Welcome to BRBRbrooklyn! Whether you are pedaling to the shore, the store, your neighbor’s stoop, or back to your own coop, this blog is for you. Bay Ridge Bicycle Routes is an effort raise to awareness within our neighborhood and among civic groups about the activities of bicyclists in Bay Ridge and other nearby communities in southern Brooklyn.

Our neighborhood’s immediate access to the harbor, less congested street traffic, friendly atmosphere, expansive parks and flat terrain (except, of course, for the steep ridge in Bay Ridge!) makes our corner of New York City one of the most fantastic places to ride a bicycle. Whether for transportation, recreation, fun or fitness, cycling is great in Bay Ridge.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Get Ready to Rumble!



Community Board 6 must must have a hidden love for the Spring Classics. The recent article in the Brooklyn Paper reports on their proposal to install rumble strips along the Prospect Park West Bicycle Lane. What a perfect commemoration! The CB6 press office must have coordinated this announcement with upcoming major races such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix. Perhaps early morning viewing parties of the live events can be scheduled along the bike lane!

FYI: how do pro bicyclists deal with cobbles? They go over them at MAXIMUM speed. "The slower you go, the worse it is. You have to go fast to smooth out the bumps," says Fabian Cancellara, a winner at both Flanders and Roubaix.

For expediency, DOT could probably install some dainty EuroCobble, though it would scarcely create a bicycle buzz through the tires. You can give the Eurocobbles a try out on Wall Street.

BRBR welcomes the installation of more cobblestones in Brooklyn. BRBR loves cobbles. The installation could even help to offset the loss of some of the finest uninterrupted lengths of cobblestone in Brooklyn that existed prior to IKEA’s arrival in Red Hook.


Beard Street was nearly a 1/2 mile length of bicycling bliss upon the stones. The Civil War era warehouse in this photo was demolished for the IKEA site and the stones were paved over with smooth asphalt.

And if you don’t believe us about speed over the cobbles, go see it for yourself this Saturday night at the Red Hook Criterium.

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