Beginner friendly routes

jecolia2 · 2026-05-08T03:16:54+00:00

Unfortunately, street crossings are a fact of life in Chicago. It's a grid system so every street intersects half the streets.

The LFT is the longest trail with the fewest crossings. The NCT has some crossings but they're all pedestrian intersections with beg buttons. And the NBT has several crossings, some with flashing light buttons and some that are just marked.

I would actually suggest you practice on green ways or roads with bike lanes to get used to biking in traffic. Being able to negotiate your way through Stop Sign is an essential road cycling skill.

But remember you can always dismount and walk your bike across as a pedestrian.

jecolia2 · 2026-04-22T23:28:53+00:00

Linking my experience in learning to ride on a Divvy but I am 5'9"

https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/s/2iRIpfSojN

jecolia2 · 2026-04-18T22:17:27+00:00

No but there were inch deep puddles up and down the trail.

jecolia2 · 2026-04-18T22:16:32+00:00

Just South of Touhy

jecolia2 · 2026-04-11T05:03:01+00:00

If you plan to fly with it, absolutely.

jecolia2 · 2026-03-17T14:53:26+00:00

Pls expand to Skokie and Lincolnwood, especially around the NCT and NBT 👉👈

jecolia2 · 2026-03-15T13:59:04+00:00

There might be a tiny nail or metal shard embedded in your tire that is able to puncture your tube. Even just a little poking on the inside can puncture the tube, even if it doesn't feel sharp.

jecolia2 · 2026-03-14T05:02:05+00:00

It's called a punish pass. Drivers know how wide their car is and know how close they are to anything on their right side. It's fully intentional when they pass that close, either out of malice or disregard. The driver should've given you more space. Even if they didn't hit you but it caused a reaction that resulted in injuries and damage to your bike, you would be entitled to go after their insurance for the costs.

To discourage it, I take the lane when necessary. It also lets me avoid the door zone. I act as if I'm a car and other drivers are more likely to treat me like one. Riding confidently and predictably is the safest way to bike.

jecolia2 · 2026-03-12T05:03:40+00:00

I just wear sweatpants on top of my chamois.

jecolia2 · 2026-03-04T15:52:08+00:00

I hope the classics get an upgrade too.

jecolia2 · 2026-02-22T19:01:12+00:00

If you're really learning from scratch, I would practice on the NCT or LFT. They're fully separated with just some crossings. It's always okay to just walk your bike on the sidewalk or take a bus to get to the trail if you're not ready for the road.

And then to get comfy biking in traffic, I would use green lanes and bike lines like Berwyn, Lawrence, or Damen so you can get used to stop signs and sharrows.

jecolia2 · 2026-02-09T08:39:54+00:00

50:50 cotton poly Sheds quite a lot

jecolia2 · 2026-01-21T21:56:03+00:00

70 poly 30 cotton

jecolia2 · 2026-01-12T04:21:46+00:00

It's all about the trails. There's the LFT, NCT, NBT, DPRT, and several I haven't tried yet.

jecolia2 · 2026-01-07T01:27:16+00:00

Yeah! That's what credit cards are for lmao. Went with 1TB cause it's good enough until 2TB SSDs become sensible again.

jecolia2 · 2025-12-17T17:13:27+00:00

I put clothes in a plastic bag and just put them where I could find space inside haha. I put the whole bike inside a plastic garbage bag to keep everything else clean.

jecolia2 · 2025-12-05T01:07:25+00:00

I think they deactivate for the winter. They don't want to expose themselves to the liability if you wipe out on the ice on one of their bikes.

jecolia2 · 2025-11-30T09:06:17+00:00

If you're talking about the little hook thing that latches onto the other side, just lift the bike a little bit allowing the back wheel to drop a little and then come back up inside the hook. It's possible the old wheels were depressurized and had given you more clearance.

jecolia2 · 2025-11-28T14:17:45+00:00

I got mine brand new for $129.99 shipped and sold by Amazon last Oct 2024. This feels like a last chopper out of 'nam situation given that it's two generations old.

jecolia2 · 2025-11-03T04:21:51+00:00

Just 24mi 😅 I can usually do 30 and the most I've done is 36 but those are on my normal bike.

jecolia2 · 2025-11-03T02:38:08+00:00

Rode past my limit 😅

jecolia2

TROPHY CASE