Cycling the Erie Canal Transportation Options for You and Your Bike Shuttle A shuttle is available from Albany to Buffalo on Saturday, July 5th for you and your bike for an additional fee of $80. The shuttle will depart from Albany at 10:00 a.m. with a stop for lunch and an approximate arrival time of 4:00 p.m. at the Buffalo Tent City. If you choose this option, you can park your car in Albany (long-term parking available--see Frequently Asked Questions), take the shuttle to Buffalo, and bicycle back to Albany. Spots on the shuttle are limited, so sign up early. Car Rental In order to rent a car in New York State: drivers must be 25+ years of age, have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record; only major credit cards are accepted for payment; 13% sales tax will be added to prices For pick- up in Albany and drop-off in Buffalo   National 800-227-7368 Avis 800-831-284 Hertz 800-654-3131 Budget 800-527-0700 ALBANY 850 Albany Shaker Rd. 518-785-3246 7.7 miles from end of tour 1770 Central Ave. 518-785-3081 10.3 miles from end of tour Crowne Plaza Hotel State & Lodge Sts. 518-434-6911 .5 miles from end of tour CLOSED SUNDAYS Albany Airport 518-783-7771 5.2 miles from end of tour BUFFALO Buffalo Airport 716-634-9220 7.6 miles from beginning of tour Buffalo Airport 716-632-1808 7.6 miles from beginning of tour 4195 Genesee St. 716-632-4774 8 miles from beginning of tour 161 Elmwood Ave. 716-882-5452 3.4 miles from beginning of tour Rail Travel AMTRAK - (800-872-7245) Only certain trains allow a boxed bike and there usually is an additional fee based on weight. Albany AMTRAK- East Street, Rensselaer - About a 10-minute taxi ride (approx. 2.3 miles) from the end of the bike tour. Buffalo AMTRAK - Exchange Street- No baggage service. Specify Exchange Street when you purchase your ticket. About a 15-minute taxi ride (approx. 6 miles) to the start of the bike tour. Buffalo AMTRAK - Depew Station, 55 Dick Road, Cheektowaga - Baggage service available. About a 30-minute taxi ride (approx. 10 miles) to the start of the bike tour. Bus Travel Greyhound - (800-231-2222) You can bring a boxed bike on the bus along with one other "under the bus" piece and one carry-on. Albany Greyhound Bus Terminal - 34 Hamilton Street - About 1/2 mile from end of bike tour. Buffalo NFTA bus terminal - 181 Ellicott Street - About a 10-minute taxi ride (approx. 5.3 miles) from the start of the ride. Air Travel There are a variety of low-cost airlines that fly into and out of both Albany and Buffalo airports. Check out their websites to get a list of the carriers. Albany Airport is located about 10 miles from downtown Albany. Buffalo and Niagara International Airport is 15 miles from downtown Buffalo. US Airways - (800-428-4322) Continental - (800-525-0280) Shipping Your Bike in Advance For a fee (approximately $15.00) the Campus Wheelworks bike shop, about a mile from tour registration in downtown Buffalo, will be accepting bicycles shipped to the shop and will reassemble bicycles for riders. Riders will be responsible for shipping their bikes to the shop and picking up their bikes from the shop on Saturday, July 5 between 10:00am - 6:00pm. You must phone Campus Wheelworks (716-881-3613) to make arrangements and you must attach a special form, which will be posted here in March 2008. All registered riders will receive this form in their Rider Handbook. Advance shipping of your bike is highly recommended. It facilitates bus, train or air travel. Check with your local UPS office or call (800-742-5877) for size and weight specifications and cost of shipping. Free shipping boxes can usually be obtained from a bike shop. Call ahead and ask your bike shop to save two for you. Often a shop will help you with disassembly and packing for a nominal fee. Shipment takes 2-5 days. Ship to: Campus Wheelworks Attn. Cycling the Erie Canal 744 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222 Bike boxes will not be transported to Albany unless Parks & Trails New York is informed that they will be needed for shipping in Albany. Preparing Your Bike for Shipping Bike shipping cartons can be obtained free from a bike shop. Call to ask your local shop about box availability. These cartons are slightly smaller than bike shipping carriers, but they work to protect your bike. Get two boxes and place one inside the other for more protection. Hard cases - Iron Case - Trico at Sports 800-473-7705. Rigid and collapsible boxes Crate Works Greer Systems Also see Packing a Bicycle, by Kaitlin Duck Sherwood, 1994, with some help on the pedal wrenches section from Frank Wortner. With Membership in League of American Bicyclists (1-800-225-0655) or Adventure Cycling (1-800-735-7109), bikes fly free or at reduced fee. Call for details. Restrictions do apply. UPS shipping requirements: Maximum weight is 150 pounds Maximum measurements - 130 inches total (length and girth), 108 inches maximum length allowable UPS recommends placing 2 - 4 inches of packing material around bike to protect contents. Tape duplicate address label inside your box and attach a label on each side of the outside box.   Top  |   Home