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Chicago Lakefront Bike Path = heavy on the salt

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Chicago Lakefront Bike Path = heavy on the salt

Old 02-16-11, 04:09 PM
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Chicago Lakefront Bike Path = heavy on the salt

Went down to the Chicago Lakefront, only to discover damp pavement with a thick layer of salt. Even with fenders on my winter bike, I'm not willing to melt the drivetrain.

A solid rain event is needed to make the lakefront usable.
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Old 02-16-11, 04:20 PM
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Right, lots of salt on the path yesterday. Took an hour to clean off the gook on my Litespeed Arenberg, lucky it's TI, but still there's the aluminum parts that require cleaning.
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Old 02-16-11, 04:57 PM
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Thanks for the heads up!
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Old 02-20-11, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Barrettscv
... A solid rain event is needed to make the lakefront usable.
Done. Welcome to Chicago, the city that _________.
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Old 03-06-11, 12:13 AM
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I just attempted this today. I wanted to ride from Wrigley to the Cell. Instead of salt I encountered ice covered pathways. The path was closed around North Ave Beach because of waves so I just aborted... next weekend I guess.
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Old 03-06-11, 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted by xunzx
I just attempted this today. I wanted to ride from Wrigley to the Cell. Instead of salt I encountered ice covered pathways. The path was closed around North Ave Beach because of waves so I just aborted... next weekend I guess.
Bummer! Its going to hit 40 something tomorrow and I really want to ride the Lakeshore path.
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Old 03-06-11, 11:18 PM
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Southbound from Ohio to 57th is fairly clear. There's still the detour around 32nd, but they've cleared the debris around the hill at 47th. Northbound from Navy Pier is sketchy, but open mostly. The waves from the blizzard really ripped up the path...sometimes taking two-three layers of past asphalt pavings and whisking them away, mostly just north of Oak st and north of North ave. I rode it on a Mtn bike and even then the drops and bumps were as big as some curbs, so not the speedy and fun ride. Once past Fullerton it is pretty much business as usual up to Hollywood.
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Old 03-07-11, 02:20 PM
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I rode the entire northern portion, from Navy Pier, today. It is 100% ice & snow free, and mostly dry. Some sections had a heavy application of salt, but most of the path is ready to ride.

The pavement has substantual damage between North Ave and Oak street, and again near Fullerton. It's pass-able, but care is needed.

Last edited by Barrettscv; 03-07-11 at 09:11 PM.
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