Commuting - Commuting in Chicago?

Commuting in Chicago?

Hi, I’m a long time cyclist (cat 3) who is moving to Chicago in a few weeks. I’ll be starting dental school at UIC and living in Lincoln Park. Would it be possible to commute this distance, and could anyone recommend a place to get a good, cheap commuting bike to start out. I’m currently riding a Lemond Zurich, and have been looking around on ebay, with no luck. Thanks in advance,
Ryan

with your cycling experience there's only one logical choice and that is to go fixed. Chicago is mostly flat, your commute isn't that long, and you'll renew your love of the bike by riding fixed, plus you'll be that much cooler. Stripped of most components and with bolt-on wheels, there's not much to steal so you can leave it anywhere with confidence. You could build your own or head to Yojimbo's Garage and have Marcus do it for you. Fuji makes a decent frame and I understand the Specialized Lancaster's are returning. Don't go pinching grams, use as much steel as possible, you'll want it bomb proof when you hit the railroad tracks or the grated bridges. Performance on Halsted is a supermarket but I've ridden with two of the guys and like their style. Stay away from Village Cycle on Wells unless necessary as the owner is a c*nt (treats her staff like horse meat). Cycle Smithy is pretty good but I don't go there too much. Questions, send me a message.

with your cycling experience there's only one logical choice and that is to go fixed. Chicago is mostly flat, your commute isn't that long, and you'll renew your love of the bike by riding fixed, plus you'll be that much cooler. Stripped of most components and with bolt-on wheels, there's not much to steal so you can leave it anywhere with confidence. You could build your own or head to Yojimbo's Garage and have Marcus do it for you. Fuji makes a decent frame and I understand the Specialized Lancaster's are returning. Don't go pinching grams, use as much steel as possible, you'll want it bomb proof when you hit the railroad tracks or the grated bridges. Performance on Halsted is a supermarket but I've ridden with two of the guys and like their style. Stay away from Village Cycle on Wells unless necessary as the owner is a c*nt (treats her staff like horse meat). Cycle Smithy is pretty good but I don't go there too much. Questions, send me a message.

Thanks for the reply, I sent you an email. Anyone else??

Damn! I just finished my post, and I hit the wrong button and everything disappeared! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Ok, starting over:

Yes, you can commute from Lincoln Park. There are a number of alternatives for you. If you like bike paths and don't mind the foot traffic, the lakefront bike path will work for you. You can take the lakefront to Roosevelt, which is just north of the Museum Campus, and then ride westbound on Roosevelt Road/12th Street to UIC. Be patient with the bikepath- it always thins out after the Lasalle Bank Marathon in October when it gets colder. Other alternatives are:

1) Clark Street south to 12th Street/Roosevelt Road, then right (west) on Roosevelt to UIC. Clark is ok, but there are a lot of buses that stop often, so be aware that it can be congested at times, especially during rush hour.

2) Halsted Street south to 12th Street/Roosevelt Road, that takes you directly into UIC outskirts. Halsted has a bike lane, so if you're up for bike lanes, this could be the street for you.

3) Ashland Aveue south to UIC. Very congested with traffic, but still a good road to take.

4) Damen Ave south to UIC. Not a bad street to take, gets you right into UIC outskirts, and has a bike lane also. There is only 1 bus that goes up and down Damen, so you don't have to fight as many buses as Clark Street. Plus, at Damen, North and Milwaukee intersection, there is a bike shop (Rapid Transit, just a block south of the intersection on North Avenue) with cool folks and an small time feel to it. And there are lots of cheap eats along the way if you ever want to stop for food too!

5) Western Avenue- southbound to UIC (outskirts). I love love love Western Avenue. There are a lot of lanes, and the traffic runs fast. The only caveat is that I've encountered a lot of flats riding Western. I guess they don't keep up the roads well enough, so watch out for the sharp debris!

Those are the ways I can think off offhand, without knowing specifically where in Lincoln Park you're located, but you'll be able to use any of those alternatives, since they're spread around Lincoln Park.

As far as shops, I agree- Village is to be avoided. Kozy's is also a chain that you can avoid too. I haven't been impressed with them. Cycle Smithy on N. Clark is not bad, either. I've used them a few times, but I found one of their mechanics a bit short and sharp with me, so I haven't been back there in a while. Rapid Transit on North Ave. is great- the people are cool, and the service is very good. I go by them whenever I'm in the area (my doctor's office is located nearby). Performance on Halsted and Diversey is good for the cheap parts and accessories- join the Performance membership for the discounts and the member only specials and stuff like that. But I wouldn't go there for service or for bikes. They are strictly for buying stuff like helmets, or cool jerseys or bike lights. Trinkets like that. Mission Bay Multisport is a nice shop out on West Randolph. They have an owner who is kooky fun- I like going there for specialty stuff, and they have a lot of respect for my favorite LBS in town. They have some hard to find stuff, and I like going there from time to time. I've been to Upgrade Cycle Works (on W. Chicago by Chicago and Milwaukee) once- they are a nice group of guys (and 1 gal too), but I don't get out there that often. Try them out for size- good little LBS. And finally, my favorite bike shop is Yojimbo's Garage at 1310 N. Clybourn just north of Division and Clybourn on the west side of the street. It's in a small building with a big red door that you would miss if you didn't know it was there. The owner, Marcus, is a cool guy, and with a membership to the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, you get a 10% discount on services and parts from his store. I faithfully go to his store every time. I get superior service, and much respect from him. And he has used bikes that he sells on consignment. The bikes are in GREAT condition, and they are very reasonably priced. More than once, I've gazed longingly at a bike and had to restrain myself from purchasing it. And he has cool messenger bags too! He would be number one on my list of bike shops to go to for sure! And what's best about his store is that he is open from 8am on weekdays- I hate the other stores hours- usually open from 10am or 11am. That is often too late for me, since I ride early in the mornings, and I usually have my bike problems in the morning. Plus, I like starting my day as early as possible too!

As far as what kind of commuter bike, I say go for whatever floats your boat! I have a Specialized hybrid that works well for the bad weather, especially when I commute in the winter and have to deal with the sleet, snow and salt. Fixies are probably nice, but just get a bike that holds up to the bad weather, and get a bike that you're comfortable with.

If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to PM me. Or even if you're just looking for some great routes to ride. Chicago has a lot of unexpectedly great routes to ride.

Welcome to Chicago!

Koffee

P.S. While I'm thinking about it, since you're into racing, you may want to consider racing in Downers Grove Aug 21st- 22nd at the National Criterium Championships. It's great fun. I go all day for both days! Here's the link for further info: http://www.sportsgrandprix.com/

Koffee

P.S. While I'm thinking about it, since you're into racing, you may want to consider racing in Downers Grove Aug 21st- 22nd at the National Criterium Championships. It's great fun. I go all day for both days! Here's the link for further info: http://www.sportsgrandprix.com/

Koffee

Thanks Koffee, I'll look into all of the shops/routes you reccomended. As for the crit championship, I gave up racing for a while. I'm doing the marathon in oct. so that takes up most of my training time. Thanks again.
Ryan

I would recommend two shops: Upgrade Cyclery on Milwaukee and Chicago Ave AND Performance on Diversey and Halsted. The former is the place where all the messangers go; they got me a great bike for a great price, and it's owned by a pretty cool guy who cares about bikes. The latter is near Illinois Masonic, where I work, and they sometimes have good deals on gear, and the employees are pretty knowledgable.

If you're trying to get from Lincoln park to UIC, depending on where you live in LP, the shortest route is probably Halsted, although the road can get a bit choppy. If you have more time, the Lake Path is pretty fun, although it does get a bit crowded after work.

Again, welcome to Chicago and enjoy your commute!

Upgrade is not too bad- one of the guys who works there knows Marcus at Yojimbo's, and I believe he used to work for Marcus too. I disagree it's where all the messengers go. I think quite a few of them go to Yojimbo's Garage, and some others go to Upgrade. I've sat in the shop and hung for a bit and watched messengers come and go. There's quite a few of them, and actually, that's how I found out about Yojimbo's. A friend of mine became a messenger, and a few months later, I bumped into him, and he told me all about Yojimbo's. I think Upgrade is definitely a nice place, and I like that they hired a woman there, but... they can be pricey!

One last thing- I heard on the news that they are closing down South Clark from Harrison to about 22nd Street for major construction until spring 2005. So Clark will not be an option for you right now, unless you take Clark south to Harrison, then shoot across Harrison west to one of the other streets I told you about, then you can turn left on any of those streets and head south into UIC.

You can also go to www.yourcta.com and download a map or order a bus map if you want. It's the best because it details all the bus routes, so you can see how congested certain streets get. The CTA Bus and Train Map (not the RTA bus and train map, which sucks monkey balls big time because it's missing a lot of the major streets) is the map you'd be looking for.

See ya soon! :)

Koffee

with your cycling experience there's only one logical choice and that is to go fixed.

Fixed wheel bikes are very "in" these days (if I said they were a fad, I'd be called a troll), but there is a reason God invented the free wheel. Actually, there are many. [A question to older fixie riders: don't they tear up your knees? I ride a bike in part because jogging kills my knees.] So if simplicity is your goal, at least think about a single speed with a free wheel. As someone who stops and starts a lot in traffic, I like gears. You can get a much quicker start than when you're stuck in one gear. A couple times last winter, the shifting froze, but I could still ride--my bike just became a lowly single-speed for the trip home.

Edit: All that said, if the fixed wheel makes your ride fun, go for it. One thing that's great about cycling is that it's easy to customize your tranportation.

P.S. While I'm thinking about it, since you're into racing, you may want to consider racing in Downers Grove Aug 21st- 22nd at the National Criterium Championships. It's great fun. I go all day for both days! Here's the link for further info: http://www.sportsgrandprix.com/

Koffee

Good advice all around, Koffee. And I second the idea to race in the Downers Crit. I always attend and am thinking about racing this year. Winfield also has a criterium the weekend before (you might want to verify that) and it's a good challenge as it has a killer hill on the race route.

Good advice all around, Koffee. And I second the idea to race in the Downers Crit. I always attend and am thinking about racing this year. Winfield also has a criterium the weekend before (you might want to verify that) and it's a good challenge as it has a killer hill on the race route.

A fixie is great till the wind starts to blow, then it is nice to have the option of shifting gears. If you do go fixed, please don't be so macho that you go without at least a front brake. Being squeezed between a rude driver and a parked car warrants being prepared to stop quickly.

This thread is full of wonderful advice. I have shopped at Upgrade (nice bunch of workers but no parking so bringing in a wounded bike is tough), Rapid Transit (open evenings and great people), Performance (expensive but runs fequent sales) and will try out Yojimbo's at my next opportunity. I live on the far Southwest Side and get most of my repairs done at Beverly Bike and Ski at 91st and Western.

Halsted is under construction at Lake Street. After the bottleneck it is clear sailing all the way past UIC to 39th street.

The Dental School is in the West Campus so you will be turning left on Harrison and bypassing the undergrad campus that runs along Halsted. You could go West before the Congress to Damen as suggested above by Koffee.

Find UIC campus maps at: http://www2.math.uic.edu/~hanson/las100/maps98.html

Please note that not all streets cross the Congress Expressway so you have to plan a little. You will be able to see the campus shining in the sun but will be unable to get there directly. Sort of a mirage.

tom o

Make sure your commute involves Clark, that way you can enjoy a double char-cheddar dog at The Weiner's Circle.

Dave

Make sure your commute involves Clark, that way you can enjoy a double char-cheddar dog at The Weiner's Circle.

Dave


MMMMM double char-cheddar dogs. (glarghg)

tom o

For a commuter bike I'd recommend www.workingbikes.org Most likely they'll have something that will satisfy you - at any given time they have several hundred bikes to chose from. Commuting from LP to UIC sounds like a great commute to me.

Koffee & others - I'll be manning the Chicagoland Bike Federation booth out in Downers. Stop by and say hi.

Bill

I'll stop in. Remind us, though.

Urban Bikes out on the northside has some good used bikes too... sometimes better working bikes than Working Bikes (pun intended! :D ). I got a junker clunker from Working Bikes, then went to Urban Bikes and was very impressed with their line of good, solid used bikes. And they have very good mechanics there too.

Working Bikes folks sometimes get the Park Tool rep for Chicago coming over and helping out with the bike repair process, especially when they're getting a big shipment ready to go to one of those third world countries they ship bikes to.

Koffee

Zurich,
Congratulations on getting into UICD. I am a '77 grad of the College of Dentistry. Good luck.

A lot of folks are into the fixed gears, and they do look nice, all stripped down and clean. Chicago is flat but it is windy. A lot of people claim to be happy on their fixeds, but I can't help but think their isn't a masochistic pathos involved. I think the wind factor is less for downtown messenger folks, but I don't buy into it all. Gears are nice. You don't need 27 of them, but four or five are actually pretty nice. Easier to go fast, easier to go slow. MHO.

A lot of folks are into the fixed gears, and they do look nice, all stripped down and clean. Chicago is flat but it is windy. A lot of people claim to be happy on their fixeds, but I can't help but think their isn't a masochistic pathos involved. I think the wind factor is less for downtown messenger folks, but I don't buy into it all. Gears are nice. You don't need 27 of them, but four or five are actually pretty nice. Easier to go fast, easier to go slow. MHO.

My 16 mile commute would go from the usual 55 minutes to 90 or more when the wind was high. Big time energy drain and that is with 27 speeds. I thought long and hard about a single speed and I like my knees too much. If I were broke I would strip down (my bike) and make it work to avoid maintenance costs, etc.

... I'll be manning the Chicagoland Bike Federation booth out in Downers. Stop by and say hi.

Bill What event are you manning the booth for?

Make sure your commute involves Clark, that way you can enjoy a double char-cheddar dog at The Weiner's Circle.

Dave

Better yet, go at about 4 in the morning and enjoy a side of insults. Do they still do that?

For a commuter bike I'd recommend www.workingbikes.org Most likely they'll have something that will satisfy you - at any given time they have several hundred bikes to chose from. Commuting from LP to UIC sounds like a great commute to me.

Koffee & others - I'll be manning the Chicagoland Bike Federation booth out in Downers. Stop by and say hi.

Bill

I'll second the working bikes option. That is where I got my bike. Also, agree with the other posters to stay away from the Village Cycle (over-priced and teeming with annoying people on the weekends)...I work near there and occassionally go there during my lunch hour to do research, but will never-ever open my wallet in that store. I went there on a Sat (since I work on Sat), and realized that shop attracts the weekender cyclist with lots of money to spend. Kozy's is a chain and the employees are grouchy and will not really have any bike wisdom to share....it's a wast of time to go there, unless they have some odd or end on sale. But, I'd rather spend my money at a good shop. There is a map put out by the Chicagoland Bicycling Federation and the City of CHicago which shows routes that have bike lanes, ones that are going to have them, and other recommended routes. Anyway, it's a nice color-coded, attractive map. It will probably take you a little while to develop a sense of which route works best for you, but there are no hills aside from bridges and expressway underpasses so riding in Chicago is pretty easy. And, I have found traffic to be pretty easy to handle. Most car driver's are aware of your presence, at least in the areas you will be riding in regularly.

I just thought of something else, non-bike related...If you like to eat veggies and want a good source for organic produce, check out Stanley's Fruit Market on North Ave and Elston. You will have to eat the stuff right away, but they have some good deals and generally good produce. I wish I had known about this place when I first moved to Chicago...