta know if it's safe to lock up in NYC!

Cycler6n

personally, I've never been there, but I wouldn't lock my bike up there

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“(Training) doesn't get easier; you just get faster”
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JTE83

I wanna see all of Manhattan and I don't wanna spend big bucks taking a taxi. So I'll pay for parking and then use my cheapest commuter bike to get around. That'll be my 2004.5 Giant OCR 1 with Jandd commuter panniers. I won't put CF water bottle cages on it - I'll put cheapo AL ones. My brakes are corroded too so they're not worth stealing.

Well, NYC, NY has a bad reputation for bike thieves. There must be some members here who live there so they can reply...

Hey Cycler6n - where in NY do you live? I might move to Albany. - Is that a good place? Does it have good shopping and riding? Is it expensive to live there?

Cycler6n

I don't live in Albany, but its kind of expensive to live in Albany, depends on where you live in there to judge if its a good place, way to busy to ride, shopping is good there. But if you don't mind traveling, the Adirondacks offer some excellant spots for riding.

__________________
“(Training) doesn't get easier; you just get faster”
-Greg Lemond

DrunkenBiker

Sure you can. Just like this guy did.

JTE83

Maybe he forgot to lock the frame?

Do you think they can steal or strip a bike off in front of a crowded / well trafficked store - maybe like Macy's or so ?

DrunkenBiker

It's been over 15 years since I've spent any time in NYC. Until last spring, my best friend worked in Manhattan 2 days a week for almost 10 years. I'll run it past him when he comes over later.

kdelong

You can get to most anyplace that is worth visiting in NYC by subway. I wouldn't take any of my bikes there. Not only are you risking the bike by locking it outside, but you will also be risking life and limb by riding it on those streets. I'm sure that there are a couple of NYC Bike Messengers that read this forum that will back this up! You can drive down to White Plains and grab the subway from there. You might have to walk two or three blocks to get where you want to go but that's life!

I lived in Saratoga Springs one summer and the Adirondacks are fantastic for riding, as long as you don't mind climbing. It is a bit more expensive than Texas, but you usually make more per job there too. It gets wicked cold in the winter though, with lots of snow. Gets kinda boring unless you ski.

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Cycler6n

Saratoga Springs? I go there every now and again. great riding, did you ever ride in Speculater?

__________________
“(Training) doesn't get easier; you just get faster”
-Greg Lemond

DrunkenBiker

My buddy had this to say about locking a bike in Manhattan.

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Just leave it in a business district when you lock it up. Mid-town Manhattan, Downtown, the financial district. Don't leave anywhere up past 55-60th street. Can lock up on the outside of Central Park but never inside.
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He said those areas are all suits and security.

But.....he said locking your bike up isn't the worry. It's actually riding in the city. In 10 years he's seen a lot of ppl hit while riding bikes. The traffice is crazy and the people(volume alone) are even crazier.

He said you have to be very good and very fast to ride around safely. Better off walking, taxi or subway if you want to really see the city. Biking you'd be too busy tying not to get hit.

Take all that with a grain.....he's worked there 10 years but never rode a bike there. It's just his observation over time.

FriarTuck

New York Messengers: These guys look like they're doing okay. Where's the problem...

Looks like they're doing that on fixies with no breaks. I don't know if they're really skilled or just crazy....probably both.

I agree with the others though, you can go pretty much anywhere in NYC with the subway. Just buy a day pass.

JTE83

Does the day pass work on buses and trains and how much does it cost?

DrunkenBiker

FriarTuck

I'm not that familiar with the NYC system since I haven't been there in a while. You should be able to find the info you need online though. Like here:
http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited
Looks like a one day subway pass is $7.