Chr0m0ly 

Hi all,
I've been over in the C&V forum for a couple years but since I've moved to Chicago I've gotten to actually RIDE my collection!

Moving to Chicago I left my car and brought about 9 80's bikes that are my means of transportation now.

I'm a therapist and I work in homes so starting in Lincoln Square I have clients in Skokie, Evanston, and the West Loop. I went from driving everywhere on Cape Cod to peddling 20-30 miles a day in Chicago. So far my coldest was 16 degrees.

I LOVE it. I'm a snow shoeing winter camper and I've made snow at a ski resort third shift so I already have a closet that REI puked a bunch of fleece into. The cold isn't an issue so far, and damn I love being outside so much.

I've been here 2 weeks and I can feel my body adapting to the change in physical activity, it's awesome. I come home and have a beer and some dinner and I'm O-U-T till morning. I'm excited to have a 30-35 mile day be "just another day".

My main ride is an 86/87 cannondale ST600 with canti brakes and all the touring attachments. It was ridin hard in Boston and is missing some paint but solid and rear ugly work for a city bike.

When I'm feeling zippy I take out the '85 Miyata 710 with a 23mm front tire and 25mm rear. A whole different beast than the Cannondale!

I've got racks and vintage bags on the ST along with fenders and fat tires. The miyata is naked and I throw my gear in a shoulder bag. Having two very different rides keeps things fresh (for the 2 whole weeks I've been riding!)

Anyway, that's about it. I'm sure I'll have questions later but right now I'm just high on commuting endorphins. Thanks for listening!

Steely Dan

Welcome to the windy city!

Glad to hear you're enjoying it so far.

Keep in mind though that this has been most "cake-walky" chicago winter I've experienced in over 4 decades of living here. They're usually A LOT more challenging than this.

BobbyG

Quite evident. My first reaction was, just wait until the novelty wears off. But then I've been bike commuting seriously for 25 years and the novelty has still not worn off.

Enjoy, be safe, and wait until you experience Chicago in the spring, summer and fall!

Chr0m0ly 

You don't usually have weeks of 40 degree weather in February?

Steely Dan

no. february is typically much colder with a crapload more snow. we haven't had snow on the ground here in chicago in roughly 2 months now. in the dead of winter! in chicago!!!

that is monumentally rare. like, "i've never before seen it in my entire life" rare.

strange things are afoot in the american midwest.

Chr0m0ly 

When I see that it'll hit 64 tomorrow I instantly think
1) What a beautiful day!!
2) We're all doomed!!

It's crazy. Back on Cape Cod we were seeing very mild Dec. and Jan. temps and then a snow dump in Feb. It's almost like the seasons are sliding backwards. I'm wondering what this means for tornadoes. That happens out here right?

I do have a motorcycle and my girlfriend has a van (when she isn't on her Trek 510 or the Miyata 210) so we're covored if we need motors.

Anyone on here ride motorcycles too?

GSJon

Welcome to Chicago @Chr0m0ly. As others have said normally we have 10* weather and a crap load of snow about now.

I do also ride the motorized 2 wheeler's (BMW F650GS) hence the screen name.

Jon

TenSpeedV2

Take a look into Bike The Drive in May. That is a really fun ride and it is the only day of the year that you can ride a bike on the Outer Drive. This winter for most of the midwest has been mild, very very mild. This time in February is usually about the time that everyone just about loses their mind and can't wait for spring and is sick and tired of the cold, wind chills, snow, ice, salt, etc.

jpshoe

I'm pumped about the warm weather this weekend but the LSD trail is going to be absolutely packed with people, may head up north towards Evanston to avoid the crowd. Very excited to wear short sleeves though!

no motor?

It's great to be riding in this weather, but my winter maintenance projects haven't even been started yet. I could have worse problems.

We're known as flatlanders by our neighbors to the north (the cheesehads), and all that flat land makes for easier riding once you get out of the congestion/hassle/expense/crime of the city. You can ride to Wisconsin or the cornfields if you go far enough on some of the trails, enjoy exploring them.

rumrunn6

sounds great, jealous! but I'm confused. you have 9 bikes, or 2 bikes?

Chitown_Mike

I have done the year round commute a few years ago. The 2014/2015 years. We had some super cold temps in the winter. I think my coldest ride was -20 somethimy with the wind chill. I use the North Branch Trail and ran all winter on studded tires, some Nokian Extreme 294s (i believe) on a disc brake 26" MTB. My fun ride was my roadie.

One suggestion, get some GOOD chain lube. Salt here eats through everything and you can trash a chain in a winter.

I use this stuff: Finish Line - Bicycle Lubricants and Care Products - WET Lube

Never had a rattle and very little rust on my commuter.

Oh, and fenders. Good full coverage fenders and your butt will thank me!

Chr0m0ly 

Fenders I've got, and glad to have them this morning! For chain lube I use fluid film. It's a lubricant I found out about when doing maintanence on sea going hydrolic winches for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. It's made from lanolin and if it keeps winch drive chains from rusting in the North Atlantic then I trust my bike and motorbike chains to it. Might not be as low friction as some higher tech solutions, but it keeps the rust away.

Oh! And my girl just gave me a Zealot Bluetooth headlight speaker combo! Getting directions without an earbud is awesome! And I can listen to tunes without hindering my hearing. Nice little gadget.

Abe_Froman

Welcome to Chicago! You're based in Lincoln Square? Very nice neighborhood, I lived in 2 different spots right over there.

Yea brace for the winter, it's been pretty easy. We had one cold snap before Christmas, and that has been it. But, especially if you live around Lincoln Square, Chicago is great for biking.

Chr0m0ly 

I have a Miyata 310, 610, 710, and 912, plus a Cannondale ST600 with cantis (main commuter ride) an ST500 frame I'm building up, and a Lotus Eclair from '87 I'm selling. Oh, and a Marin rigid mountain bike from the 90s.

The 610 is currently in pieces but the other miyatas are rideable.

So the commuting happens on the ST600 and the Miyata 710, they are mechanically sound, but not super pretty. Also, being red, they are clearly the fastest.

baron von trail 

I commute 50 miles R/T. So, I totally understand the feeling of being ready to go "out" after dinner. My wife seems to have a problem with it though. So, I force myself to stay awake an extra hour or two. But, I certainly have no trouble sleeping when I finally am free to sleep.