Biking is a great way to tour Brooklyn, especially if you want to explore Brooklyn Bridge Park, Red Hook, or the Williamsburg Waterfront and Greenpoint. Here’s how to get your hands on two wheels.
TO RENT OR BUY
Citibike is less of a pedal-the-day-away option and more of a get from point A to point B on a bike instead of on the train or in a cab scenario. You can pay for an annual membership for $95, which comes with unlimited 45-minute trips. Visitors can get a $9.95 day pass or a $25 seven-day pass with unlimited 30-minute trips. In Brooklyn, they’re most useful around Williamsburg, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Bike and Roll has tons of different bikes to choose from, including racing bikes if you want to whip around the 3.35-mile loop in Prospect Park, or tandems for a bicycle tour built for two. You can reserve online and pick them up at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Prices start at $14/hour, or $44/day, and you can rent baby seats and tagalongs for kids.
Most rental spots offer tandems | Rolling Orange Bikes
Rolling Orange is worth a visit for their selection of authentic Dutch city bikes alone. At the Cobble Hill shop, you can rent a cherry orange bike for $38/day, $65/weekend, or $176/week, and they come with a basket, a lock and a bike map. Helmets and special bikes, like cargo bikes and tandems, are also available, as are guided tours of Brooklyn.
Ride Brooklyn has two convenient locations, one in Park Slope near Prospect Park, and the other on the Williamsburg waterfront, near the Brooklyn Bike Park. Rentals include a lock and a helmet, and the friendly techs at both shops will help you select and adjust the right bike for a comfortable ride. Prices range from $25 for four hours to $45 for 24 hours. Road bikes and tandems are also available and reservations for all bikes are recommended, especially on weekends.
9th Street Cycles in Park Slope and Excelsior Bike Shop in Crown Heights rent bikes for the very low rate of $30/day, both are close to Prospect Park, and they also repair stroller wheels, if you’re in a bind with a broken stroller.
Special delivery from Recycle-A-Bicycle
WORTH A VISIT
Recycle-A-Bicycle is without a doubt one of the coolest non-profit organizations in New York City. They salvage nearly 2,000 bicycles a year, while training at-risk kids how to work on bikes and educating the community about biking, the environment, and bike maintenance. Their DUMBO shop is a great place to stop for repairs, or to browse their wide, eclectic selection of bikes for sale.