brick city bike collective » rides

May’s 1st Friday Ride… ‘Public Art’

TIm — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:48:53 +0000

To celebrate bicycles and art, May’s First Friday Ride will make a quick 45 minute sweep of public art downtown and in University Heights, then end at the Art Cycle opening night at Index Art Center on Broad Street. In keeping with the art/cycle theme, this month’s ride is creative…we’ll spend almost as much time on paths and walkways as on roads (wide & seldom used walkways, that is), take in murals, statues, sculptures, fountains and artistic architectural features. We’ll wind our way through maybe 6 parks, 3 universities and a few hidden historic gems… all in about 45 minutes.

The tour starts out in deep city passing two beautiful train terminals along the way, then heads slowly, diagonally, painlessly uphill to Newark’s largest public sculpture on Bergen Street. Then it’s almost a continuous coast downhill from there.

I’d like to start at 7pm if possible, 7:15 at the latest. Let me know if that’s too early for everyone. A larger map for printing is available here: art tour map

Cheers!

Tour of the Cherry Blossoms

marie — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:32:40 +0000

70 cyclists turned out for BCBC’s First Annual Tour of the Cherry Blossoms on April 11, 2010. Turnout was greater than expected for this 5-mile ride in and around Newark’s Branch Brook Park. The weather was beautiful, and the park was busy with cyclists and patrons alike. The route winded through areas of the park inundated with Cherry Blossom trees, over bridges, on the streets of the historic Forest Hills section of Newark, and past other Newark gems, like the converted Tiffany building and the oldest house in Newark. It was a great event, and we learned a lot as a group about preparing for large rides. I hope to see you all next year!

The group beginning to gather and chat before the ride.

The whole group ready to ride in front of the Lions at Branch Brook Park.

Tim, the BCBC ride organizer, explaining the route.

Riding a windy road through the middle of the park.

Load of bikers barreling through the Ballantine gates.

Crossing the railroad tracks.

Passing the Tiffany Building, now converted into apartments.

Riding through the woods and over a bridge.

Cherry Blossoms ahead!

Riders strolling along the creek with Cherry Blossoms in front and behind.

Bikes, bikes, bikes.

Tim directing the next turns.

Cherry Blossoms.

Proud cyclists at the end of the ride.

This Saturday is the Egg-Mazing Race!

Zoe — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:37:35 +0000

The Egg-Mazing Race is a bicycle scavenger hunt where riders must follow a map to find clues and complete challenges in the Ironbound section of Newark. Participants start and end at common locations, but what happens in between is pure strategy… and good fun!

The Egg-mazing Race will kick off at 10:30 am at Peter Fransisco Park (the triangle park next to Penn Station) and is guaranteed fun. The event ends at Hells Kitchen Lounge for food and prizes, and is sponsored by Councilman Augusto Amador, IBID (Ironbound Bussiness Improvement District), and Brick City Bike Collective.

Registration is free, but space is limited. Pre-register here to ensure a spot!

Feel free to contact us for more info at brickcitybikecollective@gmail.com or 973.937.8443

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Announcing…Cherry Blossom Bike Tour 2010!

TIm — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:32:33 +0000

OFFICIAL POSTER

BCBC is pleased to announce our first annual Cherry Blossom Bike Tour!

Please join the Brick City Bike Collective as we tour Branchbrook Park’s spectacular display of cherry blossoms at their peak.

Sunday, April 11
1pm
Meet at the twin lion statues across from the fountain in the park’s southernmost lake. See map below or view/download a larger one here: http://tsoup.com/bcbc/branchbrook%20map.jpg

Newark’s Branchbrook Park is famous for it’s cherry trees and Cherry Blossom
Festival. This year the actual Cherry Blossom Festival is on the 18th but we
will be taking the tour on the much less crowded Sunday before which we
estimate to be the peak day for blossoms.
See photos here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/937513?start=0

The tour will be about 7 miles in length and last maybe 1.5 hours. This is not a race, it is a leisurely tour on a route that takes in the park, some surrounding neighborhoods, notable and historic architecture, lakes, fountains and the largest display of cherry trees east of Kyoto. This free tour is an easy, enjoyable ride for any age group.

You can park anywhere in the park. There is a running race in the park that morning but southern park gates should open for car traffic by 11am or so. The park is easily accessible from the parkway, Turnpike, I-280, Bloomfield Avenue or Route 21. It’s also very near NJ Transit Newark Broad Street Station, and an easy trek from Newark Penn Station.

If you have any questions please contact Tim at tim @ tsoup . com
Come see the surprising beauty of NJ’s largest city! Hope to see you there!

POSTERS:

Please download our official poster in various sizes for printing and feel free to post it everywhere! Download here: http://tsoup.com/bcbc/cherryblossom/index.html

MAP

Journey to Philip Roth’s house

TIm — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:20:04 +0000

Philip Roth, arguably America’s greatest living writer, grew up in the Weequahic neighborhood of Newark and wrote about it extensively in the Pulitzer Prize winning “American Pastoral”. His home at 81 Summit Street was the destination of today’s ride.

It was a gorgeous day for the eight adventurers who showed up to ride. Bright sun, light traffic and remnants of last weeks’ snowfall that, seeming out of place at forty-four degrees, were a clear reminder of February’s fickle weather. We chose this predominantly north-south ride today because it faced us into the warm sun initially and kept us, for the most part, out of brisk western winter winds.

Among the sights we took in were both sections of Weequahic Park, a general tour of the Weequahic neighborhood, Philip Roth’s house, Weequahic High School, Newark Beth Israel Hospital, beautiful old houses along 11th and Littleton and the NJ School of Dentistry.

A little piece of Broadway

TIm — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:31:23 +0000

I had a big North Newark route planned out today but spent much of my time checking out three places on just two blocks of Broadway between 2nd and Arlington.

First, the old Benefit Mutual Life Insurance Building on the corner of 2nd.

Next the Mt Pleasant Cemetery, by far the most interesting cemetery in Newark. It’s very old, historic, beautiful and well maintained, and is a perfect place for a stroll. Shown are the front gate, a large mausoluem, a cobblestone path and the Newark firemans’ graveyard.

Then right across the street is the feudal gothic style Newark Police 2nd Precinct building.

Needless to say I didn’t complete my trip but tomorrow it’s supposed to be 70º so . . . .

Mutual Benefit Bldg, Mt Pleasant Cemetary and 2nd Precinct bldg.

Biking the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail

TIm — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:50:19 +0000

The leaves were at autumn peak last Sunday in Maryland so a friend and I biked 12 miles (24mi. r/t) of the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail, an old railroad right-of-way now bike trail that runs from the BWI Airport to Annapolis. It’s part of the East Coast Greenway.

It’s a beautiful trail that winds through deep woods, over streams and behind some rural residential areas. You end up just over the bridge from historic Annapolis near the Naval Academy. The path is in excellent condition, is well maintained and had very light and polite bike & pedestrian traffic. The only down side was a 15mph speed limit because your bike really wants to cruise at about 22mph.

Our total trip was 42 miles…21 miles to Annapolis, eat a sushi lunch, then 21 miles back to his place just off the Chesapeake.

Trail Info:

BikeWashington Site

Wikipedia Info

The trail is red on the map

Tour of Newark Ready to Roll! – Oct. 17

Kyle — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:46:11 +0000

After some confusion and cancellations, the city has confirmed that the Bicycle Tour of Newark ‘09 is on for October 17th. The name’s been translated from last time, but the promise is the same: a fantastic day out on our streets of Newark.

This is a great opportunity to see the city from the street level and with the ease and comfort of a closed route. The event will feature a 3.5 mile family fun ride and a 25 mile tour of the city. Get there early for a bike check to be sure everything is in order and ready for the 25 miles of ground. There’ll also be free helmets and t-shirts while the supplies last (so, early, early early!).

The Tour is being organized by Team Newark, and is co-sponsored by Mayor Cory Booker and the Newark Municipal Council and The Division of Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

Registration starts at the just-getting-light hour of 7:30am, with the rides starting at 9am. For more info and registration go here. And, indeed, it is FREE!

It’s gonna be a hoot, folks, and BCBC will be representing at the start and finish. I already volunteered and hope to see y’all on the Tour!

First Friday Ride:: October 2nd edition

Kyle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:34:50 +0000

It’s already October, and it’s already the first friday in October. This means that you should be all set to join us at Beaver St. in downtown Newark, 7pm, for the monthly Brick City Bike Collective ride!

We venturing north and across the river (!) this month, thanks to a stellar route by BCBC member Ryan.

10/2/2009 BCBC First Friday
Find more Bike Rides in Newark, New Jersey

So come along and let people see that riding a bike is safe, feasible, efficient and fun!

As always, bring a your helmet, lights and a lock. See you Friday -

Upcoming Events: Repair Day, Bike Rodeo & more!

Kyle — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:13:59 +0000

On the Lincoln Highway from BCBC's ride to Jersey City on 9/13

This Sunday, September 20th, is bike repair day in Lincoln Park, followed by a group ride. Come out to the park, enjoy the cooling weather and fix up your bike! We’ll be on hand to help you out or let you use our tools. Look for us between 2pm and 4. Free, of course!

And remember, Repair Day in the Park happens every third Sunday of the month.

Save the Date:

October 17, Newark’s first Bike Rodeo will be held, location and time TBA. Sponsored by the NJ Department of Transportation and Newark Department of Recreation with the help of Meadowlink and BCBC, the Bike Rodeo will be an action packed opportunity for kids to learn the rules of the road, hone some bike riding skills for navigating Newark streets and get fit with a free helmet! Stay tuned for more info-

BCBC October ride: 10/2. Come ride with us as we take a tour of the city on one of our regular “first friday” rides! We meet at 7pm on Beaver St, in downtown Newark.

Finally, check back for Halloween rides and events. It’s true – it’s right around the corner.