citibikers, in pursuit of history

Bikers in Central Park are no surprise to the walking populace. If you find yourself walking around the park in the early morning or late evening, your ears might feel the wind from a peloton of lycra-bound cyclists hurtling through the park – sometimes at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

These cyclists share the same lanes as the CitiBikers; most of whom are idly pedaling through the city, visitors and locals alike. And while one might expect the gray electric variant to be the faster of the two, the e-bike’s 15-mph limit means that with enough willpower, its acoustic brethren may surpass it.

In a somewhat cathartic yet inconspicuous post on r/NYCBike, one user posted their time for the 6.06 mile loop: 21 minutes, 52 seconds ¹.

Moving at 16.6 mph, this one user pushed their CitiBike a whole 1.6 mph faster than the e-bike. Through the Harlem Hill, the strangely large incline on the East side, through it all.

And that was just the start. A few days later, the same user furthered their record to 21:44². Sixteen days ago, the first challenger posted their time: 21:24³.

The record has advanced since then. First came a 21:01 time⁴, then down to 20:53⁵ (citing using the baskets as drop bars), and finally with the help of drafting: 19:45⁶.

This last effort had the bikers going at an average of 18 miles per hour on the 45-pound blue CitiBikes (belovedly dubbed “acoustin” citibikes by the community). To put this in perspective, the average road bike is around 15 to 17 pounds⁷. A quick calculation puts this at 184 watts -- about 2/3 that of a Tour de France cyclist on a normal stage⁸.

Maybe one day I’ll catch one of these guys in action – I’m definitely motivated to at least get close to their times with my normal bike now!

#blogust

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1lusizx/central_park_loop_on_a_blue_citibike_in_22_minutes/
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1m0ia46/central_park_loop_on_a_blue_citi_bike_again_in_8/
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1mbwklp/after_a_few_failed_attempts_ive_finally_beaten/
4. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1mhem1w/new_central_park_loop_classic_citibike_record_2101/
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1miu24n/drop_bars_nah_hands_in_the_basket_new_citibike/
6. https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCbike/comments/1mkvmz9/1945_attempt/
7. https://www.theproscloset.com/blogs/news/the-weight-equation-how-important-is-a-light-bike
8. https://www.alpecincycling.com/en/pro-peloton/from-body-fat-to-power-output-anatomy-of-a-tour-de-france-rider/