18 Bromptons at the 5 Boro Bike Tour

by Peter on May 2, 2011

Well as the lucky few who rode with us know, this past Sunday was a blast! The Brompton folding bike group from NYCeWheels made it the whole way with only a few early exits. Between spending hours baking on the BQE and drinking margaritas in DUMBO we had a pretty awesome time. Here are a few of our best photos (from my cellphone) from the event. Enjoy!

The NYCeWheels Brompton bike gang grouping up at 6:45am.

The NYCeWheels Brompton bike gang grouping up at 6:45am.

We met by City Hall at 6:45am, and were led in warm ups by Valerie. I handed out the bibs and everyone was in a generally cheery and excited mood. We actually met nearly everyone and were off on time.

How many Brompton folding bikes can you spot in this photo?

How many Brompton folding bikes can you spot in this photo?

After waiting for nearly 1.5 hours at the starting line we began to take off in slow waves. Our Brompton bike group kept cheery by eating donuts and drinking coffee. Good folding bike fuel!

Bert puts some air into Lydia's famous orange Brompton bike

Bert puts some air into Lydia's famous orange Brompton bike

Bert was ready to jump in and help out for any repairs. Luckily all he got to do was add a bit of air to the famous orange Brompton bike‘s rear tire.

Gerry rides my M6L "Pickup truck" with Burley bike trailer and crate

Gerry rides my M6L "Pickup truck" with Burley bike trailer and crate

My dad came down from Boston to join in the fun. He rode my Brompton M6L folding bike which was nick named “the pickup truck” for carrying two Box o’ Joe coffee boxes along the ride along with 2 dozen donuts and acting as a sort of service truck for the Brompton group.

Not a common place to ride a Brompton folding bike

Not a common place to ride a Brompton folding bike

There were a lot of cool shots like this as we rode in all sorts of wired places. The 5 Boro Bike Tour is known for that sort of thing I guess. I didn’t get any cell phone shots of us baking in the hot sun on the BQE, but there was more standing than riding at that point. For the people in our group who had never ridden a Brompton folding bike this was a great chance to try it out. I know several of them were very impressed with the ride and we all had a lot of fun.

If you rode with us and have pictures or video from the even post them on our facebook page or upload them to the NYCeWheels 5 Boro Bike Tour set on Flikr. Thanks for riding with us! Look for the video coming out next weekend.

Be Sociable, Share!

Tagged as: , , , ,

  • Pp

    I rode the five boro on my black Brompton ML6. Started at 8:15 made it across the v bridge at 12:25. Had a good time. Many people ask questions. At the end of the ride people asked how hard was the ride on a little bike? It was a little harder but paid off at the end. After I cross the east river on the S.I ferry(after waiting 1 hour). I folded my bike and rode the crowed number 4 train up to GCT. Then took the crowed MetroNorth train home.

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      Nice work PP, you’ve got a similar setup to my own. I have the M6L in raw lacquer but I also threw in a folding Burley Travoy bike trailer and a big wooden crate strapped to the front. My dad ended up riding my bike though and I took the 3 speed. :) great day, great bikes! -Peter

  • Bob

    Thanks for letting me join in your fun. Unfortunately I got separated from the group on the Queensboro bridge and never saw anyone after that. Then I had to step out at the Williamsburg Bridge to head back to Penn Station to catch a 15:00 train. I had no idea the ride would take as long as it did.

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      Hey Bob,

      Thanks for coming, it was a lot of fun! We managed to almost stay together but a few people got lost in the crowds. I was surprised by the time too, who knew? Was fun regardless. See you around!

      -Peter

  • http://www.nycewheels.com Bert

    I wanted to thank everyone for riding with us. It was a great day out on the bike. I love riding on roads that are usually owned by cars, what a great way to enjoy NYC.

    Bert

  • Valerie Loei

    Awww…Thanks for the pics and the comment Pete. What an amazing bike tour with you guys.
    I am so glad I got my ” Brompton bike” from your store, so convinience if I need to add something or tune up in the future. You guys are great, I am surely recommend my friends and client about your store. Looking forward for the next year tour bike.
    Valerie Loei :)

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      Thanks Valerie, it was great riding with you too. We’ll be doing a lot of group rides coming up so stay tuned to the event calendar for more chances to get out for a spin! -Peter

  • Gerry

    What a great day, ride, and group to ride with the NYCe wheels 20 and the other 32,999 other riders!!
    Keep riding,
    -Gerry

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      Thanks for coming down, we all had a lot of fun. Bert says he had a blast racing you on the Brompton folding bike “pickup truck.” -Peter

  • Tom

    Did anyone else see the unicyclist who happened to be riding faster than many of the cyclists? What an awesome day. It was really fun riding in a pack of Bromptons. Thanks NYCeWheels!

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      I saw him just as we crossed the Queensboro Bridge! These unicyclists are impressive, I even saw two of them riding last years NYC Century Bike Tour. Single speed and no brakes, yikes! I’d like to try that some day. -Peter

  • Rick

    I saw some other folders out there too. Even a few Montague Bikes. I was on one of their Boston models. : )

  • http://www.nycewheels.com/folding-bike-review.html Bert

    Thanks for getting me in trouble. Michelle has seen the picture of me inflating some other girls bike. Now she demands the same…

  • Yon

    Hi Peter
    Is NYCeWheels going to organize the same ride on May 6 this year? If so, how to participate? Do we go through the individual draw or is there some guaranteed participation system in place?
    Thanks!

    Yon

    • http://www.nycewheels.com Peter

      Hi Yon,

      Thanks for the inquiry. We will not be entering in the draw this year because there is no guarantee that we’ll get it and so it’s not something we can count on or spend money on. I wish they could figure a way to expand the logistics and make it a guaranteed entry for groups but hey, that’s just what you get with so many people involved! Good luck if you decide to enter!

      -Peter

      • yon

        Thanks for the reply, Peter.

Previous post:

Next post: