Eight Priority employees loaded up the bikes we usually think of as commuters and cruisers (a 600, a Sauce, an Eight and a Folder) and rode about 45 miles from our Tribeca office up the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. We camped at Croton Point Park and rode home the next morning. No new gear, just the bikes we already ride. The route We rolled out of our office at 174 Hudson Street in Tribeca and headed up the West Side Highway on the Hudson River Greenway (the southern portion of the Empire State Trail) to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. From there we picked up the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail and followed it north all the way to the Old Croton Aqueduct Dam. We camped at Croton Point Park, then rode back to Tribeca in the morning. The West Side pavement is fast and smooth, and the pack flew up it. The aqueduct trail is a different beast: dirt, muddy patches, curbs, a few steep descents, and plenty of bumps. It's the kind of mixed surface that makes you second-guess your tire choice and keeps your eyes peeled for surprises, which made it a perfect test. Want to ride it yourself? Here are our routes: Tribeca to Croton Point Park (via the Old Croton Aqueduct Dam) and Croton Point Park back to Tribeca. Pulling bikes from the hat To keep it fair, we drew our bikes at random. The rule: no buying anything new. Use what you've got and get out the door. Connor, Co-Founder & CMO: the 600. This one used to be Will's commuter, complete with mismatched water bottle cages (no one's stealing that). It had been hanging on the wall for six months. We put air in the tires, stuffed everything into the bag on the front 174 Hudson Portour rack, and that was the whole setup: plenty-wide 650b (27.5") tires, the Pinion gear range, and a dynamo light. It's tough to beat, and the whole group was envious of this rig. The 600 made the most of its bigger tires and wide gear range on the climbs. Having all the weight up front took some getting used to, especially on descents. Of the commuter crew, it had the edge: "No surprise, the 600 was completely well suited for this." Chase, Customer Service Agent: the Sauce (single-speed to fixed-gear conversion). Chase drew the bike they already commute on every day, which felt like cheating. The plan: swap the lock for a water bottle, jam a tent and a change of clothes into the Xtracycle Everyday pannier backpack, and send it. The Sauce did exactly what it does on the daily commute. Trail tires grip well and corner well on dirt, and they're not slow on the road. "It rips, and it goes as hard as you want to go. Technical descents, climbs, whatever. Just push it." Eddie, Head of Product: the Eight. A step-through frame with a rear rack and big panniers. Think commuter overnighter: simple and flexible. The group agreed this was the most balanced setup, with plenty of gears, an even load, and the quickest conversion from commuter to adventure bike. The Eight was a standout. "I could ride that year-round and be totally happy," Eddie said. There was barely a wiggle from the step-through frame, even with big panniers loaded on the back. The lowest gear isn't as low as the Pinion bikes', so the steep hills meant getting out of the saddle. Eddie even took the Eight down a descent the folder had to walk. "This bike has a lot to offer. I would have liked a wider tire on some sections, but then we'd hit the road and it just took off. There's no perfect bike for every scenario, but this checked a lot of boxes." Will, Marketing Director: the 8-speed Folder. This was the bike everyone expected to struggle. Will has commuted on one for months in NYC and rode RAGBRAI alongside Priority family who did the whole thing on folders. The kit: a 174 Hudson front bag, feed bag and fork bag, a fork-mounted water bottle, a Green Guru Duzer bag, shoes, a Priority hat, a tent and a quilt. The backup plan was simple: if it went sideways, fold it up and hop on a train. Easy in, easy out. The folder won the VIP award. It handled curbs and roads, and it was quick: we clocked it at 17 mph. Nothing shook loose, it shifted great, there was no rub, and the fenders stayed aligned. "Eight-speed is great. It was never too little, never too much. I could keep up, I could climb, I did all the climbs." Asked whether that was athleticism or the bike: "Oh, all bike." Camp and the ride home We pulled into Croton Point Park as the sun went down, and the dynamo lights on the 600 clicked on with no batteries to worry about. Fenders meant nobody got sprayed through the muddy spots. In the morning we packed up and rode back to the office in Tribeca. Use what you've got Every bike made it there and back, and no one needed new gear to do it. A bike that sat on a wall for six months, a daily commuter, a step-through and a folder all handled 90-ish miles of pavement and trail with a night of camping in between. The best part: packing for one night is basically the same as packing for three. The setup that got us to the dam and back would work just as well for a few days out, or for taking a train somewhere and riding home. So here's our advice, one more time. Grab the bike you already ride, strap on what you have, and go.