Cycling in NJ

[ATL Laura]

I will be visiting my parents in NJ (Union County, exit 135 :) ) for 5 days next week, and I can’t imagine spending that much time off the bike...I’ve become addicted! Do any of the Jersey Girls on TE know of a good place where I can rent a hybrid or road bike and ride in a relatively safe place? It would be great if I could find a place near the beach somewhere between Sandy Hook and Pt. Pleasant.

Thanks!
Laura

[Blueaegis]

Brielle Bike Shop just opened a store in Bradley Beach, (just north of Belmar). I believe they are renting bikes, but probably just Beach Cruisers. The original store in Brielle has lots of high end bikes, but I don't know if they rent. Good luck!

[mimitabby]

let us know what happened when you get back. I am curious too.

[kerrybelle]

Hey Laura,

Check out http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/index.php It's primarily a mtn bike forum, with some roadie content. But, there's a lot of shop owners & employees on there. I'm certain someone would be able to point you in the right direction. The forum is very similar to TE, in that it's very open and helpful community.

Good luck,
Kerry

[NJBikeGal]

I'm a South Jersey girl, so I can't say a whole lot about the north end. however, a lot of bike shops have Demos on the floor that they will loan out for a ride or a day. Even if a shop doesn't "rent" bikes, you can always ask them about Demos. My sponsor shop has a Pinarello Prince that they loan out as a Demo!!

[ATL Laura]

Thanks so much for the great advice! I knew I could count on TE! I’m heading up there tomorrow, and hopefully I will have some time to ride. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

[ATL Laura]

So, I didn’t get a chance to put all of your good advice to use on my trip to NJ, but I have a great excuse! I managed to talk my 22 year old, occasionally employed, somewhat aimless cousin into renting some bikes at that shop in Bradley Beach with me. I picked her up at my grandmothers house and we told grandma where we were going, and she said “why don’t you just ride the old bike in the garage?” Apparently my grandfather had a bike that he would ride around town before he died a few years back, and it has been sitting in the garage just gathering dust. I couldn’t make out who the manufacturer was, knowing my grandfather, he built the entire thing from scrap metal! It has a double crankset, and the chain seemed to be in good condition. I expect that the brake and shifting cables will need to be changed, but they work for now. It needs some new handlebar tape, but that’s a job for a bike shop, I’m not that savvy yet. I was surprised that my cousin was as excited about this find as I was since she hasn’t been on a bicycle since middle school. My grandfather had a ton of bike tools, but no helmets! Bad Grandpa! We lubed the chain and got the bike out in the driveway. My cousin and I went over to Walmart and bought some helmets and spent the day taking turns on the bike around the neighborhood. I taught her about riding in the street and all the rules a cyclist is supposed to follow, and for the first time in a while she seemed happy to have something to do. That was almost a week ago, I’ve talked to her once since then and she has been on the bike almost everyday! I really hope this is something that she grows to love as much as I have. Cycling helped me get through a really rough time in my life (that’s a story for another post), and I hope that she finds the same peace that I did. Who knows, maybe one day she’ll be on this forum asking for racing advice :)

This is a story that I need to share with everyone, I'm going to post it in the open topic forum as well.