I have had the opportunity to do bike tours in many major US cities, and, unfortunately, this was by far the worst. I'm not usually one to give bad reviews, but I felt that my experience was bad enough to warrant one.
1) The office staff were all international. One would think this would be fantastic because it makes them relatable to more people. Unfortunately, that was not the case. They were pushy with amenities, even when we said no. They required we keep a form of ID at the office while we were out on the tour, which I've never seen done before, and they were not very polite to us at all.
2) We took the Brooklyn Bridge bike tour. Typically a tour size is between 5-10 people. We had over 20 on the tour. We could never stay together. In fact, I got separated from the group for a good half hour because I was unable to switch gears properly and was unable to initially make it up the Manhattan bridge. We drove a lot through the city, obviously, and we could not all make it through the numerous stoplights together. Maybe choosing a different path might have been better, because the stoplights were too frequently red and it was ride for a second stop, ride for a second stop the whole time. It was pretty awful.
3) The whole experience of the bike ride was not enjoyable. There was no initial talk about what the tour would be like. The streets were crowded, the bridges were even worse, and it was pretty intense for a person who hasn't ridden in a while. I actually fell because there was too large of a crowd on the Brooklyn bridge, and the bell on my bike was broken. I ended up scrapping up my elbow because of it. Plus, there was no water provided. You had to purchase it for $2. I've never been on a bike tour where 1 bottle of water was not part of the package.
4) Lastly, while our tour guide was quite friendly, there was no real tour given. We rode to several key spots, but she had no voice amplifier, and if you weren't close enough, you couldn't hear a thing she said.
All in all, this tour was not worth the hassle or the money spent. I would not recommend it to anyone until some improvements are made. The only redeeming quality of the tour was a visual we saw of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge against the setting sun and the caring nature of 1, I repeat -only 1, of the office staff on hand that day - that being our tour guide.
For such a strategic city with a lot of international and domestic tourism, they should have a better program already put into place so that an experience like this does not take place. read more