JeremyZ

Hello from the north Chicago suburbs!

I stumbled upon this place while researching folding bikes.

I have just pulled the trigger on a Dahon Curve D3, and am dying with anticipation.

I'm not really a serious biker. I have a 10 year-old Schwinn Searcher (21 speed street bike w/mountain bike frame) that I ride to the train station. I fantasize about taking it on the train and actually being able to get around downtown without a hell of a lot of hassle.

I also love chess & photography.

Anyone in the area who wants to maybe hook up for a ride, drop me a line --nakedsv at yahoo dot com

East Hill

Hello Jeremy, there are a lot of members here who are in Chicago or the suburbs--check in the Great Lakes regional forum for more...

There's a member here, The Historian, who is a chess historian. Lots of photographers--it seems that cycling and photography go together.

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

Desert Storm

hey man, I lived in Wheeling for a year.

ColinClout

Hello fellow Chicagolander. I live in the far northside, Andersonville/Edgewater. How far north suburbs? Nevermind the train - bike all the way downtown when you can! I commute to Hyde Park twice a week (35 mile round trip) when the weather is fair. Best time of the year. I highly recommend it, and the wind will get you in shape in no time -- not that I'm terribly athletic myself, but the commute definitely helps. Great region for biking -- urban, suburban or rural. Enjoy!

CCR

found ya, hehe

JeremyZ

I'm in Round Lake Beach. It is about 50-60 miles north of the city. A round trip to Hyde Park for me would be probably 140 miles. Downtown and back would be over 100 miles. Even to work and back, which is still in the north suburbs would be about 60 miles. No thanks to that!

Do you work or attend at the University of Chicago?

ColinClout

Wow. I didn't realize you were that far north. Still, it would be a great ride -- almost a tour, really. I'd still take the bike downtown by train. Nothing quite as satisfying as flying through lanes of gridlocked cars, though I'm not sure how good it is on the lungs.

I both work at and attend the U of C -- grad student (literature).

ms.gio

Hey fellow Chicagoan,
Welcome to BF. You're find almost everything and anything here. I hope you enjoy it. BTW, It's great to see another Chicago resident here.

JeremyZ

That is the plan! I just bought a folding bike, A Dahon Curve D3, and one for my wife, a Dahon Speed D7. (which needs a bit of work. See the Folders forum for details)

I was thinking not so much of flying through gridlocked cars as people, as I don't go downtown during the week. A couple weeks ago, we went to Navy Pier to show the mother-in-law, and it was a hell of a walk back to Union Station. Mother-in-law couldn't hack it. We got a free shuttle about halfway, but it wasn't worth the trouble.

ColinClout

I've lugged various enormous and fully-loaded bikes all over various trains in various countries, and I have to say the bikes you just bought sound very interesting, very nice. I didn't even realize there was a whole forum for such bikes! I hope you enjoy taking them on the train and get a lot of use out of them that way. Navy Pier to Union Station, that's a substantial walk.

steveroot

I've been getting to work in Chicago by a combination of folding bike and METRA for over 5 years. Normally, I ride about a mile to the train, then fold and bag the bike. Bagged folders are allowed on all trains at *all* times. When I get off, it's about a 2.5 mile ride to work. So it works out to about 7 miles a day. The best times of year are Spring and Fall, but I ride all year long. Once a year I ride all the way from home (Mundelein) to work and back, usually on my road bike. This year I did it on my Dahon Mu XL- when I got home, I had just over 100 miles on the clock. You will like your Dahon, I predict, and you will be amazed by what you can do with it. There is a pretty active user forum on the Dahon web site. Are you a member of the Chicagoland Folding Bike Society?
Welcome to the "fold"!
Steve

George

I lived in Chicago ( New Lenox) for most of my life and I think your doing the right thing with you bike, because I know how bad the traffic can be. I moved to Texas to get away from the winters and be closer to one of my sons. Anyhow welcome to the forum, I know you'll like it, George