Here is my itinerary for my Empire State Trail ride from Buffalo to NYC. I'm trying to average 60 miles a day on the road give or take. I will be going off route for a couple days for a friend's wedding. I tried to find hotels that were under $120 a night, but it was not easy. Some hotels look decent others are lower end motels. I will be documenting the accommodations during my trip, stay tuned!
Here is a cool map of the Empire State Trail which can give you a sense of the route:
I am not doing the northern route from Albany north to the Quebec border for 3 reasons:
1. It is out of the way for me.
2. Not much money was spent on this section and it's mostly on road, including many truck routes with 18 wheelers next to me with minimal shoulders.
3. I'd have to do it twice because I would bike north from Albany to Rouses Point and then turn around and bike back down to NYC. That being said cycling in Quebec along Route Verte looks like it kicks ass!
Clove Valley - Bike to Poughkeepsie - Lunch in Poughkeepsie - Amtrak to Buffalo (11:43 am to 6:56 pm) - Overnight in Buffalo - Best Western on the Avenue
Being new to multi day bike riding, I needed to purchase a number of add ons to my Cannondale Quick 1 to be ready for my trip from Buffalo to NYC. Here is a list of items I purchased to make my bike road worthy for my journey.
The Cannondale Quick 1 stock tires are 32x700 Schwalbe Lugano. Due to my minimal experience swapping out tires on the road, I wanted something bulletproof that could handle gravel on sections of the Empire State Trail. My friend Matt suggested to research tires at bicyclerollingresistance.com. This site is the world's leading source on bicycle tires. After careful analysis I selected Pirelli Cinturato Velo 35x700 ($79.99) tires. They were rated by Bicycle Rolling Resistance as the #1 tire for puncture resistance. I also was told to pump the tires to 60psi so they work best on gravel/stone dust.
The guys at NYC Bicycles in Manhattan that these are better than Continental Gatorskins.
Saddle -
I tried a 20 mile ride with my Cannodale stock saddle and it hurt my butt tremendously. I put the high rise handlebars on my bike so I looked for a solution for someone who rides at a 60 degree riding position.
A friend suggested I try the Terry Liberator Y saddle ($80). I've gone on a few rides with it so far and it still hurts a bit, but I think my body will adjust. I went back to a bike store recently to inquire about other saddles and the guy convinced me that the Terry is a good one and my butt just has to acclimate. The reviews for this saddle claimed it's one of the most comfortable on the market. The quality seems good.
Hopefully this will liberate my butt from pain
Handlebars -
I prefer to ride in a more upright position (60 degrees) so I had a shop install Sunlite 5" Riser Bar 31.8 ($34.79) handlebars. Most new bikes have a handlebar clamp width of 31.8mm. Many old bikes (like my Fuji single speed) use 25.4 mm. Note: if you change the height of the handlebars you may need to rerun longer cables to your breaks or gearing. I had to do this for one of my break cables, and my homies at Bikeway in Poughkeepsie hooked it up.
Pedals -
While doing research I learned that virtually all stock pedals are shite. Most expensive bikes don't even come with pedals. Stock pedals are cheap plastic sometimes without ball bearings. The Cannondale Quick 1 is no exception. I was flailing between choosing aluminum bike pedals or hardened plastic. After going into a pedal comparison rabbit hole I narrowed down my choices to either plastic Giant Pinner Elite Flat Pedals ($52) 380g aluminum Giant Pinner Pro Flat Pedals ($115) 455g. Most hardened plastic pedals are in the $50-60 price range and most decent aluminum pedals are over $100. I went with plastic because they were a little bit lighter than the aluminum ones I evaluated. You can buy light aluminum pedals but they can get pricey. I was concerned about the durability of the hardened plastic but numerous people assured me quality plastic ones are fine.
Giant Pinner Elite Flat Pedals -- Bigger and Grippier than the stock Cannondale
I like these because depending on the bottle size you can press the metal in or out to fit different bottle sizes
Lock -
The lock selection was limited at the bike store where I purchased my bike and I went with a Kryptonite Keeper 785. I was flailing because it was either that one, or the 4 digit cable locks that are a joke.
After getting the Kryptonite Keeper 785 home I realized how heavy it was (3.5lbs). It would be too little heavy to bring on a trip from Buffalo to NYC. There also was no easy way to attach it to my bike.
Enter SeatyLock. After reading some reviews, I was drawn to the Seatylock's Foldylock Compact ($90) because its a little lighter than the Kryptonite (2.2lbs vs 3.5lbs). The reviews also boasted that you could attach the Seatylock to the top tube of the frame. I was able to successfully attach my SeatyLock compact to the top tube but then the bike didn't fit on my car's bike rack (annoying). I decided to put the bike lock in the front handlebar bag for my trip.
My cousin Nick said I don't need a lock and that if I eat lunch in a cafe I can bring the bike in the cafe to watch it. Considering I'll be biking through parts of Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica and Cohoes, I thought having a lock made a lot of sense.
Saddle Bag -
I got a Cannondale Contain Large ($30) saddle bag which is great for storing things like a spare bike tube, a multitool, and chain lube. It is expandable with and extra zipper which is cool. On one of my first long rides with the bike I put my wallet and keys in there, and the zipper wasn't closed properly. After a pit stop my wallet and all my credit cards flew out onto State Route 55, no bueno. I realized that the saddle bag should just be opened for emergencies and that I would need a handlebar bag for grab and go stuff.
Handlebar Bag -
As I was driving down the road in Dutchess County, I made a new friend, Sid, who happened to be stopped on a bike and we chatted. Sid is a major bikepacking guy. I told him about my trip and he said I absolutely needed a handlebar bag. He suggested I look at Swift Industries, based in Seattle and makes cool stuff.
I came very close to purchasing the Ardea Pack ($150) from Swift Industries. It doubles as a hip/fanny pack, but I was concerned that it might be too small for all my stuff (sunblock, snacks, misc junk), and that its mounting points would be too wide for my hi rise handlebars. Their youtube's of the product is informative.
Enter the California Burrito ($110) by Road Runner. It was rated the #1 handlebar bag on Wirecutter. I generally don't trust Wirecutter but the other reviews for the bag online were also good. It was a little bigger than the Ardea Pack (3.3L vs 2.5L) and had an option of different attachment points on the handlebars. I haven't ridden with it yet but it looks very solid, albeit very expensive ($110). It is made in USA which is cool. Swift's stuff also made in USA.
California Burrito - Tag still on...like a baller
I also came close to getting Road Runner's Western Burrito Bag which is their biggest handlebar bag (5L) but I thought it might be overkill, considering I already will have two 20L panniers on my rear rack.
While I was foaming on bags I also did a deep dive on the 90L Americano by Road Runner. This this is a $380 giant. I want it! It's so big you can fit small people inside.
Phone Case and Attachment -
The Cannondale Quick 1 comes with an intellimount holder and an SP Connect mount attachment. I meant to buy a phone case for the SP Connect system, but I made a mistake and ordered a iPhone 12 Mini Phone Case SPC+ ($36.99) for their new mounting system, SPC+. It's better than the old one because it is a little thinner and has a magnets built in.
I had to then buy the new SPC+ Stem Mount for Cannondale ($10). The holder and phone cover rock. The only caveat is if I want to take a photo while I'm biking, I'm a little concerned about how easy it is to take the phone off and on the mount while I'm biking. Time will tell.
SPC+ Intellimount and SPC+ case
iPhone 12 mini locked and loaded on SPC+ Mount
Multitool -
Mineola Bikes suggested the Giant Toolshed 6 ($17). It's worked well so far for things like readjusting the seat, handlebars, and other bike adjustments. My friend Jeff dissed it because I can't take off links in the chain with that tool. He suggested the Park Tool IB-3 ($33). I'm not there yet.
Kickstand -
My friend Matt said I'd be a huge loser if I have a kickstand on my bike. He said it would "weigh me down". He races with extremely light bikes in France so I took his opinion with a grain of salt.
I don't really care how people think about me so that made it much easier for me to get a kickstand. In fact, Cannondale makes a kickstand designed just for the Quick 1, the Cannondale Si Kickstand ($25). After resisting a kickstand on my previous single speed for for 10 years, I now LOVE having a kickstand on my Quick 1. In fact I am going to get a kickstand for my single speed very soon.
The kickstand also is very good for for multi-day touring where you stop and relax for periods of time. I've had so many times where the bike tips over when you don't have a kickstand. Kickstands rock.
Bell -
After having a tune up at Bikeway in Poughkeepsie, I bought a Sunlite I Love My Bike Bell ($10). Bells are great especially in urban areas so you can alert people who are standing in your way. Kickstand and bell are sort of goofy, but I find them useful.
Pump -
Someone at a bike shop suggested the Cannondale Road Mini Pump ($42) which attaches to the frame.. It can pump Schrader and Presta. It pumps slow but it works. I almost went with the C02 cartridge tube inflators I felt like I could botch it and then be out of luck.
Rear Rack -
Topeak makes great racks for bikes. The one suggested to me for bike touring was the Super Tourist DX 2.0 Disc ($65). I am very happy with it. The Super Tourist DX 2.0 has room for two large panniers either side, and another bag on top. I did not buy any bags for the top but topeak makes some good ones that connect into its Quicktrack mounting system. While the racks are generally elegant design, a lot of Topeak's gear screams MAMIL.
I attached the rack to the seatpost because the frame attachment point config was rubbing against my big legs
Panniers -
For a 12 Day trip from Buffalo to NYC, I had to get bulletproof panniers. Almost all reviews uniformly said the Ortlieb Bike Roller Classic ($200 - pair) were the ones to get. They fit excellent with the Topeak Super Tourist rack. I've ridden with them a few times and they are great. Only caveat is it takes a little while to access your stuff inside the panniers if you need to. That's why i got the handlebar bag for essentials.
For many years my only bike has been a Fuji Declaration, a single speed bike for tooling around urban areas. While living in Brooklyn I took my single speed on some day trips up to Westchester County, but ultimately knew that if I was going to ride the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to New York City, I would need a bike with gears! I did entertain the idea of doing the entire Empire State Trail on my single speed (beast-mode) but a cycling friend said, "Spend some money on a new bike, and spend less later on knee replacement!"
Fuji Declaration - 2011 edition - my old stalwart urban commuter bike
Budget for a bike was around $2000. The first decision was whether to get a carbon fiber frame or aluminum. Carbon fiber is lighter, faster, more expensive, far more brittle and susceptible to damage. I decided against a carbon fiber bikes because a most carbon fiber bikes are not designed to carry a lot of extra weight for multi day bike trips. Many carbon frames do not have seat stay frame attachment points for rear racks. I also was cautioned that excessive weight on carbon frames can cause them to break. Carbon frames are also much more difficult to repair, especially if you are in rural Western NY on a multi day bike trip!
I like riding more upright so all road bikes with drops handlebars were out of the question. After researching numerous bicycle varieties, I settled on a fitness bike. This is category of bikes (aka hybrids) have flat handlebars, are usually 2x11 (22 speed) or 1x11 gears (11 speed). Most major manufactures are active in this space.
The brands I evaluated were were Fuji, Giant, Trek and Cannondale. I was partial to Fuji because I rode one for many years, but all the shops I went to had no Fuji bikes stocked. The model I wanted to try was the Fuji Absolute 1.3 but couldn't find one anywhere.
Regarding Giant, I tried some of their models in at the Pleasant Valley Bike Shop in Pleasant Valley, NY but didn't think feell good about their quality. Something else that irked me about Giant was they don't reveal the actual weight of their bikes on their website. For example for the FastRoad AR 2 in the specs section it states:
Weight: The most accurate way to determine any bike’s weight is to have your local dealer weigh it for you. Many brands strive to list the lowest possible weight, but in reality weight can vary based on size, finish, hardware and accessories. All our bikes are designed for best-in-class weight and ride quality.
What exactly are you hiding Giant? Every other bike company tells you the weight of their models!
Regarding Trek, I had a great experience talking with the manager of a Trek Store on W. 47th st in Manhattan. She explained the difference between carbon fiber and aluminum and showed me both the FX 3 Disc ($999.99) and the FX 4 Sport ($1,499.99). Their FX line goes up to FX 5 and FX 6 but those models were way outside my price range. The FX 4 is carbon and I eventually decided against this one because of its limitations on carrying gear. The carbon frame did not have seat stay rear attachment points and only one water bottle holder (albeit 3 lbs lighter than the FX 3). While the FX 3 was a little heavier it felt better for my multi day touring needs.
After hemming and hawing about the FX 3 and nearly ready to purchase it, a cycling swami friend of mine suggested I look at Cannondale, specifically the Quick 1. The Quick 1 is the top of the line in their Quick Series of fitness bikes. It retails for $1,625, but was on sale for $1,225. What drew me to this model were the following features: the 2x11 gearing, the shimano 105 groupset, and its 23.4 lb weight. Compared to the Trek (1x11 gearing, Shimano Deore M4100 groupset, and 25.88 lb weight), it seemed like a much better deal for a similar price. The Shimano 105 gearing is more for road riding and the Deore is more for mountain biking, and the 22 speed gave me more flexibility than the 11 speed.
I ended up buying the Quick 1, although with a few caveats about the purchasing experience. The Cannondale website shows you which bike stores have the model in stock. I found this out the hard way...THIS IS NOT ACCURATE.
bike availability may not be accurate - call shops ahead and ask for your size!
I saw that Bicycles NYC on the Upper East Side of Manhattan had the Quick 1 in the XL size for me (I'm 6'4") and when I arrived they said they didn't have that model in my size. I thought the people working there were awesome and I was disappointed I couldn't buy it from them, but there was a lead time to order the bike and I needed it very quickly.
The only other shop in the NY Metro area that had the Cannondale Quick 1 in the XL size was Mineola Bicycle on Long Island. Don't be fooled by the fact they also sell lawnmowers. They have a great selection of bikes for many types of users. After a number of back and forth conversations and emails with the manager Barry, I purchased the Quick 1 from them and have been very pleased. He was a pleasure to do business with.
Barry the Mineola Bike manager wheeling my new hog through mechanic area -- all around awesome people
