Rode the QBB path into Manhattan yesterday around 8:30 for the first time in maybe a month. I know we’ve talked about the construction pinch before, but whatever they did to the barrier on the Queens side seems to have made the merge worse, not better. It’s a full stop-and-wait slot now, and then someone on an e-bike decides the dirt shoulder is a passing lane.

I’m not against people moving faster than me, but can we at least pick a side? You come around that blind curve before the first joint and you’re suddenly face-to-face with a delivery scooter that’s fully in the wrong lane.

So is the south outer path any less stupid right now, or should I just keep hugging the right rail and hoping for the best?

Ohhh this is my exact soapbox!! The Queens-side approach has been a mess since they put up that extra construction fencing — you literally cannot see if someone is coming off the little bypass. They need a mirror at that blind corner, not another SHARE THE PATH sticker.

But the real problem is the expansion joint right before the Manhattan-side downslope! If you hit it at even moderate speed on a Citibike it tries to buck you into the oncoming lane. Have you tried taking the south outer road at this hour? It’s a little longer at the 2nd Ave exit, but the merge near Queens Plaza is way less pinched. I genuinely think it’s 2-3 minutes slower but half the adrenaline.

Wait, QBB is the one with the wooden boards, right? I keep confusing it with the Brooklyn Bridge. I’m new to biking over from the Bronx and only did the Pulaski once. Do you have to dismount on the Queensboro path or do people just ride slow? I want to try it next week but I don’t want to be the person holding up the lane.

No wooden boards, that’s the Brooklyn Bridge tourist trap. QBB is concrete and steel, and no dismount. Just ride slow if you’re a beginner and keep right. Nobody's mad at the person holding up the lane as long as they’re not stopped in the middle taking a picture.

Honestly I’ve stopped taking QBB at 8:30 altogether. If I’m coming from Woodhaven/LIC area, I’ll detour up to 34th Ave and then shoot down 1st Ave. Fewer ebike slaloms, but more mid-block double parkers. Pick your poison.

Have you tried the new flashing beacon by the 1st Ave off-ramp?? It is SO much better now that they aren’t just relying on everyone doing the little head-nod merge. But I am begging people to not stop in the pinch to check their phone!

The south outer path is not the secret hack people think it is, because at 8:45 they’re doing construction staging right around the mid-span. If you time it wrong you get stuck behind a queue of Citibikes all trying to dock at 59th & 1st. But if you don’t mind jumping over to 60th, it’s fine.

Also PSA: the downhill on the Manhattan side has a seam that’s basically a speed bump for 20-inch wheels. Slow down before the expansion joint, not on it!!

The lane line is meaningless on the QBB path because the path isn’t actually wide enough for a full pass in the middle section! With the new concrete barriers it feels even tighter. I was out there three days last week and the Manhattan-bound merge at the Queens end was the worst between 7:45 and 9:15.

But the real nuance people miss is that the expansion joints are directional! If you ride them on the left side, the teeth are offset differently and it’s much less janky. Have you tried sneaking onto the old roadbed section just before the first expansion joint? Please tell me it’s not just me noticing that line.

Yeah, the directional joint thing is real. I stay left side on the north path for exactly that reason. Right rail feels smoother but then you’re in the way of everyone braking for the fence. No good answer.

I tried the south outer path this morning after HudsonYardsHype’s rec. Def fewer mopeds, but that 2nd Ave exit dumps you into a line of garbage trucks on 60th. Felt like a whole different kind of ‘watch your side mirror’ fight. Think I’ll stick with the north path and just take the lane when I need to pass.

YES to the garbage trucks on 60th!! That block is low-key worse than the bridge approach because the protected lane just ends and you’re suddenly in a loading zone.

But can we talk about the new green bike boxes at 59th St? They painted them, but drivers treat it as a right-turn waiting zone. I almost got clipped by a TLC plate who thought the box was a parking spot. Have you tried coming off at 60th instead of 59th? It adds a light but the turn onto 1st is straighter and you aren’t fighting the double-parked Amazon vans.

I ended up doing it this morning! Took the 6 to 59th early and grabbed a classic Citibike, then went over around 9:15. It wasn’t too bad until that blind spot by the fence everyone mentioned. A moped passed me on the right and I didn’t even hear it coming. I stayed right the whole time but still felt in the way on the downhill. Do people ride the brake on the Manhattan side or just coast? I think I burned my palms.

You’ll get the feel. On the downhill, drag the rear brake a little and keep your weight back. Don’t ride the front brake hard over those metal joints. And if you’re on a classic Citibike, the drum brakes get real grabby when they’re cold. No shame in taking the whole lane on that curve by the construction fence so nobody tries to pass you.

But if you’re coming from the Bronx, the Triboro is the real trial by fire. QBB will seem like a bike path paradise after that.