We're about 3 months into this little experiment and we recently passed 100!

I think I'm going to play with having one of these chat threads pinned to the top and rotate them out every month or so depending on reception. Passing 100 seems like a good excuse to try this.

I'd love for folks to drop in and say hi, and maybe share a ride you enjoyed over the summer!

Tour De Grid
09/09/2023 10:00am

See you at wicker park (Schiller and Damen) for a taste of the grid!

Meet at The Picasso in front of the Daley Center at 6pm. The route is rumoured to cross all the major sports fields starting with Soldiers Field and ending at Wrigley. This ride happens monthly and always starts at the same location.

RESCHEDULED TO THE 27th!

Robust community inputters! We are tired of the City drawing up plans that don’t do enough to protect vulnerable road users.

Even worse? When they consider it and toss out protected lanes because…parking? It’s challenging?

Unacceptable! It’s time to jam it up.

Glad to see more folks coming over to The Fedi!
Show them some ❤and give 'em a follow.

I've also added their account to the sidebar for future reference.

One of the HAC team members shared this great resource to #bikeChi on Mastodon so I wanted to share it here. I've also added it to the sidebar for future reference.

I don't understand how drivers that commit violent crimes get to keep their license and registration. I regularly notice aggressive violent behavior from private vehicle owners. I don't want to see them locked up but if you cant follow the rules you shouldn't own a car or have a license. There are other ways to get around Chicago.

My first Street Calling Ride!

This ride was a lot of fun, I loved riding through the city at night with a big crowd. The turnout was great, I'd say there was over 100 riders at one point. The pace was faster than a Critical Mass ride so that was fun (~9mph). They encourage folks to bring speakers so there was plenty of music to keep the "vibes high", I even saw a few folks I recognized from CM.

I'm definitely going to have to catch another one of these, and may even try to join one of their other rides.

Would recommend.

From their insta:

This Thursday catch us for another night ride that will end at @bartwentytwochicago !

Meet up: 7:30pm McCormick Place (2301 S King Drive) Ride out: 8pm End: @bartwentytwochicago (2244 S Michigan Ave)

Its that time of the month again, BFF's monthly endurance ride is happening this Sunday. Meet at the shop at 8:30am!

Last month we went down to Wolf Lake and back, 53 miles round trip, at a 15.4mph average. They haven't stated which route they're taking this time, I'll update this if I see a route get posted.

I can't recommend this ride enough for folks interested in group road rides, its a great casual introduction to the hobby.

See you there 🚴

ride @ 5:15 in the loop
meet @ 6:00 at the racks
Join us in Section 103
Marz Beer at the racks to get the party started

More Information and link to tickets on their site: https://chicagobikesox.com/

From their instagram post:

This Thursday, join us for another night ride that will end at tribechi !
Meet Up: 7:30pm McCormick Place (2301 S King Drive) Ride out: 8pm End: tribechi (1239 W Lake Street)
Bike Marshals will be available to take riders back to McCormick

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvaNEu7rOwc/

It sounds like the plan is to keep the ride short and cool down after with a dip in the lake so come prepared 🏊

It's gonna be a hot one tomorrow! The high is going to be around 100 at 3pm and it will likely still be in the mid-to-high 90s when we roll, stay safe, stay hydrated!

This is our fastest (and funnest??!!) level of group ride. Our mechanic & aspiring pro-triathlete, Fiona, will lead this ride. 30-50 miles, at 16-18mph pace. Before the ride starts we will go over the basics of ride safety, the route & other important information. After the ride, snacks & drinks will be waiting for us at the shop!

I joined in on the May ride and had a blast. This is a very beginner friendly "no drop" group ride, I recommend anyone interested in road group rides to check this one out.

I think they may rotate which routes they use for this ride but this is was the May ride:

• Route to Hometown Coffee in Glencoe and back
• I tracked 39 miles
• I averaged at 15.4 mph
• I got "dropped" in the two sprint sections but again its a "no drop" ride so the sprinters wait for the pace group/stranglers
• I was the only one on a vintage bike, with flat pedals, an not in a road kit and didn't feel weird or anything

What a great way to spend a Saturday, I almost flaked and slept-in instead(social anxiety amiright)but I’m glad I got on the bike and made it out.

It was my first time trying all of the places we stopped at. The highlights for me were the iced latte from Sawada and the almond croissant from Bitter Sweet(pictured).

Special thanks to @chicago@midwest.social for putting this on, I can’t wait for the September 16th ride.

RSVP for all the details, but it looks like the group is meeting at 9am at Sawada Coffee.

This event is hosted by @Chicago@midwest.social

See you there! ☕🥐

I've known about the Bike Angel program for a little while now but never looked into it. In a nutshell you can get rewarded for helping redistribute the classic bikes across the city, they do a good job gamifying it too.

Last week curiosity got the best of me and I took a look at the program and its rewards. I saw you can extend the base ride from 45 to 60 minutes if you worked the program a little bit and hit the first "achievement". You can also cash out points to extend your subscription (if you worked the program enough you can extend it indefinitely) or for Lyft credit (car/scooter/ebike)

So on Friday I set out to hit 250 over 3 days with my partners subscription. She recently got one so we can ride together and she wouldn't have to deal with everything that comes with being a 3rd floor bike owner (mainly getting the bike up and down the stairs). Here are some take-aways:

• Its more walking than riding, I walked between 5-6 miles each day. I had a much better time wearing walking shoes vs the shoes I wear riding.
• I put in between 2-3 hours each day
• Its all about maintaining the multiplier streak between days. 4 positive rides in a row resets the multiplier clock. Try to plan it so you only need one "positive" ride to restart the clock the next day.
• Finding drop off/pick up loops with a short walk is the best way to get a lot of points quickly, I had a lot of luck in the West Loop.
• I cashed out 150 points for $30 in lyft credit that she can use for ebikes when we want to haul ass.
• Fun/different way to get some exercise and see the city
• The newer classic bikes (they have the same style basket as the ebikes) are definitely a better ride than the older beat up ones with only 3 gears.
• Cracking the top 20 leader board was a lot of fun
• I'm probably done with it now that I unlocked the 60 minutes rides, the other perks don't really seem worth it to me, but we'll see.
• They're gonna send me a dumb pin that I'm actually excited about

Happy to answer any questions!

Hot and humid with a little rain, but that didn't stop us from having a good time!

🔔Happy Friday!🔔

Please Note: Bring Bubbles For Tonight's Ride!!

Route map for tonight's ride from their facebook. Chances are this is going to change a bit once the group starts rolling.

The project aims to overhaul Grand between Chicago and Ogden avenues by adding dedicated lanes for bicyclists, making intersections more pedestrian friendly and lowering the speed limit to 20 mph along the entire corridor.

I can't wait for this, I live nearby and the idea of riding on Grand as it is terrifies me. Glad to see the 20mph zone too, even though it likely wont be enforced.

Its going to make getting a Detroit dog and a Faygo over at Lola's Coney Island much safer.

Tailgate with the Bike Sox every Tuesday home game at the bike racks between gates 2 & 3.

this one's always a blast, even if baseball isn't your jam. sneak away from that July 4th barbecue you didn't want to go to and come hang.

more details to come closer to the event.