I am visiting New York next week and will have one spare day! What should I do?
I would like to visit a couple of good bike stores if there are any (need some new shoes and bibs and they are expensive where I live), and perhaps a run in Central Park? Is that easy enough for a foreigner to figure out? Anything else tri-related that I should think about?
Training will be taking a hit while travelling but there is nothing I can do about that.
On the non-tri front, am thinking MOMA for gift shopping for the family.
Any suggestions from locals or anyone knowledgeable about the better bike stores, etc greatly appreciated
New York City is one of the places you can find most if not everything you would ever want to buy,
When in Manhattan I like to stop by Swim Bike Run NYC;however, keep in mind discounts are a rare find in the city.
Swim Bike Run NYC
203 W. 58th street
New York, New York 10019
phone 1212 399 3999
Personally, I think SBR has gone down hill. Half the shop is now used to store rental bikes so a mid sized store is now very cramped. Also, the staff is generally pretty clueless. However, it is close to the park. I think that better options are Jack Rabbit Sports or Paragon Sports for tri gear, Sid’s for bikes and Super Runners for running gear.
If you are visiting NYC, you really shouldn’t make the trip mostly about triathon! Yes, get up one morning and run a loop around the park. If you want to buy bike stuff, +1 for Sids. Running stuff, I would go to Jack Rabbit for shoes, but Paragon for clothes. I am not familiar with Super Runners. The MoMa store has some pretty cool and unusual gifts. Go inside the museum while you are there You must schedule as many fantastic meals as you can afford! Food is perhaps the very best thing about NYC. I have two (no, three!) places to recommend that are moderately priced given the quality and the fact that they are in NYC:
Bacaro: Venetian. Great food, lovely vaulted ceiling basement atmosphere, feels like you might be in some old European cellar. You can eat great for $45 (including wine) a person at a quality that would cost you $100 per person elsewhere in the city. It’s in the lower east side, almost Chinatown.
Fish: Two things to recommend. 6 oysters and a glass of wine or beer for $8. You can’t beat it. And they are good oysters! Also the lobster shepherd’s pie. Oh My God. It’s in the West Village on Bleeker, they do not take reservations, so either go early, or be willing to wait for a table.
Oh… and a third:
Socarrat: Spanish. They specialize in Paella. Get the Arroz Negro. Amazing. You can start with some Tapas and Rioja. Go to the one in Chelsea on 19th street.
Jack Rabbit (which has many locations ) definitely the best for tri gear
the east side super runners better than west side IMO
toga does have decent selection I just don’t like them - well the uws one that is - the one out in nyack awesome
yes you can figure out running in central park easily - even marked
.
I echo the above endorsements of Jack Rabbit Sports. There are a couple locations, but the one I know best is on 14th Street, a block or two (maybe three?) west of Union Square, on the south side of 14th Street.
Someone else already mentioned it, but Toga is a nice bike shop and is just a few blocks from Central Park.
If you are gong to be in Soho I’d recommend a stop into Bicycle Habitat on Lafayette street, they have nice selection of clothing and stuff.
Regarding R&A cycles… I went there to get a bike. I met with their crazy fitter who the other employees told me was a “genius”. While specing out the bike, he told me that it was an insult that I would consider Ultegra instead of Dura Ace and that Ultegra is noisy and if you are in the big ring and the small cog there is rubbing. He recruited one of his regular customers to berate me for this also. He was pretty much sexually harassing an attractive female customer that was there to buy a bike at the same time, he continuously told uncomfortably dirty jokes and after we put the whole bike together, it was ABSURDLY expensive.
I went to Sids right after, which is only a block from my apartment, and had very helpful, knowledgeable service, they did not try to take advantage of me and I felt like an idiot for not going there first.
Bike shops: you can google the names for address
-NYC Velo
-Signature Cycles for rapha/ unique high end stuff (Rapha). Then go to Toga across the street for anything else
-Sids is another solid option
-SBR is probably the best “tri specific” store.
-Gotham bikes downtown is a smallish store, not a big stock selection.
Running Store:
-Super runners or JackRabbit, I have had good experienced at both chains
There is a NY Running store @65th and lex that is solid too
Central Park or Hudson River Greenway (path along the west side highway) are your best options for getting in a run. Depending on where you are staying - you could run down hudson river greenway thru battery park, along tip of manhattan and up the east side path. You pass under multiple bridges, the seaport and world financial center. Flat as can be but you will be fighting the wind a bit. Central park is super easy for anyone to figure out. The main road has protected runner’s path and is about 6.15 miles around. There are shorter options where you can cut across. I recommend doing at least one loop along the reservoir.
Shopping: MOMA will have nice prints and other unique stuff, try the store across the street from the museum and not the gift shop. I do find these things to be very overpriced however. Spend some time in the boutiques in soho if you want some good stuff and willing to spend the $.
New York City is one of the places you can find most if not everything you would ever want to buy,
When in Manhattan I like to stop by Swim Bike Run NYC;however, keep in mind discounts are a rare find in the city.
Swim Bike Run NYC
203 W. 58th street
New York, New York 10019
phone 1212 399 3999
This is literally the last place I would stop. Terrible shop/service/management. And probably because of that, they’re slowing morphing into a rental bike shop servicing tourists.
If you want to see the ultimate in bike bling, visit Strictly (right over the GW in Jersey) or R&A. Strictly if you want great service as well.
If you want the friendliest staff, check out Bicycle Habitat in SoHo. I’ve also always had great experiences at Toga on the UWS.
If you want to visit the most knowledgeable/best bike fitter, head to Brooklyn and see Jonathan at Acme Bicycles.
NYC Velo in the LES/East Village has a very NYC old school LBS type feel.
And yeah, the CP loop is a gorgeous run. I sometimes forget how lucky we are to have a 6 mile loop in the middle of an island dominated by skyscrapers.
“bridge & tunnel run” in central park is great if you’re uptown, get on the west side greenway as others have said if you’re downtown. love that run. running through battery park will get you nowhere you want to be, I’ve tried.
then you will have earned the chance to eat. and eat and drink and eat. try:
momofuku noodle bar (LES)
eataly (flatiron)
maison premiere (brooklyn) for cocktails
dovetail (UWS)–fancy dinner
blue ribbon sushi (columbus circle)
marea (park south) expensive, amazing italian. fusilli with squid and bone marrow.
You are from NY? You were suprised by a store in Brooklyn?
R&A has been around for a LONG time and they are one of the biggest retailers of bikes. They get exclusive bikes and parts. While other shops are folding, they survive. Why?
You can do 2 things when you go to R&A; 1) browse at all the cool toys they have, yes, it is all there to look at and touch, not just in a basement somewhere waiting to be assembled, 2) buy product, but you better know what you want and be able to stay strong, they will bend you to upgrade, which is what their job is, to up-sell you.
They are one of the last true brick and mortar shops that actually has product. ANd they are usually the first to get new product, like the Shimano Ultegra Di2 tri shifters and brakes.
As for Felix and a few others there, just buy them a coffee and they will quiet down.
I am in no way sponsored by R&A, but they have always treated me well by providing parts when I needed them. Yes I paid a bit more than amazon.com and yes I get heckled when I walk in the shop, but that is Brooklyn.
really? not to get into a endless debate but y’all really need to go out and try other ramen to realize how hyped up to the sky this place really is…i do recommend it if you got sodium deficiency thou
According to google maps I’m kind of near mid town. Closest landmark seems to be Rockefeller Centre.
Yep, not expecting many discounts but I live in NZ and clothing and accessories get really expensive here and the range is generally very low (e.g., according to my lbs, Castelli is no longer imported here and they are one of my favourites for bibs). Thought I should try and get some benefit from our strong dollar at the moment.
Things that I only buy after trying them on are shoes and clothes and I kind of need both (at least that is what i am telling my wife)!
You must schedule as many fantastic meals as you can afford! Food is perhaps the very best thing about NYC. I have two (no, three!) places to recommend that are moderately priced given the quality and the fact that they are in NYC: