Bicycling to work in this city was once an act of near lunacy reserved for couriers, ped-cabbies, and delivery boys. That was before the Bloomberg administration went on a bike-lane spree, doubling the number of car-free lanes (there are now 200 miles’ worth) since 2005. Then, last July, the City Council passed the Bicycle Access Law, which will force landlords to allow bikes into office buildings starting in December. The law clears one major hurdle to making a two-wheeled commute less of an ordeal, but others remain: avoiding rogue car doors, for instance, or persuading your boss to let you park in the conference room. We’ve addressed those matters on the following pages, and gathered safety tips from veteran riders, good-looking products to carry, and words of inspiration from a guy who commutes 44 miles from upstate.

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• Archive: “Guides”
• Table of Contents: Oct 12, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!