The Redbeard Blog / bikenyc

Save the Date! The Brompton Urban Challenge takes NYC by storm on Sunday, 8/16! This scavenger hunt + photography competition is open to all bikes, as long as one person on your team has a Brompton! Registration is live.

Calling all Bromptoneers, here is your chance to take on the Brompton Urban Challenge! The Brompton Urban Challenge is an event that will test your skill, creativity and ingenuity through a variety of fun and exciting challenges throughout the streets of New York City.

The inaugural New York City Brompton Urban Challenge is set to be a whole lot of fun. We are very excited to invite you to the Brompton Cafe to share a coffee and a donut before sending you out armed with bicycles, clues, and cameras to get creative. 

The two-wheeled scavenger hunt is open to all bicycles, but each team must feature at least one Brompton. There will be a limited number of Brompton bikes available to borrow for the day, so please indicate your interest at the time of registration. Also, the event will coincide with the city's Summer Streets initiative, so there's no excuse for not getting involved!

Details

• Date: Sunday 16th August 2015
• Start/finish location: Brompton Cafe @ Rough Trade Records NYC, 64 N. 9th Street, Brooklyn
• Refreshments: coffee and donuts served at 10am to fuel you on your creative quest
• Entry fees: $25 including refreshments, with all profits going to Transport Alternatives

The Challenges

• The BUC tests your teamwork, orienteering ability and most importantly your creativity. Send us photo proof of all three!
• Almost all of the challenges are open to interpretation, so use your imagination
• Every photo must feature at least one Brompton

Joining instructions will be sent to entrants before the event.

If you haven't heard the news yet...Prospect Park and Central Park are now almost 100% car-free! To celebrate, join us tomorrow morning for some laps in Prospect Park! All are welcome!

Saturday, 6/20 @ 8 AM
Destination: Prospect Park
Ride leader: Kasia

Meet @ Redbeard @ 8 AM (or @ 8:30 AM @ Grand Army, on the grass triangle just inside the entrance)

Join us Saturday morning for some laps in Prospect Park, followed by breakfast at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. (Yes, there's coffee: Mud Truck!) Ride as easy or hard as you want. Riders of all levels are welcome!

(Note: the original destination for this ride was Jamaica Bay, but it's been a hard week here at the shop, so we're taking a more relaxed approach!)

Sunday 6/21 @ 8 AM
**RAIN DATE: Sunday, 7/5**
Destination: Piermont, NY via the Low Road

This special edition Sunday ride is rescheduled due to rain! Mark your calendar for July 5th, when Kissena team members will lead us to Piermont via the scenic Low Road. Redbeard Bikes is proud to sponsor Kissena Cycling!

Meet at Redbeard @ 8 AM or on the NJ side of the GWB @ 9:30 AM.

Ride leaders: Phil, Kasia

Sunday, 6/28 @ 8 AM
Destination: Piermont via 9W

We'll stop for snacks and coffee at The Market, a cafe with outdoor seating, just 5 miles past the Ranger Station in Alpine, our usual turnaround point. Round-trip about 55 miles. Road bikes are best suited for this ride.

Meet @ Redbeard @ 8 AM

Ride leaders: Kasia

Other local rides:

6/28 Discover Hudson Valley (Bike New York)
7/12: Tour de Queens (Transportation Alternatives)
7/25 The Epic Ride (Brooklyn Greenway Initiative)

General info:

Every Sunday morning we ride up the West Side, over the GWB, and into Jersey... As the summer progresses, we'll be increasing our distance, working towards two goals: the NYC Century for Vision Zero on September 13th, and Bear Mountain (date TBD). There's still time to sign up for the Century!

Our rides are generally no-drop rides. New riders: we are very encouraging! We regroup at various points along the way. Of course, you are welcome to cut out early, or split off, if our pace is too slow for you. If we have enough participants, we may split into A and B groups.

7 AM: Brooklyn Roasting Company opens for breakfast.
7:45 AM: Redbeard Bikes opens for last minute air, water & pre-ride stretches.
8 AM: Wheels down!

Please bring helmet, sunscreen, water, snacks, spare tube & flat fix kit. Rain cancels. RSVP appreciated but not required. Any questions, give us a shout.

See you on the bike!
Kasia + Ilya 

Hard week? Treat yourself to a spring bicycle ride in good company. This Sunday, 4/19, join us for our shop ride, over the river and through the woods.

We roll at 8 AM from Redbeard Bikes at 69 Jay Street. We'll take the Brooklyn Bridge => West Side Greenway/Riverside Drive => GWB => River Road to the Ranger Station. We'll return via 9W. Round-trip is about 50 miles.

(The shop will be open @ 7:45 AM in case you need to fill up on air, water, or snacks. We may not have a mechanic on hand in the morning, so if your bike needs last-minute TLC, please visit us before Sunday.)

You are welcome to cut out early, or forge ahead without us. Our ride is a no-drop ride, all are welcome!

Here's last week's crew, paused on the West Side highway. We were having so much fun we missed our usual turnoff around 96th Street. But we made it to the Ranger Station anyway!

Our shop ride is tomorrow!

8 AM departure from Redbeard Bikes, about 50 miles roundtrip to River Road (Ranger Station turnaround). We had an awesome turnout last weekend and the forecast for tomorrow looks promising! Ours is a no-drop ride, all are welcome!

We plan to ride every Sunday, barring rain or other extreme weather. Please check this blog or Facebook for any changes or cancellations.

Sunday was the first Redbeard Bikes shop ride of 2015! We rode to the Ranger Station in the Palisades Park in NJ. Thanks to all who joined us!

Next ride is next Sunday, April 12th. We roll from the shop at 8 am and head out to River Road in the Palisades Park in NJ. We will post a route later in the week. Grab a friend & come on out!

It's finally shorts weather in New York City!

Hours this weekend:

Saturday, April 4: 11am-6pm
Sunday, April 5: 1pm-6pm

Join us on Sunday, April 5th, for our shop ride over the river and through the woods. We roll at 8 AM from Redbeard Bikes. (The shop will be open @ 7:45 AM in case you need to fill up on air, water, or snacks. We may not have a mechanic on hand in the morning, so if your bike needs TLC, please visit us today.)

We plan to take the Brooklyn Bridge => West Side Greenway/Riverside Drive => GWB => 9W to the Ranger Station. We need to be back in DUMBO by 12:30, so we may need to turn around early -- it all depends on those legs! You are welcome to return with us, or keep going.

We start spring hours on Monday, April 6th!

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 10am-8pm.
Saturday/Sunday 11am-6pm.