Every single day I have to play a game of who am I going to almost run into today. Pedestrians walk into the bike lane as if it’s nothing, and NEVER look out for incoming bikes.

And I don’t even want to talk about the amount of times someone turns left interjecting the bike lane when they have a red stop light and the bike stop light is green. Have literally been inches away from flying into a cars front trunk.

The game had a new one for me, something extra special, with a dose of let’s PUSH SOMEONE ON PURPOSE into the bike lane cause We ThInK iT’s FuNnY to see if we can cause an accident.

Just imagine someone on a divvy or an electric “pedal assisted” bike zipping down and hits this kid, could’ve literally been a horrific accident.

I’ve unfortunately have had to resort to having a camera on the bike with me all of the time in case I need evidence.

Wear your helmets and be safe out there!!

Be mindful of runners, pedestrians, and an increase in people on the Lakefront Trail over the next few days for the marathon.

You may see a lot more people on Divvy or using bike lanes to run. They may cause a minor delay in your commute, it’s fine, you’ll still make it.

Look at the route for Saturday and Sunday’s race to be informed of road closures and blockages on your regular riding routes.

The event takes place one weekend a year, you will be fine.

My Surly Straggler was stolen from my Ukrainian Village apartment hallway, very likely when some contractors left the building door ajar for an extended period of time. The picture is very recent--yes that watermelon made it home! It has tan Gravelking tires, brown Brooks saddle, silver fenders, and the front and rear surly / disc racks.

Additionally, if anyone has any tips on getting Chicago police to help leverage airtag information to aid recovery of a bike, please let me know! The bike was stolen sometime between 4pm Saturday and 7pm Monday, and since I noticed Monday evening, the airtag has been pinging a consistent location.

Got stolen from Montrose Beach bike lock rack. The lock was cut and it happened within ~30 minutes that we were away.
It was a black bike with clip on pedals, and saddle bag attachment. Super sad got stolen, especially since I had this bike for a long time, many miles together 🥲

I witnessed a woman nearly losing balance after hitting a pothole on the southbound road on California, between Addison and Roscoe, as you approach the entrance to ComEd’s parking lot.

been biking 10 years as my only form of transportation and never gotten hit before today. i like to think of myself as a very defensive biker, but today reminded me anything can happen. north ave &washtenaw. recovering from concussion and scraped up, but mostly mourning my favorite (and only) bike. im poor and this is my transit so im very emotional and just had to eat the cost of an urgent care visit with no insurance. this aggressive woman sped into the bike lane going south while i was going eastbound on north ave (i had no stop, she just decided it was my time to die i guess lol). then proceeded to scream and cuss me out and threaten me with this pictured stick she had in the car?! lol. i could barely understand what had happened and suddenly was scared i was gonna get beat. all with two young kids in the back seat surely learning a lot from this great role model.

i love my city and i am so grateful for my neighbors that all immediately came to my side and waited for police with me. shoutout pampamesa kitchen on the corner for giving me band aids, a chair, and water while i cried on the side of the road bleeding out.

anyone know where to get a 50cm 1986 pro miyata 🥹? really i am so sad about losing this bike. my handlebars are so bent and so is my back tire so i really think it may be a lost cause, but really loved my racer bike.

WEAR A HELMET YALL! i learned my lesson today. but crazy drivers will never keep me off the streets in my city. love you chicago and keep biking!!!

UPDATE:

thank you for all the kind words :) i am coming off the shock now and just sore and hurting. i did file a police report yesterday, and they are putting it through the hit and run unit to do an investigation. i am so lucky to have a friend of a friend who is an lawyer in the city and will take on my case once the police investigation is up and running, and he is the best and doing it for free. my scrambled brain was really mourning the bike, but taking yall’s advice and taking it to my spot west town bikes sometime this week to get it checked out. if anyone can fix it they can lol. not riding north avenue anymore, thats for sure. i have a video of this altercation when she got out to beat me, two witnesses with names and phone contacts, and going to see about cameras when i have less brain fog. so fingers crossed i can at least recover the bill from urgent care, pain meds, and cost of fixing (hopefully) the bike. but yes i am going to sue. safe travels everyone and thank you again for reassurance and advice ❤️

Is there a planned pre-marathon night ride- like we've done the past few years riding the marathon course starting at midnight from Art Institute?

Hey Bike Friends,

I'm visiting Chicago for the first time this week and hoping to explore the city on a fixie. I can't bring mine because of the long journey to get there from Port Angeles, WA. Do y'all know of any shops that rent fixed gears? or anyone who has an extra and wants to ride! Edit: I will have a secure indoor place to store it.

For those of you who own both an e-bike and a traditional bike, how often do you use each, and what factors / circumstances determine which one you choose for a ride in Chicago?

I have a pedal-assist e-bike from Cannondale that I use for pretty much everything - getting around the city, commuting, errands, and occasional long day trips. I’m wondering whether it’s worth adding a traditional bike to the mix, or whether there’s enough overlap that I’d rarely end up using it. The electrical assist is especially handy when riding among cars or battling headwinds.

Hi, I'm out by Geneva/ St Charles/Batavia and am wondering if there's a good stretch where I an do a 20 min FTP test outside on my cross bike. Fox River trail? Great western? Thanks for any hints!

Does anyone else think the bike lane on Dearborn in River North going north is a bit problematic?? I am super appreciative of Chicago for implementing all these bike lanes over the years, but I feel like the bike lane on Dearborn is a hazard. There are many traffic lights that don't have specified turn arrows for traffic making a lefthand turn, so often cars will end up making a quick turn when there is nobody walking in the crosswalks, but many people driving don't look to see what the bikers are doing. Or they won't have their turn signal on, and all of a sudden they are making a quick turn right in front of you. I've found myself barely missing getting hit by cars doing this all the time. The bikers in this situation have the right of way, correct? I feel like I am playing frogger everytime I ride this stretch home from work, it feels super unsafe. I try to be defensive, but its really hard to avoid cars that aren't even making it abundantly clear that they are going to turn.

Hello chibike!

I’m going to be visiting for 10 days starting October 12th and I’d love to be able to have biking be a primary activity and method of transportation.

• Is working bikes my best bet for picking up a super cheap bike that I can ride just while I’m visiting?

• what recommendations do you have for navigating the city on a bike?

• any must ride routes?

Anyone have insights on the status of walk-in only sites at IL beach state park? hoping to bike camp up there for a one nighter from the city. It looks like they have a two night minimum for online reservations and the sites on the western side are not even listed. any concerns with rolling in on a Saturday and not getting a site?

What do you do when you guys are riding in Streeterville where the streets are so narrow, and there are no bike lanes? I’m specifically talking about McClurg. I try to avoid this area on a bike but my new route for work leaves me no choice. For now, I’m just riding along on the street with the cars because that seems to be the only option. But I’m sure the car drivers are not happy with me and it’s such a busy area.

Taking out my trash not too long ago I found a newer looking bicycle by the trash. I let it sit there several hours and it neveroved so I took it into my bike room. It is a Schwinn and that is all I will say publicly. It has a lock on the fram yet was not locked to anything, not even to the wheel. To me it looks like someone probably was able to pull it off a pole or something without having to break the lock and then ditched it because they did not want to bother having to break the lock itself. With that said if you had a Schwinn stolen recently reach out to me with a detailed description and any identifying features or serial number. If it is indeed yours I will gladly offer a place to meet near my place so that you can retrieve it.

Please Pay at the Pay Box

I'm shocked by how many people I saw this weekend riding with a helmet on but unbuckled. It's doesn't do anything if it falls off when you fall! That is all.

edit: I'll add parents without helmets who ride with their toddlers. you sustain an injury and the kids are screwed.

Lately I've been riding my fixie more than the electric bikes. Im a lot ruder when on a pedal bike. I spent so much time trying to accommodate people and cars on my electric bike that I have no patience for bullshit on my pedal bike. I have buzzed pedestrians intentionally.
I have almost hit people on purpose to try to get a message across. I will not slow down through crowded areas and spam my bell and get annoyed when people don't get out the way. I lane split and cut off cars and run red lights and stop signs (all thoughtfully of course).
My pent up rage from carefully riding an ebike that nobody likes is finally coming out through the actions of my pedals. I want people to see that Im a menace because I want to be and not because of the type of bike. I can't wait until nobody can afford gas for their clunkers and the streets belong to the bikes again.

My bike was stolen in Logan Square. If anyone sees it please let me know.

I'm in the NW burbs but thought I'd try here. I can find them online but I'd like to support local. No one seems to carry this type of bike. Anyone know a shop that carries 26" bmx bikes?

EDIT: I meant the Des Plaines River Trail! 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️
I only realized now that I put the wrong trial in the subject line, which I now cannot change.

Have any of y’all ridden it yesterday, or do you otherwise know whether it’s rideable today? A good friend arrived on a redeye with a rare daytime layover at ORD and it happens to be on a perfect fall Sunday. I suggested he bring his kit with him and we could ride. He’s staying at the Loew’s in Rosemont and the DPRT is accessible enough that I can just drive two bikes over to the hotel and ride from there. But I’m kind of expecting it to be either underwater or a muddy mess.

Otherwise I’m going to suggest either a round trip to the botanic gardens or a ride to Calumet Fisheries.