I'm not very familiar with Long Island (I escape north on the weekends), however, I am thinking of going for 80 to a century into Long Island soon. I see rides upto Caumsett and then a leap into Montauk in the ride library. But nothing in between. Why is that? Are the roads not conducive to riding (even with a fat tire) or nobody has bothered putting them in?
On a related question, what do routes like 25 and 25A on Long Island look like. Are they nice roads or unfriendly highways or...?
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mo
Long Island Riding
Fri, 08/20/2004 - 4:35pm
Mon, 08/23/2004 - 8:45am
#1
Go east Mo
"The further east you go, the nicer it gets. If you have a car and a bike rack, consider driving out. Good starting points include Stony Brook, Manorville, or even Jamesport (near Mattituck).
The North Shore is hilly out to about Riverhead. Past that, the North Fork is beautiful and mostly flat (but usually windy) all the way to Orient Point.
""Chainwheel"""
Fri, 08/20/2004 - 6:43pm
#2
I Love LI
There are some great rides on LI. The roads are decent even on skinny tires. One of the problems with some longer distance rides on the island is that the LIRR is NOT as bike friendly as Metro North. I've ridden as far as Smithtown on the north shore (about 80 miles round trip from my home in Queens), and have used the LIE service road which has VERY light traffic as well as 25 which has moderate traffic once you get out east (Suffolk County). Northern Blvd(25A) can be a little scary traffic wise especially when riding alone. Pick up a Hagstrom map of the island and you can't go too far wrong. One a the best features about Long Island is that it's difficult to get REALLY lost.
Sat, 08/21/2004 - 12:11am
#3
Ramble on ....rose
Between Manhasset and Northport on 25A, there are a few hills which will make riding interesting. This part of the route is mainly tree lined.
This cannot be said for 25 aka Jericho Turnpike. Very Commercial, lots of traffic.
Sat, 08/21/2004 - 7:29pm
#4
Rides on LI
5BBC has a nice ride to Sunken Meadow State Park; you might check their web site.
If the debate is between Jericho Turnpike or 25A, I'd reccommend to toss them both as they are both pretty unpleasant most of the way through Nassau and into Suffolk due to high traffic volume and narrow or poor quality shoulders.
OK, so I cheat by living in Great Neck, but if I want to just motor along, I get on the LIE service road and just ride. The eastbound side is in good shape (now) and the westbound side is rough between Glen Cove Road and Willis Avenue due to the ongoing HOV lane project.
From the LIE, you can also pick up the old Vanderbilt Parkway which is a decent rolling road.
There are a couple of breaks in the service road in both directions which are easily navigated.
If you need further details let me know.
Mon, 08/23/2004 - 11:14am
#5
Long Island Riding
Thanks everyone for the info. Very helpful.
Mo
