Also! We have a new ride to Red Hook and Performa 11 this Saturday, Nov 12th. Come join!

Nite Ize Spokelit Bicycle Light, $7-8 

Simple and bright, these lights attach to your spokes and light your wheels green or red. They come in a strobe or solid function, are easy to install and increase your side visibility.

Monkey Light Bike Light, $59.99

You might have heard of these guys from their Kickstarter project. These 23 LED lights and display full color 8-bit graphics on your spinning bike wheel. They are programmable and allow for you to select different colors and patterns. Looks for a product review coming soon!

LED Flash Tyre Wheel Valve Cap, $4-5

These LEDs which screw into your bicycle valves are the most economical choice. They come in blue, pink, yellow and green. Be sure you have Schrader valves or the won’t attach. They are cheap and the accelerometer can be spotty at times.

The itinerary included:

1. Los Hermanos – Bushwick
2. El Globo – Corona, Queens
3. Roosevelt Ave Taco Trucks
4. Acapulco - Greenpoint
5. Tulchingo Deli IV – Sunset Park
6. After party @ DeKalb Market

We didn’t make it to the last two due to time but opted to grab a beer and tacos at the Woods in Williamsburg before heading to DeKalb Market for the after party. The boys of the ride loved all the meat tacos at El Globo, recommended by Jeffrey Tastes at the Nixtamal killer. The veggie tacos there were pretty awful though. Overall, Los Hermanos was a group favorite again as well as the trucks on Roosevelt Ave.

Were you on the tour? Which was your favorite?

For more photos check out our Flickr and add to our pool.

Ming taught us a bunch about the history of Chatham square and gave us a very personal look into her life and knowledge of Chinatown. Did you know that Lin Zexu, the leader against the English-Chinese opium trade, statue stands with his back facing Wall St? Ming also intorduced us to her favorite restaurants and even a secret passageway. It was the first of a series of tours so if you didn’t make it out this time, more are in the works!

Also a big thank you to everyone who came out to the #bikenyc meetup on Oct 4th at Red Lantern Cycles! We had a huge turnout, of 40/50ish people, great vibes and one of the best birthdays I’ve had in awhile. Thanks to Brian of Red Lantern for being so awesome, providing the space, tunes and keeping the beer flowing. All of this was made possible by Google Places. Thanks! Until the next one, keep riding. If you have photos, please send! Seems I was too sloshed to take any proper photos.

Next up, Tour de Taco #3 this Sunday, Oct 9th. It is going to be epic.

Tour de Taco 2011 will include five stops through Brooklyn and Queens. It is a fun and causal ride brought to you by three friends who love tacos and bicycles -myself, Emily and Tishon.  This year’s ride will be capped to 75 people. If you show up and we are over the limit you are welcome to ride on your own.

Taco joints (subject to change) include:

• Los Hermanos – Bushwick
• TBD – Sunset Park
• La Esquina – Williamsburg
• El Globo – Corona
• Roosevelt Ave Trucks – Queens
• After party & group reunion @ Dekalb Market

For a pre tour meetup, come say hello at our #bikenyc meetup on Oct 4th @ 7 pm at Red Lantern Bicycles (345 Myrtle). There will be free beer, fun cyclists and your friendly organizers.

We love you but do not take responsibility or liability for you on this ride, so please ride safe!

Photos from our first ever tour are here.

We’ll be meeting up at Red Lantern Bicycles (345 Myrtle Brooklyn NY, 11205), a new cafe & bike shop in Fort Greene started by the guys at Brooklyn Bike and Board. Google Places is sponsoring the happy hour and two $50 gift card giveaways. Details below. A big thanks to both of them!

Enter to win a $50 gift card to Red Lantern Bicycles!

The 10,000 bike system will have 600 stations, and will cost $100 a year to join.  After that, bike usage for the first half hour is free.

Users will be able to check out bikes from any one of the 600 stations, and return them to any other.

Unexpectedly, the stations will range from the Upper West Side to Crown Heights, Brooklyn.  Previously, experts had assumed the system would only cover Manhattan.

It will launch in summer, 2012. [via Transportation Nation]

Here’s my process when I lock my bike on New York City streets.

1. Look for a well lit, medium trafficked spot.

I often find a pole or rack in front of an establishment that has traffic going in and out such as a cafe, deli, restaurant. It also helps if the place has glass windows or outdoor seating. It give the impression that someone could be inside watching their bike.

I say medium traffic here because with so many people running around in a high traffic area, your bike is more likely to get scuffed or damaged. It is also easier for thieves to steal your bike when it is so busy. If you have basket on your bicycle, you will surely become a victim of trash basket!

2. Find a sturdy pole or bike rack.

I’m on the fence about locking to street signs. Often times there is no other choice so if you must, look for a strong pole. I always shake any fixture to see if it’s securely placed in the ground. If you lock to a regular street sign, look at the top to see that the sign is large and still secured to the pole. If not, a thief could throw your bike over the sign or worse, snap the sign in half. Bike racks are always your best bet.

3. Use a proper, heavy duty lock.

A buddy of mine whose bike was stolen on the Upper East Side was using a hardware chain and lock. The links were too easy to break and off went her bike.

In NYC I recommend using no less than a 1/2 in thick u-lock like the Kryptonite Evolution. This is the bare minimum. At $39.98 it’s a bargin for protecting your bike.

If you really want to the best lock, I recommend the Kryptonite New York Standard u-lock (pictured) at $58.11. U-locks are my favorite because I find them easier to carry around than chains. But many of my friends swear by their chain locks – just be sure it’s also a heavy duty one.

 4. Use your lock right!

Always lock your frame and back wheel to your location if possible. Locking your bike through this triangle is the most secure.

If you have wheels, make sure they are not quick release! A thief can make off with these in minutes. You can remove your wheels and lock as pitcured if they are quick release. But for city riding and easy I recommend changing to bolted skeweres or locking your wheels. I have my wheels locked with Pinhead skewers and have had no problems in three years.

5. Take everything extra off your bike.

Remove all your lights, panniers and bags from your bike. If your seat isn’t locked and is nice, consider locking it down. Make sure it isn’t quick release! My seat is locked with an old chain covered in a tube. Your lock bike shop can do this for you for about $10. Bike seat locks are also available.

Hal explains locking better than I ever could. Check out this oldie but goodie from Streetsblog, “Hal Grades Your Bike Locking 3: The Final Warning!”

Anything tips you want to add? Please do so in the comments!

Fast Boy’s story (or rather Ezra of Fast Boy) is a powerful one that I’ve been following for several years. He has been fighting for his life battling colon cancer and has been documenting that experience on his blog. Ezra recently wrote about about a beautiful new cargo bike that he’s been working on called the Nose Bike.

NYC presents an interesting challenge when it comes to cargo bikes.  Theft is bad enough that most people aren’t willing to leave their bikes outside..  And most people don’t have garages!  let alone their very own front door.  I liked the idea of making something with decent cargo capacity that still rode well, and was small/light enough to be able to carry up to your fifth floor walk up!

About a week ago I decided to assert myself a little and get this idea out of my head and on to the road.  It’s not a new idea.  Small front wheel.  Frame mounted rack.  Carrying cargo in the front allows you to keep the wheelbase pretty short since you’re not having to avoid your heels as they pedal.  The frame mounted rack all but completely gets rid of the handling problems usually associated with front loads.  The small front wheel gets that weight nice and low so that the bike isn’t top heavy and doesn’t want to fall over sideways quite so badly! via [FastBoy]

Ezra is taking orders for the Nose Bike now and his bikes go fast so check it out if you are so inclined! More photos here.

yes that is Napoleon on a bike

Hey #bikenyc and worldly readers! Hurricane Irene is forecasted to touch down here in New York City this weekend but I’m not so worried since my house has been deemed a “safe zone.” Hurricane party here on Sunday! For the rest of you huddled up in your houses, I hope you are safe. To make things a little fun this weekend we are giving away two of the following Headline Shirts bike tees.

It’s easy to enter. Just comment and leave your email address below saying, “hey Anita.” You can disguise it all brooklynbybike [at] gmail like if you are worried about bots. You have until the end of tomorrow Saturday, Aug 27 at 11:59pm EST. We’ll add you to our email list and notify you on hurricane day if you’ve won. One winner will be selected from the blog.

For those of you on Twitter, re-tweet this post and make sure you are following us @brooklynbybike and you’ll be entered to win as well. We just crossed 3,000 followers and couldn’t be more excited. One winner will be selected from Twitter.

Cheers and good luck!