I dwell within the Bronx, simply over the Harlem River from the northern tip of Manhattan Island:
[From the NYC Bike Map [PDF].]
To entry mentioned island by bicycle, the 2 nearest bridges are these:
The Broadway Bridge, which additionally carries the subway prepare, is sweet as a result of it’s brief and it’s close to stuff. But it surely’s unhealthy as a result of Broadway is a kind of untamed thoroughfares and also you’ve obtained to enter elbow-throwing mode and do battle with among the most aggressive drivers New York Metropolis has to supply if you cross it. By the way, the Broadway Bridge additionally adorned a few of my headwear choices again after I provided stuff to put on in your head:
These will now fetch 1000’s of {dollars} apiece within the classic clothes market.
The opposite crossing is the Henry Hudson Bridge, which connects the headlands on the confluence of the Harlem and Hudson Rivers:
The benefit of the Henry Hudson Bridge is that you just’re probably not mixing it up with visitors. The unhealthy factor about it’s that it’s a part of the Robert Moses parkway system so something that’s not a automotive is an afterthought, and the Manhattan facet of it leaves you deep within the final remaining little bit of wilderness on the island–plus should you’re coming from Manhattan you’ve obtained to climb some critical grades so as to get to it, which might be enjoyable should you’re on a street journey, however which sucks should you’re coming house from an extended day at work.
And if that weren’t sufficient, all it had was a measly, slim little pedestrian path with stairs on both facet, and whereas there was no person there to cease you from doing it, driving your bike throughout it wasn’t even technically allowed:
As soon as in an amazing whereas I’d journey over the Henry Hudson Bridge for the sake of novelty, however for essentially the most half I’d virtually by no means hassle, which is simply too unhealthy, as a result of if it weren’t for that awful path it could make a really nice and handy path to the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River Greenway.
Properly, again in 2023 the MTA introduced it could lastly make its bridges bikeable, and whereas I don’t know if it’s formally open or not, yesterday I headed over to the Henry Hudson Bridge for the primary time in fairly awhile and was amazed to search out the steps gone and a luxurious new path as a substitute:
There have been nonetheless vehicles and employees on the trail placing in what I assume have to be the ending touches, however no person objected to my presence so I can solely assume it’s open for enterprise:
Behold the Amtrak swing bridge and the mighty New Jersey Palisades within the distance:
Earlier than lengthy I used to be in Manhattan:
Although the slopes of Inwood Hill Park have been nonetheless strewn with snow:
Whereas the gradient isn’t obvious from the photograph, this explicit hill is fairly steep, which made descending treacherous, and I didn’t even have treaded tires just like the gravelistas who had clearly been right here earlier than me:
My skilled monitoring abilities inform me that’s a Panaracer Gravel King SK.
Go forward, inform me I’m flawed:
Taking a pinch of snow, I tasted it, and shortly decided the tire to be 43mm large and inflated to roughly 35psi. The rider was additionally utilizing a SRAM AXS group, driving a carbon body, pushing a 23-inch gear, and he coasts left foot ahead.
As for me, with these tires I felt like I used to be sporting possum socks on a hardwood ground:
Nonetheless, due to the ample wheelbase of the Homer I managed to remain upright. I then continued in the direction of the Hudson River Greenway, which nonetheless requires you to hold your bike throughout this footbridge that spans the Amtrak tracks:
After taking in a little bit of the Greenway and going about as far downtown as I may stand I began heading again in the direction of the bridge, and I assume it’s been awhile since I’ve ridden on this stretch of Broadway as a result of final time I did this constructing didn’t even exist but:
Closets begin at simply $2,800:
They usually even have “chef-inspired kitchens!”
In the event you’re questioning what a “chef-inspired kitchen” is, properly, it’s a kitchen:
It’s very sensible of them to look to cooks for inspiration when designing kitchens, as a result of I had a swimmer-inspired kitchen as soon as, and never solely was the diving board fully pointless, however I couldn’t even get the burners lit.
And take a look at these shitting-inspired loos!
There’s even a recreation room with pretend graffiti and a pretend bicycle so you may fake you’re in a gritty pool corridor, or at the very least in that constructing in Williamsburg that you’d have most well-liked however was manner too costly:
Housing disaster? What housing disaster???
Anyway, quite than cross over the Amtrak tracks once more I executed a flanking maneuver and approached the bridge from the opposite facet of Inwood Hill Park:
Right here I started to climb:
That’s the Bronx on the opposite facet:
The span of the Henry Hudson Bridge is dramatic, if not precisely handy:
On the steepest a part of the climb I used to be not in a position to keep traction and was compelled to stroll:
This regardless of my ample wheelbase and hill-conquering winch gear:
Earlier than the brand new path you used to enter the bridge the place it says “walkway closed:”
Now you roll proper on through that luxurious new ramp, the place you’re greeted by the beginning of the Hudson Valley:
Talking of that winch gear, after driving in all that slush I gave my chain a fast lube job:
I’ve additionally discovered from expertise to offer the derailleur screws a drop or two after driving in circumstances like this so I’ll have the ability to flip them later:
By the way in which, Dumonde–the Kiehl’s of bicycle lubricants–have been variety sufficient to ship me one other care bundle just lately:
I understand this sounds precisely like what somebody who will get care packages stuffed with lubricants would say, however that is simply one of the best chain lube I’ve ever used. It appears to final a extremely very long time, and it additionally doesn’t go away a lot of build-up on the pulley wheels, although perhaps that’s simply since you don’t have to use it fairly often. Plus, it’s nice on salads, simply so long as you don’t eat them.