____I’m coming across the border at Houlton, Maine, at two
o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon with a load of peat-moss that is to be delivered
in Georgia on Saturday morning. Not far to go and a long time to do it.
Normally I would be fuming at this waste of my time but I am excited. This is a
heaven-sent chance to visit NYCeWheels; the only shop I know that specialises
in the sale of folding bicycles.
____It’s situated on the upper eastside of Manhattan; so
there is not much chance of rocking-up in an eighteen wheel semi and parking it
outside. But there is the Vince Lombardi Service Area at the north end of the
New Jersey Turnpike; one of the few redeeming features of the Interstate 95
that runs along the east coast of the US. Maine to Florida. Plenty of truck parking
and a park-and-ride bus service across the Hudson River. Shopping and big
cities aren’t really my thing but as it is something specific that I am after;
then shopping in New York City it is.
____Heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon made me postpone the
trip until Thursday. When I was on an early bus full of commuters; $7.50
return. Twenty-five minutes later, I was coming out of the Port Authority Bus
Terminal; within a stone’s throw of Times Square. I thought the walk up to 84th
and York would do me good but first; breakfast. Straight past Tiffany’s and
into the nearest New York deli-diner. It didn’t have the lively atmosphere
portrayed in films and TV shows but you couldn’t fault the frittata.
____NYCeWheels didn’t open until 11o’clock so I killed
some time in a Starbucks with a skinny latte. There is a Starbucks on every
corner in Manhattan, a Starbucks in every big store and even some of the larger
Starbucks have smaller Starbucks inside them. In contrast; NYCeWheels is one
very tiny store; they only sell folding bikes because the place is so small
that you need to fold a bike in half if you want to turn it round. But what
they lack in square feet; they make up for in customer service.
____There are a million folding bikes of all shapes and
sizes for sale on the Internet. But for a big guy like myself; I really need to
try before I buy and NYCeWheels is about the only place where you can have test
rides on a variety of folders all at the same time. I made a mistake when I
bought my 12 inch wheel Strida without knowing if it was the right size. It is
a well-engineered, innovative machine; but every time I ride it; I am thinking
that the circus is in town and I am the clown on the funny bike.
____I have ridden the 20 inch Dahon/Tern/Giant lookalikes
but feel too cramped by the short distance between the handlebars and the seat.
I came to try the larger 26 and 28 inch wheel folders but first I went round
the block on a Brompton. I was impressed; it was by far the best of the small
wheelers that I have ridden. Very nimble, yet felt sturdy. If I was buying a
folding bike that needed to be folded very small then, without hesitation, I
would go for the Brompton. But I just need something that will go in the back
of the car and in the truck; so big wheels will do.
____The Dahon and Tern 26 inch wheelers were well equipped
and I would have bought one or the other if I hadn’t gone for a spin on the
Montague Boston Single Speed. I instantly liked the old-fashioned minimalist
monochrome appearance and when I rode it, well, it just felt right.
Comfortable, leaning-forward riding position, very responsive steering and
geared at about number 6 on a ten-speed. I usually know within a few
pedal-turns if a bike fits me properly and this one ticked all the boxes.
____The shop offered to box and ship the bike to my home
address but I decided to pay and ride away. Right out into the lunch-time
traffic chaos of New York City; the cycling equivalent of running with the
bulls in Pamplona. But the bike was magnificent as we weaved in and out of
busses, limos and taxis; zig-zagging across Manhattan. Madison
Avenue, Park
Avenue, 5th Avenue, Broadway and back to Times Square. For
twenty-minutes, living life dangerously in the style of a city-centre
cycle-courier. And a cycle-courier’s weapon of choice is often a light-weight,
flat-barred, skinny-tyred single-speed.
____Did I upset any fellow road-users during my journey?
Difficult to say; so many New York drivers sound their horns so much, so often
and for no apparent reason. Back at the multi-storey bus terminal; I slipped
out the front wheel, folded the frame, slipped it all into its carrying bag and
got on the bus back to Vince Lombardi. Mission accomplished. I was worried
about being allowed on the bus with the bike, it folds down to about 3 foot by
3 foot and 12 inches wide; which is big enough to take up two seats on its own.
But the driver never said anything although I think I would have been turned
away if it wasn’t in a bag.
____At over $700, the Montague Boston Single Speed isn't
cheap. But nobody regrets buying quality and a hundred dollar bike from
Wal-Mart's wouldn’t have run that gauntlet the way the Boston did. Still, it is
half the price of a British Made Brompton and there are plenty of folding
exotica that will set you back over two grand. I’ve just been for ride along
some country lanes in Illinois; very windy conditions and the single-speed
gearing gives the rider a good cardio-vascular work-out. Great fun and I hope
the first of many fitness sessions out on the road.
