Different Bikes for Different Reasons

WE Bike NYC is organizing ten women from five organizations to ride 262 miles on bicycles from New York City to Washington, DC to represent their communities at the nation’s largest annual bicycle advocacy event, the National Bike Summit on March 3, 2014. WE are so pleased to be supported by WomanTours, Bicycle Times Magazine and Transportation Alternatives. For more about the ride, check out our fundraising page HERE! Now that you have gotten to know who we are, learn more about us and our process. WE will be rolling out a series of guest posts from our riders and sponsors. Ayesha takes us through her expansive bike stable, including the bike she’s using for #WEbiketodc  I love all my bicycles , they serve four very different purposes. Here’s the breakdown of why I find it beneficial to own these four very different machines customized just for me!

Beater Bike (Albert)

My beater bike is the bike I’m not afraid to lock up in the streets of New York City (extra securely, of course). I find a single speed to be the best choice for my commuting purposes. Single speeds are very minimal, so there aren’t too many things that can break. This keeps maintenance costs very low. This particular bike has a “flip-flop” rear hub. That means I can set up my wheel to either coast with a free-wheel or never coast with a fixed cog. Currently, I’m rocking the fixed cog, simply because it’s fun. This means that so long as the bike is moving, so are the pedals. No coasting on a fixed gear bicycle! Since it’s a commuter, I’m still rocking a front brake.   Albert

Touring Bike (Gandalf the Grey)

Bike tours are so much fun. Living and commuting in the city doesn’t lend itself to a lot of open road, sometimes it’s nice to leave town and ride far away. This is the beautiful steed I’ll be riding to DC! He still needs to be outfitted with a rear rack and some panniers, but this Raleigh Port Townsend has been upgraded for both speed and comfort. I’ve upgraded to a Brooks women’s specific saddle and 10-speed ultegra!

Gandalf the Grey

 

Track Bike (Black Dynamite)

This is my hot rod. There is no practical purpose for it, it’s completely out of a need for speed and a desire for flashy things. This is the first bike I built myself. I picked the parts, and put most of them together. I’m very proud of this bike. I took my time and did it right. I think the results are beautiful. It rides like a dream, and without brakes I feel that I am in complete control. I’m pretty sure my mom would have a heart attack if she ever saw me riding through this city on this guy.

Black Dynamite

Road Bike (Eddy Merckx: Mexico Edition)

There are more than a few folks out there who think everyone should own a vintage steel road bike. I don’t know if EVERYONE should, but I certainly see the benefits of it. The nice thing about a roadbike is that you can go long distances, and not feel completely and utterly exhausted by hills. NYC is relatively flat, but once you leave the city, you’re going to want to take advantage of shifting up and down to keep a consistent cadence while you ride. I plan on participating in both track and road racing in the upcoming seasons. It’s such a thrill going as fast as this bike permits me to. Nothing quite like it.

Freddy Merckxury