A friendly cycling community in the beautiful city of Chicago.

Hey! I’m hoping anyone is willing to share their experiences biking from Chicago to Starved Rock, and hopefully give me insight on the route they took to get there. I am hoping to do a bit of bike packing this Spring/Summer and that is one of my goal destinations. Trails preferably.

Thanks

Hey everyone! I’m a junior at UIC, and I’ll be starting a cycling club at UIC this semester! We’re still shaping things up, but the club will focus on three main activities: Metra day trips, volunteering events, and workshops.

•       Metra day trips – We’ll take the Metra together to explore nearby forest preserves and other  scenic locations by bike. Turns out the Forest Preserves of Cook County is the largest in the US. 

•	Volunteering – We’ll collaborate with cycling-related charities and Chicago bike advocacy groups to give back and grow community.

•	Workshops – We’ll cover bike maintenance, slow-speed handling skills, and other useful cycling topics.

The club will be low-commitment, with no regular meetings—just 3-5 activities/events per semester. Plus, no club fees or dues!

If you’re go to UIC and are interested, please let me know! If you’re not affiliated with UIC, you may still be able to participate, but I’m still not sure on university’s policies on that.

Lastly, if you have suggestions or ideas, I’d love to hear them!

COME JOIN OUR TEAM ‼️⚡️

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Can you change a bike tire tube? Ever built a wheel before? Are you able to install a front fork? And… most importantly… do you want to make a difference in your community by promoting micro-mobility solutions? ✅

If you (or someone you know) meets these qualifications, we encourage you to join our electrifying team as a bicycle technician! This position will allow you expand your technical skillset, earn competitive pay based on experience, and work in a dynamic & supportive environment. To apply, email your resume to service@electricmovementchicago.com . 

Have any questions regarding the position or application process? Feel free to DM or email us!

You ever pedal hard enough to power the entire Loop, only to realize you're moving at -2 mph because the wind decided today is "make cyclists suffer" day? Forget tailwinds - those are myths. Chicago wind doesn't push you; it judges you. Meanwhile, drivers are cozy in their steel boxes, oblivious. Stay strong, fellow wind warriors. We ride… or at least, we try.

Almost ate it a few times on my way home today (1/31) on the north shore channel trail, tons of black ice! Be careful out there

I was always shy about Milwaukee other than being in the peleton after work and going to points northwest. At least you felt safer in numbers but going on much past Western, I was not a fan.

I have been going north->606->north and avoiding the diagonal of Milwaukee. The other day though it was just too cold and I knew I could not handle going into the wind on the 606 with the temps.

So I chanced Milwaukee and found it delightful. Protected bike lanes, lots of visibility - it is completely a different ride from a few years ago. I give it a solid tier upgrade.

But, for the record, just sayin' fuck 'E' tier Elston. Somehow Elston is not agreed upon as being sketchy in the same way Ashland is and people never mention it.

Stay Warm.

I’m new to ebiking. Was wondering if anyone wears eye protection during the warmer months? I’ve been rocking ski masks since it’s so damn cold. HUGE fan. Was thinking about doing it in summer month, but not sure if anyone else does that?

I am going an unfathomable 18-20mph so there’s always wind in my face… but not quite ski mask justifying?

I was out on my All City biking west on Lawrence. I met up with Eddie around Damen/Lawrence. Eddie was an old school dark grey tinted pickup truck. Traffic was busy. We passed each other a half dozen times or more and cruised across the bridge together. It was romantic. He couldn't keep up with me heading west to Mayfair.

I was caught in the rain! I was heading southeast on Elston needing to turn left on Addison. Momentum kept me moving and I was heading east on Addison. A nice yellow bus flew by me and flashed a turn signal at me. Hey hey! Happy Thursday!

Plus, some much needed traffic calming measures and the option to vote for prioritizing a city-wide cycling network. (https://33rdward.org/2025-voting-participatory-budgeting/)

I have a bike with this type of rack. I can put it on the bus rack with the yellow arm with no issue but the hook rack isnt working with it. Is there a way to secure it with that one? I have bungee cords I could use too. Really need the front rack so I won't be taking it off but it would make life easier to be able to use the bus.

Hey Reddit! First off wanted to thank you all for the mentions and upvotes on that thread about your favorite bike shop. I’ve been a mechanic for years but the brick and mortar shop Igor Does My Bike has only been around for a year… your positivity means the world to me and my team!

As a thank-you, I wanted to invite everyone on the sub to stop by our one year anniversary party this Sunday 2/2 10am-8pm.

I’ve been planning and looking forward to this event for months, you guys.

We’ll have story time games & crafts for kids, one-day-only sales, super coupons, live music (a literal harp in the bike shop), and we’re going to raffle off some prizes from our favorite local Edgewater businesses too.

You can get the full schedule on our website or you can DM me or comment. See you there!

Illinois Vulnerable Road Users

Lots of insights, but here are some of the big ones:

• Most deadly crashes happen at night
• Most deadly crashes involve a SUV or Pickup
• Pulaski is crazy deadly
• There's a callout in the text that they got a lot of feedback from cyclists on the label map back in '23, and they took that into consideration, so good job to all the people posting about the VRUSA back then.

Anybody know who's got a seat post puller around town. I've been beating the hell out of this thing and before It heads to working bikes I'd like to get the post free.

Spread the wealth

My HOA is looking to invest in better bike storage. Does anyone know where we can buy inverted-u racks locally? Would like to save on shipping if possible. Thanks!

My new years resolution for 2023 was to bike 320 miles every month of the year. Goal accomplished.

My new years resolution for 2024 was No Obligations. I came up short of 5,000 miles in 2023. I cycled 5,100 miles in 2024.

2025: I am tired of clicking start/stop. I stopped recording rides on Strava. I feel lucky to be healthy and fit. I love biking the city. My new years resolution for 2025 is to cycle Lawrence/Elston to Lawrence/Broadway twenty-five times.

Really pushing this old Schwinn to the limits but once I got to there I was too hardheaded to turn around and go home. Riding on the ice is so fun I was going real slow. It’s mostly dry but definitely some stretches of icy terrain. A winter wonderland I even got up close to a big ass deer.

And my heart is full looking out my window seeing everyone using the new concrete protected bike lanes on Division Street. The project isn't even done yet but I've seen so many people using it.

It took Division from 4 lanes down to 2. Very awesome that folks can bike on a stretch where cars would historically go 50+ MPH.

Was a nice day to hit the trail but that segment still had a lot of snow and ice. Didn't want to risk it on a slanted trail so I just walked it.

And not to be raging feminist on Reddit dot com, but you know it happens, and if you don't then you're probably a guy. I am honestly exhausted of going into a bike shop and getting condescended to.

I try really hard to shop local and I'd really prefer my regular bike maintenance money went toward a Chicago business owner, but I've tried several of the local shops and left each of them feeling uncomfortable and angry. I've even tried to search out the ones that project a certain vibe, iykwim, and it hasn't helped.

I'm in Wicker/Bucktown, and so far these guys have let me down:

• BFF Bikes: the owner yelled at me in front of their customers and coworkers and told me that they only sell good bikes to good people
• Comrade Cycles: he refused to take me seriously until my male partner walked in and said exactly what I said to him
• Big City Bikes: when I brought up questions I had about the security of those collapsing chain locks he shut me down completely and told me I didn't know what I was talking about

I own two bikes. I cycle to work most of the year. Help a girl out.

I'd prefer a shop in the Wicker / West Town area just because it would be a pain in the ass to get an unrideable bike anywhere else, but I'm open to farther afield if necessary.

I occasionally scroll r/NYCBike and there are several posts about getting tickets. I couldn't imagine that happening in Chicago.

I'd really like to try out an ebike before I purchase one and my regular bike shop doesn't sell ebikes. I live in a north suburb and was wondering where people recommend around the area. Thanks!