I'm conflicted on how to rate this tour so I'll share an overview of my experience. First, let me explain that if you are doing the Brooklyn tour their office is in a storage unit. To further confuse matters the storage unit bldg is deep in renovations so there aren't any signs to help you figure out where you are at. It literally seems like you are walking onto a construction site paired with a construction crew. I arrived at 10:20, 40-minutes early (30 was recommended in booking process) to have time to be fitted for the bike, etc. and was hoping to stop nearby beforehand to grab a snack and water, unfortunately this is a pretty dismal part of town and nothing is close so do yourself a favor by making a stop in another area beforehand if you need anything. Also, bike fittings in my case consisted of being handed 2 different bikes and asked which one worked better, told to pick out my helmet and go outside. I stood outside for 30 minutes on a particularly windy day and was joined by my guide about half way through my wait. I asked if there was anyone else coming and he stated we were waiting on one other. The best word to describe my guide was aloof, didn't introduce himself or go over anything beforehand, didn't ask me my name or anything about why I was there. I took it upon myself to bring up a few things while we were waiting like the fact I haven't been on a bike in years and was visiting this area for the first time, and needed to get water still, but didn't get much in return except that we could grab water along the way. Once he saw that I had a GoPro he perked up a little and helped me mount the GoPro to my handlebars, which was pretty cool. Later on he even setup his 360 fusion to the handle bar mount and let me record our ride through the park, said he would send me the footage that night (8/26) but I've never received it.
The other guy never showed so we took off on the bikes a few minutes after 11.
Since I was the only one on the tour there was a redeeming aspect in that I got a "more" personalized tour. On the other hand I felt it was super informal as a result. Immediately I was pacing well behind him and I realized I didn't remember how to use gears. I was shouting at him to help and he shouted back... I figured it out as I was riding on a busy street! About 15 minutes into the tour we stopped at Fort Greene park and he informed me that he forgot to lock up the unit and had to go back. So I waited in the park about 20 minutes by myself with no way to reach him until he returned. He apologized and said he'd buy me a beer to make up for it.
The tour itself was very comprehensive (definitely enough for a rookie like me!) and we even made a stop to Whole Foods/Gotham Greens Farm (not included in the tour) after telling him what I did for a living, which was thoughtful. Also, while in Prospect Park the guide, Bryan (I learned his name there as he ran into a friend who said it) was nice enough to treat me to a taco and water from a food stand after I mentioned still needing water! And he still bought me a beer at the brewery we stopped at. I bought my own pie at the Key Lime Pie place, and the chocolate samples at Raaka are unlimited ;) and very tasty.
Most of the trip I was pacing behind Bryan, which didn't make sense considering I was the only one on the tour and he said I could set the pace, which evidently never happened. I had to let him know I was fading at HOUR 5... yes, you're reading that right. He informed me that he'd lost track of time and the bldg where their storage unit was had closed...so he said we'd need to take a ferry to the Manhattan office and return the bikes there. So it was cool that I got to experience the ferry, not so cool that it was late, I was exhausted and was now in Manhattan. He did inform me that I could take the ferry from Manhattan back to Astoria which I did and it was nice. It was just late when I arrived in Astoria as the ferry ride takes some time, and I was super hungry and thirsty!
So you can see why I'm conflicted. In some aspects the guide was thoughtful but then in other slightly inconsiderate, and still very spacey/unorganized. I would have expected the tour guide to introduce themselves, do an overview of our tour, make sure I was comfortable on the bike before leaving, and to be accommodating. I chose this tour based on reviews but seemed to have a different type of experience than what is normal. Based on my experience alone I would not recommend the tour with Bryan, but the tour obviously has potential!