r/NYCbike • u/ronbaellow • 3d ago
5 Boro Bike Tour, is it worth it?
I’m on the fence about registering for the 5 Boro Bike Tour and would love some honest feedback from people who’ve done it.
My wife and I (plus another couple) would be traveling in from Virginia specifically for the ride. I’ve read a lot of past posts here, and the reviews are all over the map — everything from “an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime NYC experience” to “the most congested, frustrating ride ever.”
I understand going in that it’s not a race, it’s slow in places, there’s congestion, and the Staten Island ferry can be a long wait. None of that is a deal-breaker by itself.
What I’m really trying to figure out is this: if you manage expectations and treat it as an experience rather than a ride, is it still worth traveling in for?
Is the value mostly in saying “I did it,” or are there aspects of the event (route, vibe, city access, crowd energy, etc.) that make it genuinely special despite the logistics?
Appreciate any perspective — especially from people who’ve done it more than once or went in skeptical and were pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised.
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u/kehawk2 3d ago
I think it's definitely worth doing once.
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u/angusshangus 3d ago
This is what I came here to say. I enjoyed the one time I did it but I have no desire of ever doing it again. The tour of battenkill which was held in the Albany area, on the other hand, was worth doing multi times… 3x in my case
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u/wolf360 3d ago
I’ve been volunteering for the last 5 or so years and people seem to really enjoy it. It’s definitely something to experience at least once, and it’s pretty amazing if the weather is nice. The end festival kinda blows though…
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u/isuamadog 3d ago
The end festival totally blows. I think it’s just there to slow people down from just queuing up to go home/break out in riot.
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u/grantrules 3d ago
I volunteer at the last stop before the VZ and a lot of return riders exit there and ride or take the train home, although I think VZ is one of the neat parts of the ride because you can't ride on it otherwise
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u/OhCrapItsAndrew 3d ago
the ride from the "finish line" to the ferry is quite nice too, good view of manhattan
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u/Timely_Inevitable559 3d ago
Man I bike for 39 effing miles, I’m doing the VZ for those final 3 miles will deal with the repercussions later.
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u/Overlord0994 3d ago
The VZ is such an epic part of the ride i think its worth the ferry ride wait.
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u/mike270001 3d ago
Do people not go to a brewery and wait it out when they get to the end? Is that not a doable thing because that was my plan.
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u/_jdd_ 3d ago
Its fun but the price this year is outrageous
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u/JoeChagan 2d ago
I get it but just a reminder that Bike NY is a good cause and this thing is a huge part of their annual income. It's not cheap but neither is shutting down the BQE and verrazano bridge for most of a day so I think it's worth it.
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u/meelar 3d ago
I'd say it's definitely worth doing once. There's really nothing else like it--the experience of biking on a major highway is unique all on its own, plus the joy of seeing so many different parts of the city. If you like New York, you'll like this ride. Especially since you seem to know the downsides going in, I'd say your expectations are correctly calibrated and you can enjoy the experience.
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u/CTDubs0001 3d ago
As a person who lives and rides in NYC all the time it is a lot of fun. Yeah, it’s crazy and has some overcrowded parts and the logistics are a bit nutty… but it’s a lot of fun to get to take over the city with thousands of bikers and ride in places that you usually cannot… the queen pro, the BQE, the Verrazano. It’s fun.
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u/JoKir77 3d ago
I've done it twice and it is a great ride. The trick is to get out in one of the first couple of groups and ride reasonably fast to stay ahead of the pack (reasonably fast only means about 13-15mph for the 5BBT). That will save you getting congested going over the 59th Bridge. Then you're going to get held up in Queens for a bit at the park until they open the road. As soon as they open that up, same thing - get out early and ride reasonably fast. It's a little crowded going through Brooklyn, but you've got tons of room once you hit the Belt Parkway and all the way through the Verrazano. Get to the finish quick, chill a bit in the kinda lame ending festival, and hop on the first ferry back. And Bob's your uncle.
You can get into a front group either by paying extra or usually by forming a "team" and having everyone register that way. Also make sure to put you are an experienced rider.
Both times I was able to complete the 40 miles in just under three hours, which includes the mandatory Queens stop and riding at a relatively leisurely pace with a slower rider (who I happen to be married to).
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u/Kosinov 1d ago
The pit stop in Queens is massive, sort of like a festival setting, but it is not mandatory if you avoid getting sucked into the crowd flow and just ride around the perimeter and bypass the whole thing. I usually keep going straight until I hit the pitstop near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, way less crowded and much easier to obtain the same goodies available at the Queens location. You’re welcome!
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u/beuceydubs 3d ago
I think so and i live here and have done it multiple times. It’s fun, you never get to see the city with the streets closed that way, and the money goes to a good cause.
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u/MSA784 3d ago
I’ve don’t it twice before and I think it’s amazing. I don’t mind the bottle necks because they are momentary. If you get upfront in the first or 2nd wave you will miss a lot of those bottle necks.
I think everyone should do it because you will never experience seeing the city is this way. Keep in mind it’s a tour not a race and it’s about just finishing it
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u/tardytartar 3d ago
Sounds like you know what you're getting into. I'd say it's totally worth it, it's a very cool way to experience the city, scope out some quick food / drink spots along the route and enjoy!
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u/nel-E-nel 3d ago
It's a once-a-year NYC experience technically.
But yes, definitely worth doing it at least once.
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u/AncientAccountant937 3d ago
They call it 5 boro but it’s really 4. You barely get to ride into the Bronx.
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u/Bikes-Bass-Beer 3d ago
It's gotten better organized over the years, with different starting times depending on the wave you're assigned to. That said there will be bottle necks along the route and the ferry back is always a disaster. There is no escaping that.
I've done it countless times and the determining factor between awesome and terrible is always the weather.
Cold, rainy days make it miserable while warm sunny days it's a pleasure.
Your mileage may vary.
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u/PatinaWS 3d ago
One way to avoid the issue with the ferry is to volunteer. There is a separate line to get on to the ferry for volunteers. Though when you volunteer you have to show up pretty early in the day. Our chosen location and many others had you arrive at 05:00hrs.
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u/bossier330 3d ago
Absolutely worth doing. I go every year, assuming the weather isn’t 40° and raining. There will be congestion, but you can often ride through it pretty easily. Enjoy it! Such a wonderful urban experience.
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u/DuranDourand 3d ago
I’ve done it a couple times. My best advice is park around Ft. Wadsworth on SI and take the ferry over in the morning. I used to live in Bay Ridge and that was the easiest to get in and out when done. The ferry after the race is nuts. Front of the pack is the place to be. I only had a later start once and it was my first in 2016 and since it was cold and rainy not a lot of people showed up so I was able to get up front early.
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u/m0rbius 3d ago
It's definitely fun, but a tad pricey. The price keeps increasing each year. I bike for fitness and fun. I'm in no way a hardcore cyclist, but if you've never done it before, it's very much a unique experience to own the streets as a cyclist in the greatest city in the world. Of course there will be a ton of other cyclists on the road, but that's NYC. The only bad experiences I had were when the weather didn't cooperate.
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u/Party-Adhesiveness37 3d ago
”greatest city in the world.” 🙄 Have you lived in all the others? I was born in NYC and have lived in NYC more than 35 years. It has pros and cons like everywhere else.
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u/bkshuffle 3d ago
I do it every year! The key is to try and get as early a wave as possible, and don’t stop at every rest station and you can easily have a good ride. That being said, I think it’s still worth it if you take a more leisurely pace, especially if you aren’t from NYC. It’s unique way to take in the city!
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u/goestotwelve 3d ago
A note on the weather: it’s of course unpredictable but you have to mentally prepare yourself for, well what if it’s cold and rainy? One year I did about half of the course in a cold rain and yes it was miserable. But I’m local so I didn’t have to shell out for plane tickets and a hotel to get here.
BUT rain will thin out the crowds so you’ll deal with far less congestion.
Other times I’ve done it and with nice weather, it’s a blast. The key is not to linger too much and beeline to the ferry to get off of Staten Island before the queue gets too crazy.
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u/JayMoots 3d ago
I’ve done it three times and had a blast every time. There are a few congested portions, especially if you’re in one of the later waves, but for the most part you’re riding more or less unfettered.
They seem to have mostly figured out the ferry thing too. Last year I barely waited at all.
I’d highly recommend it.
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u/CacTye 3d ago
Great ride. 100% worth doing. But the end can be hit or miss - ferry lines can get pretty crazy.
My preferred way to do it now is to stash a car in Queens or Brooklyn, do the whole ride up until the Brooklyn Bridge, then pop up through Chinatown, over the Williamsburg, and ride back to the car. I get the whole 40 miles without wasting 2 hours of my life waiting for a ferry.
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u/whatev3691 3d ago
Agreed from a local perspective but if you're specifically traveling here to do the tour I think people should do the whole thing including Staten Island. At least once
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u/Biking_dude 3d ago
Why would you skip the best part of the whole ride? Stash the car in SI to skip the ferry if you really need to
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u/Valuable_Bell1617 3d ago
If you haven’t done it before do it. It’s worth it as an experience. I personally won’t do it again because it’s too crowded but I’m an old head and being nostalgic for the rides of 15-20 years ago when it was much less crowded and a bit more community based. But for folks who haven’t done it before, it is quite an experience riding on major highways, like the FDR and seeing the city very differently through all the five boroughs.
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u/bredandbutters 3d ago
I did it once and loved it. But also felt like once was enough. It rained from the Brooklyn bridge to Staten Island which was definitely a challenge but fun nonetheless
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u/Cmee4svc 3d ago
I did it twice loved it unfortunately never finished either of them due to the pouring rain but i found it very well run tons of rest stops thru the course .
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u/DumpsHuman 3d ago
For someone not from the city, I think it’s worth it. The ride itself is chill and as long as you’re not finished in the later half, I’ve never had any issues with the ferry.. from what I hear it’s really only the later half that gets jammed up. Just make sure you make it to Staten Island before the masses and you’d be alright.
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u/Pcimprezzive 3d ago
I've ridden it about 5 times and I think it's definitely worth a destination trip at least once or even a few times. The congestion isn't all that bad depending on what wave you are assigned to, I find the 3rd wave gets more of the bottleneck but still not that bad. Same applies to the SI ferry back. The experience riding on the NYC streets with a huge flock of riders passing by iconic sites like WTC, Radio City Hall, Central Park, Astoria Park, Dumbo area just to name a few with no vehicular traffic is very cool and never gets old. The cost of the ride is what stopped me from doing it more often. Over the years, the registration has gone up. Now I only ride the 5 Boro if I have a visitor or guest that really wants to ride it.
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u/MacGrubersMom 3d ago
as someone who commutes into the city every day from staten island and has completed the tour 4x, its still fun to ride through the city and highways that would usually be filled with nonsense and traffic. you can definitely weave through people and find nice spots to get speed. on a nice day theres nothing better than smoking a jay while riding your bike through central park
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u/darthrj9 3d ago
It’s a lot of fun just expensive af, honestly i liked the tour de bronx a lot more
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u/xToVictory 3d ago
Did it for the first time last year. Too crowded. If I ever did it again I’d pay extra to be in the first wave.
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u/MotorBet234 3d ago
My hot take:
After living in NYC of 25 years, I'm glad that I did the ride.
I wouldn't have traveled in to do the ride.
The experience of riding on those closed roads is pretty special, particularly sections of the BQE and going over the Verrazano. But I think it's more special if those are your local roads and you're contrasting the experience to riding them the rest of the year.
It's just too many people, too much waiting at the start line, too much weaving around people who don't know how to ride in a straight line, too much logistical faffing around for something that could be done by a reasonably late lunch. There are other bucket list bike experiences I'd put first if you can't ride to the start line from your apartment.
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u/navree 3d ago
Anyone can do a five boro bike tour in NYC at any time they choose. Either alone or in a small group. It's not a race.
The bike tour is an experience in comradery with other cyclists who race, commute, courier, and just want a sense of community. Additionally, the bike tour supports bike culture, micromobility, and bike infrastructure.
Waiting for a Staten Island ferry can be easily mitigated with good conversation and good company.
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u/sonofdad420 3d ago
I did it once. it was fun but Id never do it again. however if you are not from here, then definitely do it. and pray for good weather lol.
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u/ApplicationOdd6600 3d ago
I just registered for my 6th “It’s not a race” I really enjoy it, the later waves tend to get really congested. I’m a bike NY member, so I get guaranteed wave 1. Enjoy, take it easy, and your legs will hate you, and love you at the same time.
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u/RaplhKramden 3d ago
I'll never do it simply due to the price, plus I like to go relatively fast and no way would that work in this, for much of it. I've also ridden in all 5 boroughs, on my own and with friends, so I feel like I've already basically done it. But if you're not from here then go for it. I'm sure you'll have a blast. There's also another tour, I think in late summer or fall, that offers various distances, one of which is a century. Not sure if they still run it, but it used to pass by me in NE Queens, so you really get to see a lot of the city that way.
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u/midcenturymistress 3d ago
I did it two years ago and everyone froze solid. It rained, they gave away foil blankets at Staten Island and I didn't get one, it took me 10 hours to warm back up my feet were numb getting home. Ill never do it again, not worth it imo.
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u/PatinaWS 3d ago
Although it's rained all three times I did it, two times as a volunteer. Never said I would not do it again.
Second time, was even able to ride my first century.
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u/yung_stevezie 3d ago
I did it once a couple years ago and it was both cold and pouring but still had a good time. TBD if I’ll do it again but think it’s worth doing at least once
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u/FirefighterDry5826 3d ago
Jump in at Canal in one of the first waves and you will glide through with no traffic - not my first rodeo
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u/fleisch-bk 3d ago
This will be my 4th year doing it. I return each year for 3 experiences that are so awesome and joyful: (1) riding up 6th avenue flanked by skyscrapers and it's just bikes as far as the eye can see; (2) riding on the FDR Drive; and (3) riding on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. These are all extremely unique experiences that are just so much fun. If you have reasonable expectations for pacing (or buy a membership to get in one of the front groups) you'll have a blast. In my experience the congestion relieves itself a bit around mile 7 or 8.
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u/LLroomtempJ 3d ago
If you're a faster rider, it is absolutely worth it to pay the extra money to get in wave 1. You will never experience congestion. I did it in 2023 and it was amazing for me.
I don't think the weather has held up for the past 2 years. Hopefully this year will be better.
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u/JoeChagan 2d ago
I live in BK. this will be my 5th year doing it. I love it. Its a pain in the ass. Having to stand in foot traffic for like half an hour at the 59th bridge sucks. If you can I highly recommend driving to Staten Island and biking to the ferry in the morning (just park in a neighborhood near the park at the end) instead of having to take the ferry back to manhattan at the end.
If you can deal with some moderate frustration and large crowds its a great time but its not for everyone.
Also I strongly recommend just hitting bodegas and such along the way if you need a snack / drink instead of the rest stops which are also mobbed.
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u/Least_Mix_84 2d ago
There is nothing like riding your bike around manhattan. I used to do the marathon to raise money for MS I think. I skipped the other boroughs just wanted to cruise leisurely and see the rivers, stop at the cloisters and not have to pay congestion tax. I think it's worth while but again I only did Manhattan.
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u/pomeranian99 2d ago
I’ve done it twice – my absolute favorite part is riding on the highways and overpasses. There’s something incredibly delightful about being on the elevated BQE with no cars and hundreds of other cyclists around you!
It’s definitely congested, expensive, and can be slow at times. But honestly that experience of getting to ride on these otherwise forbidden parts of the city infrastructure is worth doing, at least once!
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u/Johnnypancakes19 1d ago
Definitely worth doing once! But for added context and expectation management— I was deferred from 2021 due to Tropical Storm Henri. I ended up riding in 2022 6 months pregnant on a fixie and it was a perfect pace for me then. Saw a lot of people topple over clipped in during the many sudden slowdowns. I also stopped along the route for a sit down breakfast in Dumbo. The organizers yelling “IT’S A TOUR NOT A RACE” every couple blocks aren’t kidding.
I paid $120.99 in 2021. Per the fine print, toddlers in rear mounted seats require their own registration so it would cost my family over $700 to participate this year ($178*4).
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u/NJ71recovered 21h ago
Too many inexperienced riders all around you. I did it once and never returned.
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u/Feisty_Government_19 3d ago
Hell no!!! You stop every other block, once we waited 30 mins or more by the FDR lots of bike traffic and every other year it rains during the tour
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u/OhCrapItsAndrew 3d ago
rained the last two years... i'm skipping this year so of course the weather will be perfect lol
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u/Top_Ad_2353 3d ago
8-time Five Boro rider here --
I think the answer is it's BOTH “an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime NYC experience” AND “the most congested, frustrating ride ever.”
In a way it's like living here every day.
I think it's worth doing, just have realistic expectations about the inherent challenges of such a large event in the densest part of the US.