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.

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.

And, this Free Bike Day will be bigger and better than ever, as visitors will be able to borrow free bikes from Bike and Roll’s Pershing Hall and Colonels Row. So grab a free bike and explore the Island on Sunday!” [via GovIslandBlog]

For a shop such as his which specializes in service I can see why bringing in people who are shopping for a deal doesn’t make sense. These people can find deals online. For those who are looking for advice and a friendly face, there is the local bike shop. The fact that Joe writes about his experiences opening a store and reaches out to the community adds something to your buying experience that you can’t get online.

When I was first starting out, Recycle a Bicycle gave me some great advice about fixing up my beater bike which saved me a bunch of money. Ride Brooklyn and 9th St Cycles have been super helpful and friendly along the way. The reputation that precedes bike shops for being snobby and grumpy seems to be fading. Well that is unless you are R & A Cycles.

I have found that sometimes shops do mess up or dismiss my knowledge, but it’s the shops that try to make it right that win me over. Take Bike Habitat for example. They wrote on their website that my first flat would be on them but when I went into the store, one of the employees told me not to believe everything I see on the internet. I tweeted about it and they apologized and made it right. They’ve been super supportive and helpful ever since.  I had a similar experience with Brooklyn Bike and Board and they also fixed the issue right away.

Sometimes shops try to do it right but still rub me the wrong way. Take Bowery Lane Bikes for example. Yesterday there was a tweet on #bikenyc.

It seems that they were trying to make it right but were overwhelmed with the response to their model call. And so they messed up. Do women who are upset about your model call appreciate your poor taste in humor? Not so much. They have potentially lost a handful of customers in this interchange.

All this is to say support your local bike shop if they make you warm and fuzzy or at least treat you right! Amazon can only do so much.

You will want to think about speed, cost and durability when looking for a new city tire. Most people complain about rolling resistance with durable tires but in a city full of potholes, I personally am not so concerned with speed on my commuter bike. Durability and cost however are my top priorities.

Specialized Armadillos and Continental Gatorskins are always at the top of the urban tire recommendations but are a bit overpriced as you pay for the brand name in my opinion. I turned to the #bikenyc Twitter community once again for recommendations to see what else they had to say.

1. Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Supreme $37.11-51.65/tire – (pictured above) The other most commonly recommended city tire. I currently run the green-guard version on my commuter bike and have been loving them for the past month. I know the Paris Velib bike share uses these as well.

“Schwalbe used to make Stelvio Plus, my faves. Now it’s their Marathon Plus.” @jimdyer

“Loving Schw. Marathon Supremes. Far better than regular Marathon.” @bespokecycles

2. Continental Grand Prix 4000 or Four Seasons – $58-74.99

“Conti GP 4000 or 4 seasons….Armadillos for maximum puncture resistance, but bear to change if you do flat.@billytall

3. Michelin Krylions and Pilot City -$36.45-59.99

“I still stick w/ my Michelin Krylions, haven’t had a flat on them in 2 years & they have much better road feel than contis” @jefflegasa

“Michelin Pilot City. Not the lightest; but no flats since I installed in October. Pick 1/4″ glass shards out regularly.” @marcuswoollen

4. Vittoria Randonneur Pro - $31.99

“Vittoria randoneur w/reflective sidewalls. they are quite tough and very visible at night” @danaflops

5. Maxxis Refuse - $28.42-53.18

“ would say maxxis refuse are the toughest i’ve used. not great on skids if you ride fixed though.” @dpatrick1a

Did I miss your recommendation? Add it in the comments below!

Our pizza stops in order were to be…

1. Joe & Pat’s – Staten Island
2. Roberta’s – Brooklyn
3. John’s – Queens
4. Golden Pizza – Bronx
5. Patsy’s – Manhattan/Harlem

But as things happen, John’s was closed, we detoured to Astoria and then headed to Certe in Manhattan instead. Overall it was a lot of fun and Joe and Pat’s vodka pizza slice stole the show. Staten Island is on my radar now.

A big thanks to Jeff for organizing and look for a collaboration ride coming in the future….I hope! You can also check out his website for his other food tours. Our route is below.

the winner

a map of our tour. click to see route and details.

Photo credits courtesy of Jeff. Check out Flickr for more.

This ride was particularity fun because of a giant Bob Marley flag, a boombox and the lovely mix of people who came along. If you missed this ride Time-Up leads one to the beach about every month. You can check out their Facebook page or site for more details. Scroll down for the map and route.

riding down through Prospect Park

bike supported picnic

fun crew reaches the beach

We took a slightly different route through Victorian Flatbush but if you are looking for segregated bike paths, taking the route below is your best bet.

route to Ft. Tilden. watch out for unpaved road on the greenway as you approach Flatbush. click for the google map.

First photo courtesy of Julian Silva, second Times-Up. Thanks!