Nigel Sylvester, trash can bunny-hop. Sara D. Roosevelt Park, NYC, 2010.
BIKE NYC took a ride with local BMX great Nigel Sylvester last week. We talked a bit and shot a few photos at Sara D. Roosevelt Park,or the Houston Rails as he called it.
Here’s a teaser from the shoot and a short audio clip from the interview.
You’ll be able to see and here more from Nigel when the BIKE NYC hits shelves next year. Until then, check out his Flick Trix Bike Check here.
BIKE NYC bumped into Ham last week, on standby in Petrosino Square. Between sun showers, the 15-year-veteran messenger ate a two-dollar lunch of noodles and fried rice from a Chinatown cart, enjoyed a hand-rolled cigarette and reminisced a bit. He said work at Flash is good, but he wasn’t looking forward to the dog days of late summer.
We met up with Nigel Sylvester in the square too! More on that later.
In a city where nearly 200,000 people commute by bicycle everyday, it’s not hard to find yourself riding alongside a fellow biker. But you don’t always expect it to happen while riding the ferry to the forgotten borough.
Meredith Sladek, an actor and writer, boards the Staten Island ferry most mornings before dawn and again in the afternoon and pedals to and from her “money” job at a coffee shop uptown. Her messenger bag usually holds newspapers, work clothes, two U-locks, a bag of coffee, perfume, deodorant, and sometimes an extra jacket.
Meredith was no stranger to biking in her native Missouri, but it took a bit of encouragement and a few safety tips from her boyfriend, "Staten Island Pete” (as he’s known on the street), to brave the city’s heavy traffic.
“He was a bike messenger and he helped me realize that as long as I was visible and assertive, there was nothing to be afraid of.”
In spite of dangerous drivers and distracted jaywalkers, Meredith likes being in control of her transportation.
“No trains to wait for, no service changes, no getting stuck in traffic behind a bunch of cars, no worrying about if I have enough money on my Metrocard. Just me and the bike.”
Meredith is an active member of The City’s bike community. She volunteers as a development intern for Transportation Alternatives and though she prefers riding solo, or with a few friends, she does participate in occasional group rides.
“I ride with Bike Staten Island, which does casual group rides every month; kind of like Critical Mass without the name.”
Last year Meredith joined the Five Boro Bike Tour pre-ride, which is typically reserved for the marshals and captains. She got to attend because her boyfriend works for Bike and Roll, who rents bikes to the participants. He had to work the event so he was permitted to do the pre-ride.
“I got to go along. The best part, for me, anyway, was that the pre-ride had beautiful weather, and during the actual event it rained all day.”
We’ve been busy here at BIKE NYC! The weather’s been great (for the most part) so we’ve been touring the five boroughs, mapping rides and meeting fellow bikers.
Last week we caught up with our first "Where Is This" contest winner, Joe Knight. Joe had apparently taken a long ride on Staten Island the same week we did. When we posted a photo of the Tugboat Graveyard in Arthur Kill, he was all over it.
We proudly presented him with a custom engraved BikeBlogNYC chainring from our sponsor Sessions Sprockets. Great meeting you Joe! See you on the road!
NYC bikers were invited into the spectacular Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine today where, regardless of our religious beliefs, or lack there of, Reverend Tom wished us well in our coming travels, sprinkling our bikes with holy water. The 12th annual Blessing of the Bikes.
BIKE NYC was there among hundreds of others and we’d like to pass the blessing on to bikers everywhere and to our sponsors. Archive SF, Sessions Sprockets, The Grime, Continuum Cycles, thanks for your support. Ride safe!
Welcome to bikenycthebook.com, website for the forth coming BIKE NYC. Researched, written and photographed by award-winning author, Marci Blackman, eminent New York bike culture photographer, Ed Glazar, and Bikeblognyc journalist and filmmaker, Michael Green.
Whether bombing down Broadway on your fixed gear, pushing your cruiser through the mausoleums of the Cemetery Belt in Queens, or hopping on the Staten Island Ferry with your road bike to hammer out to Arthur Kill for a wintry picnic at the Tugboat Graveyard, whether spinning home from the office on your fold-up in your new DKNY cycling shorts, or struggling over the Williamsburg Bridge on your hybrid, book bag, banging against your back as you climb, or riding along the Pelham Park Greenway through the Bronx for a day on the Sound at Orchard Beach, BIKE NYC is your definitive guide to cycling and bicycle culture in New York City. Part guide book, photo gallery, history and human interest story, BIKE NYC takes you on virtual bike rides led by seasoned tour guides through all five boroughs and beyond, including a scenic trip up the Hudson to The Cloisters during the peak of the fall foliage change, a night time haunt through the brownstones of Brooklyn and the bustling, soul food smelling West Indian streets of Flatbush to the parallel universe of the Kensington mansions on Halloween. With bike maps, safety tips, bike shop rankings, spotlights on NYC bike clubs like the Classic Riders, front row seats to Alley Cat races, public bathroom locations, essentials, accessories, fashion dos and don’ts and much, much more, for the novice or professional, tourist, commuter or messenger, BIKE NYC is the insider’s guide to bicycling in The City no urban cyclist will ever want to be without. Skyhorse Publishing – 2011
Until the book hits shelves, ride along with us here, where we’ll be sharing our stories and photos from the road, keeping you updated on bike-minded bike news and events and giving away swag. Yep, that’s right! Every week you’ll have a chance to win prizes in our “Where Is This?” photo contest. You’ll want to join our Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter. Watch for the contest posts on Sunday’s around 8PM.
