people are very hard on the bike infrastructure here (myself included) but there is a decent amount of it, provided you are willing to ride the street to get to it. there is now a PBL between my neighborhood (the heights) and downtown, which has been very welcome and useful, but i have to do a fair amount of street riding before and after it. i dont mind it, but yes you have to be hyper aware as there are some really absent-minded drivers around.

i use jersey cycles in the heights and have enjoyed my experience with them a handful of times for simple jobs/repairs.