|
Everyone knows it: space is at a premium in New York City. It is a challenge for anyone to fit their belongings into small living quarters, but this may be especially true for one group in particular: cyclists and bike enthusiasts.
Long-time cyclist Jonathan Rabinowitz should know. He has slowly been adding bikes to his collection over the course of his 12 years in New York City.
“With one bike, I used to keep it behind the table in the studio,” said Rabinowitz.
When he added a second bike, he still managed to make room for both in his apartment. But when he got a third, he started putting one in storage.
“That wasn’t very convenient because it was in the storage, not at home,” said Rabinowitz.
Then Rabinowitz moved to a larger apartment with a bigger hallway. There was room to fit a Cycle Tree that can hang multiple bikes. Rabinowitz got a fourth bike, a cargo bike.
While living space may be limited overall in New York City, Washington Heights and Inwood enjoy the benefits of larger apartments, originally built for big families.
Many apartments in Washington Heights and Inwood have large foyers and hallways, something unheard of in other areas of the city. And so for many cyclists, the apartment entranceway becomes a place to keep bikes.
“I have three bikes in the front foyer,” said Maggie Clarke, another long-time cyclist and Inwood Livable Streets member.
“It does clog up the front of the apartment.”
Clarke said that changes in the bikes themselves have benefitted apartment dwellers. Bike frames have become lighter over the years, making it easier to mount them and take them down, and get them in and out of an apartment.
Ozzie Perez, owner of Tread Bike Shop (250 Dyckman St.), said that his store offers a number of solutions to hang bikes in an apartment. He said the wheel mounts are one of the most popular items, running $20 and allowing riders to hang their bike up against a wall so that it takes up less space. Bike storage shelves come in single and two bike models and run between $25 and $50.
According to Perez, bike stands are mostly bought by cyclists. They extend from the floor to the ceiling, and can hang two bikes up against a wall or four bikes if there is room to set it up away from a wall. They range between $130 and $180.
“They have a want to look at their bike. To see it as part of their room,” said Perez.
For those wanting to cut costs, there is always the bike hook, which costs $5 to $10. Perez said these work well for kids’ bikes.
And biking seems to only be increasing in popularity within the neighborhood.
“Cycling has grown in the neighborhood big time,” said Perez. “In the past four years, after we moved, we blew up.”
According to Perez, biking has recently become much bigger in the Latino community. In the past, he said, bikes were thought of more as a kids’ thing.
Bike storage may become even more of a challenge in the winter, when bikes can’t be left outside for as long, and when winter weather makes cleaning necessary for anyone riding and trying to store a bike inside.
Rabinowitz has dealt with the issue of winter storage by keeping his tandem bike at a friend’s house in Brooklyn. He said this solution works for him because it is a longer bike that likely wouldn’t fit on his Cycle Tree, and he only rides that bike in the summer anyway.
However, there are some relatively new options for winter storage within the neighborhood.
As of this past summer, parking garages are now required by law to accept bikes. According to Perez, cyclists had been pushing for the changes but the city also wanted to do it because there are so many cyclists now, and the city is trying to encourage bicycle riding.
But there are a few catches. Garages don’t have to provide the space unless someone asks. And once someone asks, they are allowed to charge whatever they want for the space.
Some neighborhood garages have embraced the change.
Edison ParkFast (3976 10th Ave. at W. 212th St.) provides bike parking for $1/day or $20/month. And Carin Parking (284 Dyckman St., at Henshaw St.) has added a bike rack to its garage.
Another outgrowth of tight-quartered New York City living has been the bike rental industry. Perez began renting bikes out of his store because some people only wanted to go biking occasionally, and they didn’t think they had enough space in their apartment for a bike. Perez charges $8/hour or $30/day to rent a bike. He said that some of his customers have spent enough on renting to have bought a bike by now.
Still, for the avid cyclists, there may be nothing as satisfying as having a bike close at hand and within view.
“If you keep it in the house, you know it’s safe, it’s clean, it’s not going to get smashed into, and the dog’s not going to pee on it,” said Rabinowitz.
“I used to wake up and see my bike and was motivated to get up and into it,” said Rabinowitz. “It was like: ride me now, ride me now.”
|
