Been doing it since 1996. And continue every year! My advice, don’t bring snacks, the tour provides many snacks, bagels, etc… make sure to stop and eat.
there is an "unofficial" free bike ride thru the 4 boroughs of nyc....that's during the morning of the nyc marathon....u start at bayridge, brooklyn before the marathon start their races at 8:30 am. probably can start the bike ride around 6 am and ride on the same route as the runners.
This tour was so much nicer before 9-11. All of the security measures put into place have just made it so much more of a chore than just a fun day out riding traffic free. Oh, and that ride across the Verrazano bridge is NO joke 😀
I can imagine, and wish we could have experienced that. It is still a great ride, especially for non-NYC area visitors. We're pretty fit people, but not really cyclists, and yes the Verrazano is not a cake walk haha
I hope that you do it one day! We are lucky in that it's easy for us to just do it whenever we want. Not all years have been great weather, we've skipped some actually because of that haha
Great video. I did another version of a bike the 5 boroughs but it was in September and it was a 100 miles but I had a blast. I would love to go back and ride this one. Cheers and thank you for the video.
@@MagellanandGreyhound I did indeed and believe it or not it did not feel like a long 100 , so much to see in one of the greatest cities of the world and the event was organized and the food and volunteers were top notch plus I was doing it in a folding bike and people were just really nice to see me do this ride on a term verge s27h 20 inch wheel which I love that size. I currently have a Velo Orange Neutrino set up to micro tours and week rides...like I did RAGBRAI last year and I had a blast. Cheers and wishing you all the best in this new year and hope to run into you down the road...beers are on me.
@@canica99 it sounds like you’ve done some great tours! I remember watching a video from this channel called A+K about Ragbrai. Looked amazing. We really want to explore out west more.
Beer. Yep. Prepare for traffic like you'd prepare to go to a game. But on a bike. YES. Port-a-potties. They should prepare for 10 times that many. Was so cool to see that Empire State Building view from Lower Manhattan when we were there a couple months ago with family. Greyhound. Beer. Hi Bronx! Nice to know ya. The Tram! Nice. Now, all the Queens food picks from Greg & Jumi to partake in. Beer. Ah, Robert Moses and your ridiculous highways. (He did the BQE, right?) You bridge speed demon! That ferry view. Love doing it the last couple times we've been there. Want to get to a Staten Island Ferryhawks game. Sad-faced Greyhound. If you take the ferry on a Saturday, make sure to see if Nicola Vazquez is busking on the Manhattan side. INSANELY talented singer-songwriter. Beer.
Waiting is an unfortunate but sometimes necessary part of life. Oh yes Queens has some really great food. I will look for her! So many buskers to be honest :)
thanks! Considering 2024, but really wish I could wear my hydration pack. I DO see packs in your video. Not sure I would risk having to discard mine at the start. Enjoyed your video!
They're always changing what you can bring, and I think that's why you'll seepeople with different things. Some don't know the rules, some do and don't care, and honestly, I've never seen them enforce anything. And thank you!
Can’t wait to ride this. Trying to figure out how to carry my sneakers for when I’m off the bike. I ride with clip less shoes on the bike but obviously they aren’t made for walking.
Yeah that’s a unique problem considering the bag restrictions. Greyhound has a basket on her cruiser so that’s how we carry what we need. It seems excessive to get a pannier bag for sneakers. Hopefully you figure something out. The ride will be awesome :)
You better join today! I'm tagging along with the cyclists in my electric scooter for a relatively short circuit of the tour and yes, I'll bring a backpack! I'll be dominating the Queensborough bridge today! Best thing is, I don't have to pay for the tour at all and I get to ride on the highways and bridges normally occupied by cars for the first time ever!
Haha that is awesome! I want to try an e-bike or scooter one year to see what it’s like. Have fun!!! There’s nothing like it. We are sitting out this year unfortunately 😞
Thanks for that ending tip about the extra 3 miles on the way ferry after Ft Wadsworth. I'm from Staten Island so I'll just bike the rest of the way home :)
Ahahaha. That’s the best right there. No ferry, no long wait, no sit down can’t stand up body butt ache afterwards. You just get to go home and shower :)
Excellent video！it was my first time riding TD bike tour and I surprised myself by completing 40 miles tour before 70 years old next year. Maybe on an E-bike 2024 td bike tour
I've been wanting to do this for years and I'm considering it for 2024. Only concern is we're travelling from Ireland and would need to hire a bike from somewhere.
I can’t say I know much about that, but the tour has information on its website on where to rent. There are a lot of people who come in from all over the world at this point and rent. We see them in lines in the early morning. I’m pretty positive you should have no issue lining up something. It’s a great ride and I hope you get to do.
You’re very welcome. It was a GoPro. I had two actually, one mounted to the bike handle and the other attached to my wrist (with a strap), to move it around as needed. Most of the footage is from my wrist.
Great video ! 2024 will be my 5th year. I ride with a group from Cleveland, Ohio. We are Team Cleveland !! If you see us or hear us please come up to us and say Hi !! Our group gets bigger and bigger every year. As of today we have 65 riders registered and ready to ride. I think we may have up to 85 riders before the actual ride. I am going to share your video with our newbies. I think its a great introduction on what to expect and plan for. Keep riding and smiling !!!
That’s awesome! We won’t be riding this year, but if we see Team Cleveland passing by, we will definitely say hi! That’s great that your group has grown that much!
I forget exactly, but it should be before you pick up your packet unless that’s changed. You’ll usually get an email telling you your wave and your barcode to pick up your packet. That should be happening soon I imagine since the tour is close
My wife and I (out-of-towners) will be doing this a leisurely ride. Are there any breweries or other watering holes worth checking on the tour besides Other Half Brewing?
Oh boy that’s a loaded question. Depends how far you stray, but we’ve also stopped at Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg, Flagship Brewing in Staten Italy (right before the ferry.) Big Alice brewing used to be right off the Queensboro but I think they’ve relocated. Radegast is a cool German beer hall. Brooklyn (the borough) is your best bet though because the tour kind of locks you in onto major thoroughfares/highways at times. Now, depending on where you’re staying, I can tell you even more places after you take the ferry back to Manhattan haha
I really enjoy your videos. I’m registering for the 2024 Five Boro Bike Tour and couldn't find the differences between the Standard Adult ($134) and Standard Shipping Adult ($194) categories. Which category did you register for?
Thank you! We always do the basic option, in this case, the $134 one. The shipping one is if you don’t want the hassle of picking up your packet beforehand. Seems pricey! We always pick ours up.
@@MagellanandGreyhoundThanks for the quick response. In reading some of the comments from this video and your responses, it sounds as though you won't be riding again due to the crowds and initial waiting. For a first-timer for this ride, is it worth the hassle from an experience perspective?
@@Michael-ts9yp it’s worth it absolutely. And that’s why we decided to finally make a video to let people know what to expect since nothing is ever perfect and glamorous. We’ve done it so many times and maybe the allure is gone. I’m sure we’ll do it again one day but not that soon haha. Enjoy your ride, and soak it all in. It’s a really fun experience. Just watch other cyclists. Many can’t ride a bike or know the etiquette 😂😂😂😂
You’d miss the long ferry lines, definitely, but you’d have to deal with potential traffic back. We haven’t driven in so I can’t tell you about which roads would be closed driving in or out, but I like your gambling idea :)
@@emileebell2038 technically yes, but only if you pay extra as a VIP, or are apart of one of the charities I think. Otherwise it’s honestly a crapshoot. We always pick the earliest time as a preference, register immediately and have gotten wildly different waves.
Yes. I know that you can pick up near/at the start line and turn in at the Staten Island ferry when you're done. I am sure there are other third party rentals too, but the bike tour itself offers rentals. Here's the link I found. Have fun! www.unlimitedbiking.com/events/nyc-five-boro-bike-tour-rentals/
"32,000 people trying to get into Manhattan on the same morning.... " On the average weekday there's more like 1.6 million people trying to get in so.. not too bad.
@@timothygermann780 that’s awesome! We hope you have a blast. We both wished that every time we rode, it could be our first time again. Nothing can top that.
I rode the tour in 2022 and would never ride it again. #1 most of these roads you can ride anytime (not the fdr !) and I would feel safer on them even with the cars than riding in that logjam of bikes. #2 There is too great a difference between rider speeds and no order to it. Slow bikes, fast bikes, people riding 5 bikes across blocking everything, it was ridiculous. Saw a bunch of accidents including my own and was just disgusted by the whole mess to be honest. Its not safe and I ride in NY all the time. If you are in the first few waves of riders, maybe its great, but if you have a late start, you're gonna be in for a day of frustration. Oh yeah, 2 hrs to get onto the Ferry, then another hour to get back to Queens. That was the nail in the coffin for me.
Completely agree. This is why it’s likely our last tour. The start waves used to be managed much better, but I’m not sure there’s any logic to them now other than you pay more to start earlier. We still think people should do it once, but it doesn’t seem to be improving. Oh and ditto on the biker safety. It’s amazing to see people on this tour looking like it’s the first time on a bike. There would be far fewer accidents if people knew how to behave lol.
I agree 2022 was the worse. Waiting for the ferry. 2023 they ended the tour 5 miles shorter. This was to not crowd the ferry entrance. I was in wave 4. I started at 9:30. Waited about half an hour to start. Went smoothly….. got on the ferry super fast…..all in all. I started at 9:30am. I was back home in the Bronx by 2:30pm. No problem with me.
@@leninmercedes6567 sounds like you had a good experience this year! we used to be finished by 11am in the ones years ago and we’re not serious riders 😜. The tour organizers are wildly inconsistent, I’ll give them that. You just never know
Been doing it since 1996. And continue every year! My advice, don’t bring snacks, the tour provides many snacks, bagels, etc… make sure to stop and eat.
That’s awesome! And that’s a great tip too. Even though it’s not a crazy challenging ride, your body still needs fuel!
I'm doing this tour in a few days, hoping for some fun
Hope you have a great time!
there is an "unofficial" free bike ride thru the 4 boroughs of nyc....that's during the morning of the nyc marathon....u start at bayridge, brooklyn before the marathon start their races at 8:30 am. probably can start the bike ride around 6 am and ride on the same route as the runners.
Did not know that! Makes sense given that they're shutting down the route. Are there usually a lot of cyclists taking advantage of this?
@@MagellanandGreyhound ua-cam.com/video/G8W7qifFHcs/v-deo.htmlsi=xPO4bf1D1hMy0lJH
Legit, that looks awesome
This tour was so much nicer before 9-11. All of the security measures put into place have just made it so much more of a chore than just a fun day out riding traffic free. Oh, and that ride across the Verrazano bridge is NO joke 😀
I can imagine, and wish we could have experienced that. It is still a great ride, especially for non-NYC area visitors. We're pretty fit people, but not really cyclists, and yes the Verrazano is not a cake walk haha
What a great and wonderful video
Thank you so much! 😁
thanks for this - thinking about doing the tour this year for the first time so this was very helpful
No problem! Glad it helped. It’s such a unique experience.
I can’t wait to do this, this was honestly an amazing video!
Thank you! It is definitely worth doing. Registration I believe is open in a day or so. It’s usually right after new years
This year was my first. It was so much fun! Thanks for sharing this video, it brought back so many good memories!
Hopefully you do it again! We have had so much fun doing this over the years
You did such a spectacular overview!!!!
Thank you!
Love the tour and yes, being on a bike through the city without cars is probably a once a year kind of experience. What a picture perfect day, too!
I hope that you do it one day! We are lucky in that it's easy for us to just do it whenever we want. Not all years have been great weather, we've skipped some actually because of that haha
Hello,This is really touching and beautiful! Thank you for the great video.I love your channel! Have a happy day.👍🏼
Thank you 😁
Great video. I did another version of a bike the 5 boroughs but it was in September and it was a 100 miles but I had a blast. I would love to go back and ride this one. Cheers and thank you for the video.
Oh did you do the Century route? That's awesome. The 5 boro tour is definitely not as challenging haha, but it's worth doing at least once.
@@MagellanandGreyhound I did indeed and believe it or not it did not feel like a long 100 , so much to see in one of the greatest cities of the world and the event was organized and the food and volunteers were top notch plus I was doing it in a folding bike and people were just really nice to see me do this ride on a term verge s27h 20 inch wheel which I love that size. I currently have a Velo Orange Neutrino set up to micro tours and week rides...like I did RAGBRAI last year and I had a blast. Cheers and wishing you all the best in this new year and hope to run into you down the road...beers are on me.
@@canica99 it sounds like you’ve done some great tours! I remember watching a video from this channel called A+K about Ragbrai. Looked amazing. We really want to explore out west more.
Beer.
Yep. Prepare for traffic like you'd prepare to go to a game. But on a bike.
YES. Port-a-potties. They should prepare for 10 times that many.
Was so cool to see that Empire State Building view from Lower Manhattan when we were there a couple months ago with family.
Greyhound. Beer.
Hi Bronx! Nice to know ya.
The Tram! Nice.
Now, all the Queens food picks from Greg & Jumi to partake in.
Beer.
Ah, Robert Moses and your ridiculous highways. (He did the BQE, right?)
You bridge speed demon!
That ferry view. Love doing it the last couple times we've been there. Want to get to a Staten Island Ferryhawks game.
Sad-faced Greyhound.
If you take the ferry on a Saturday, make sure to see if Nicola Vazquez is busking on the Manhattan side. INSANELY talented singer-songwriter.
Beer.
Waiting is an unfortunate but sometimes necessary part of life. Oh yes Queens has some really great food. I will look for her! So many buskers to be honest :)
thanks! Considering 2024, but really wish I could wear my hydration pack. I DO see packs in your video. Not sure I would risk having to discard mine at the start. Enjoyed your video!
They're always changing what you can bring, and I think that's why you'll seepeople with different things. Some don't know the rules, some do and don't care, and honestly, I've never seen them enforce anything. And thank you!
Can’t wait to ride this. Trying to figure out how to carry my sneakers for when I’m off the bike. I ride with clip less shoes on the bike but obviously they aren’t made for walking.
Yeah that’s a unique problem considering the bag restrictions. Greyhound has a basket on her cruiser so that’s how we carry what we need. It seems excessive to get a pannier bag for sneakers. Hopefully you figure something out. The ride will be awesome :)
Went in 2016 for the first time. This year will be attempt #2
Awesome! You are now officially a veteran :)
You better join today! I'm tagging along with the cyclists in my electric scooter for a relatively short circuit of the tour and yes, I'll bring a backpack!
I'll be dominating the Queensborough bridge today!
Best thing is, I don't have to pay for the tour at all and I get to ride on the highways and bridges normally occupied by cars for the first time ever!
Haha that is awesome! I want to try an e-bike or scooter one year to see what it’s like. Have fun!!! There’s nothing like it. We are sitting out this year unfortunately 😞
This will be my first time doing tour. Have ran nyc marathon. Wonder how bike tour will compare. Thanks for making such a good video
Thank you very much! The bike tour will be much easier I hope (and require less training haha). Have fun out there on Sunday!
Me too! See you tomorrow 🤝🏻
@@gurvinka hope you both enjoy! It’s fun. We’re sitting out this year
Wow this is so cool. 😃😃😃 I must do it one day.
It’s something you should definitely do once. The experience is so unique.
this year will be my 4th year.its addictive🤣😂😂
We understand completely!
I was in wave 4. And the most I wait was half an hour.
" You want pizza?". She looked exactly like my St. Bernard when I ask her the same question.
Ahahaha
Thanks for that ending tip about the extra 3 miles on the way ferry after Ft Wadsworth. I'm from Staten Island so I'll just bike the rest of the way home :)
Ahahaha. That’s the best right there. No ferry, no long wait, no sit down can’t stand up body butt ache afterwards. You just get to go home and shower :)
I must do this
Yes you must 😊
Excellent video！it was my first time riding TD bike tour and I surprised myself by completing 40 miles tour before 70 years old next year. Maybe on an E-bike 2024 td bike tour
Thank you! And that’s awesome! It is not an easy feat, even if mostly flat. We have thought about an e-bike once too
I've been wanting to do this for years and I'm considering it for 2024. Only concern is we're travelling from Ireland and would need to hire a bike from somewhere.
I can’t say I know much about that, but the tour has information on its website on where to rent. There are a lot of people who come in from all over the world at this point and rent. We see them in lines in the early morning. I’m pretty positive you should have no issue lining up something. It’s a great ride and I hope you get to do.
@@MagellanandGreyhound Aaawww, thanks for the reply. I’ll have a look at the website. Many thanks.
no problem at all! You have plenty of time before next year. 😀 Hope it works out and you have a great ride!
Wow, that looks quite fun and interesting, except for the beginning and the end. 😬
The end was a little worse this year. We built the worst into our plans. This year it happened lol
Hi! Thanks for the great video! Can I ask which camera did you use to film this? I am interested in filming while biking
You’re very welcome. It was a GoPro. I had two actually, one mounted to the bike handle and the other attached to my wrist (with a strap), to move it around as needed. Most of the footage is from my wrist.
No paniers allowed now apparently
Really!? That’s some bull.
Great video ! 2024 will be my 5th year. I ride with a group from Cleveland, Ohio. We are Team Cleveland !! If you see us or hear us please come up to us and say Hi !! Our group gets bigger and bigger every year. As of today we have 65 riders registered and ready to ride. I think we may have up to 85 riders before the actual ride. I am going to share your video with our newbies. I think its a great introduction on what to expect and plan for. Keep riding and smiling !!!
That’s awesome! We won’t be riding this year, but if we see Team Cleveland passing by, we will definitely say hi! That’s great that your group has grown that much!
No way this is cool tour :))
It is, and it is real 😁
Super 🙂
Thank you Petr
I could never! 😂
You never know 😉
There were a few people wearing back packs though?
Yes, we saw quite a few like that. I can’t speak to why though sorry.
I have read stories of both people being left alone and other stories where riders were forced to have their pack confiscated (or leave the course).
There are so many people with backpack...how come you've said backpacks aren't allowed?
I never said people follow the rules lol. And I’m not about to encourage people to break them either 😁
Hi! When/how do you find out what wave you are in? Is it only when you pick up your rider packet?
I forget exactly, but it should be before you pick up your packet unless that’s changed. You’ll usually get an email telling you your wave and your barcode to pick up your packet. That should be happening soon I imagine since the tour is close
Thank you! Loved your video 😊
@@jasonjencyvarkey3882 thanks! Glad you enjoyed. Hope you enjoy the ride!
My wife and I (out-of-towners) will be doing this a leisurely ride. Are there any breweries or other watering holes worth checking on the tour besides Other Half Brewing?
Oh boy that’s a loaded question. Depends how far you stray, but we’ve also stopped at Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg, Flagship Brewing in Staten Italy (right before the ferry.) Big Alice brewing used to be right off the Queensboro but I think they’ve relocated. Radegast is a cool German beer hall. Brooklyn (the borough) is your best bet though because the tour kind of locks you in onto major thoroughfares/highways at times. Now, depending on where you’re staying, I can tell you even more places after you take the ferry back to Manhattan haha
I really enjoy your videos. I’m registering for the 2024 Five Boro Bike Tour and couldn't find the differences between the Standard Adult ($134) and Standard Shipping Adult ($194) categories. Which category did you register for?
Thank you! We always do the basic option, in this case, the $134 one. The shipping one is if you don’t want the hassle of picking up your packet beforehand. Seems pricey! We always pick ours up.
@@MagellanandGreyhoundThanks for the quick response. In reading some of the comments from this video and your responses, it sounds as though you won't be riding again due to the crowds and initial waiting. For a first-timer for this ride, is it worth the hassle from an experience perspective?
@@Michael-ts9yp it’s worth it absolutely. And that’s why we decided to finally make a video to let people know what to expect since nothing is ever perfect and glamorous. We’ve done it so many times and maybe the allure is gone. I’m sure we’ll do it again one day but not that soon haha. Enjoy your ride, and soak it all in. It’s a really fun experience. Just watch other cyclists. Many can’t ride a bike or know the etiquette 😂😂😂😂
Amazing shares new friends 💗✨🦋🫶💗✨🦋💫🫶
Thank you 😁
Coming from Long Island would you recommend parking in Staten Island?
You’d miss the long ferry lines, definitely, but you’d have to deal with potential traffic back. We haven’t driven in so I can’t tell you about which roads would be closed driving in or out, but I like your gambling idea :)
Hi. How much do they charge to join the tour?
The basic registration is around $130-140
Hi! can you control which wave you start in?
@@emileebell2038 technically yes, but only if you pay extra as a VIP, or are apart of one of the charities I think. Otherwise it’s honestly a crapshoot. We always pick the earliest time as a preference, register immediately and have gotten wildly different waves.
Are rental bikes available? I’ll be traveling up from Florida.
Yes. I know that you can pick up near/at the start line and turn in at the Staten Island ferry when you're done. I am sure there are other third party rentals too, but the bike tour itself offers rentals. Here's the link I found. Have fun! www.unlimitedbiking.com/events/nyc-five-boro-bike-tour-rentals/
"32,000 people trying to get into Manhattan on the same morning.... "
On the average weekday there's more like 1.6 million people trying to get in so.. not too bad.
It isn't haha. It's a very fun time (unless you need to drive near it)
@@MagellanandGreyhound I just registered/ Have been thinking of doing it for half a decade (but usually forget). This will be my first time.
@@timothygermann780 that’s awesome! We hope you have a blast. We both wished that every time we rode, it could be our first time again. Nothing can top that.
Do they make helmet wearing mandatory?
Yes. I have seen a few people over the years without them but not sure if anything happened.
@@MagellanandGreyhound I dislike being forced to do so particularly on a closed and controlled and paved route.
I’ve lived in Astoria for over 20 years and I never knew that it’s was called the Hell gates bridge.
I looked it up too 😉
I rode the tour in 2022 and would never ride it again. #1 most of these roads you can ride anytime (not the fdr !) and I would feel safer on them even with the cars than riding in that logjam of bikes. #2 There is too great a difference between rider speeds and no order to it. Slow bikes, fast bikes, people riding 5 bikes across blocking everything, it was ridiculous. Saw a bunch of accidents including my own and was just disgusted by the whole mess to be honest. Its not safe and I ride in NY all the time. If you are in the first few waves of riders, maybe its great, but if you have a late start, you're gonna be in for a day of frustration. Oh yeah, 2 hrs to get onto the Ferry, then another hour to get back to Queens. That was the nail in the coffin for me.
Completely agree. This is why it’s likely our last tour. The start waves used to be managed much better, but I’m not sure there’s any logic to them now other than you pay more to start earlier. We still think people should do it once, but it doesn’t seem to be improving. Oh and ditto on the biker safety. It’s amazing to see people on this tour looking like it’s the first time on a bike. There would be far fewer accidents if people knew how to behave lol.
If people knew how to behave, 😆keep wishing on that star, but you'll never get that one granted. Keep making the fun videos. @@MagellanandGreyhound
@@avisitorhere ahaha so true. And thank you
I agree 2022 was the worse. Waiting for the ferry. 2023 they ended the tour 5 miles shorter. This was to not crowd the ferry entrance. I was in wave 4. I started at 9:30. Waited about half an hour to start. Went smoothly….. got on the ferry super fast…..all in all. I started at 9:30am. I was back home in the Bronx by 2:30pm. No problem with me.
@@leninmercedes6567 sounds like you had a good experience this year! we used to be finished by 11am in the ones years ago and we’re not serious riders 😜. The tour organizers are wildly inconsistent, I’ll give them that. You just never know