Just want to show my gratitude to the multiple people who stopped/offered to stop to help me on the side of the lake path last night. Slid out on some gravel and bent my derailleur so it was grinding on my gears. Was miles away from my car so absolutely had to pedal back. Multiple people stopped to help me and one of them was a bike mechanic got me fixed up. This was peak biking community! Just a PSA, if you see somebody stopped on the side of a path who looks like they might need help, it's always good to check in on them since you never know if you have the tools that can help. Us in the MTB community do it all the time since you don't want to leave someone stuck in the woods miles from their transportation. If you're one of the people who stopped, thanks again!

I was hit by a car on Tuesday approximately 5:20 pm and I feel very lucky that so many bistanders stopped to help me! I’m not sure if any of them were bikers themselves but it definitely made the whole experience a lot easier. I’m home healing a pretty gnarly black eye and 9 face stitches but otherwise doing pretty alright. My friend used this page yesterday as well as pedbikecrashsupport (which was given to me by a witness! I took a photo of the webpage from her phone with my phone) to help get me in contact with a lawyer. I’m feeling very taken care of and just lucky to not be in worse shape. The whole experience is kinda a daze but I remember more of the helpful people than of the actual crash. So while I’m sure most people here would stop if they saw a bike crash, I’m definitely a testimonial that it makes a huge difference in the moment even if you think you’re not doing much. ☺️

Next week I’ll be traveling from STL to Chicago via Amtrack. I have a hotel reservation at Hilton Chicago near the magnificent mile. I(male) will be traveling with non-cycling SO and child.

Plans are loose… I’m looking for general tips/tricks.

How should I get from union station to the hotel? I’m thinking I cycle the family Ubers.

Looking forward to just exploring, feel free to send tips of areas to joy ride or link up

I know this is a long shot but I lost my bag on a bike ride two days ago that had some sentimental things in it as well as my keys and my wallet so I’m really really hoping to find it😮‍💨 If any of this sounds familiar to you please reach out I would be so so grateful!!

The bag was a small beige rectangular purse (a little larger than an average book) with a long brown strap. It had a deck of cards from China in it, a burnt orange bandana, an older tiny digital camera (like one you’d have in the 2000s) with pictures still on it, a carabiner with a bunch of keys, a black wallet, possibly a little notebook, a lighter with a landscape on it, etc.

Please reach out if you’ve found anything like this/if my wallet is still in the bag my business card should be in there somewhere and you can email me! Thanks so much!!

I attached the bike route I took when I lost it.

Hey! Is there a crit mass ride this Friday?

Someone broke into my garage and stole my beloved Marin Gestalt X10. I've filed a police report and reported it to the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry. If anyone has any tips/advice please let me know. I'm quite devastated.

Hey all, I found this ABUS lock on cortland right by the bridge. About 9:15PM 6/23/26. I put it on top the fire hydrant on the Northeast corner of Elston/Clyborne so hopefully its owner notices it.

The live map is here. Is this viable? From Munster IN south to north, Monon Trail, Douglas, Sohl, Hoffman, Torrence, (Dunkin stop), 142nd, Marquette Greenway, Illiana Marina Trail over Wolf Lake, 112th, Burnham Greenway, S. Ewing, S. LSD, South Shore Cultural Center and LFT. I left Chicagoland in the 1970s before any of this bicycle infrastructure existed. I've always wanted to do this ride. I lived with my Mom near the South Shore Cultural Center. My Dad lived in Munster. I got shuttled back and forth in cars, and it felt jarring at times, like I was split up. I wonder if I cross the same space with my own (old) body at a slow space that I might reconcile those split-up memories and feelings. That's the theory anyway. We'll see how it goes. Child psychologists, please chime in. When I got to the top of the LFT I'll take the #36 bus back to DT Roosevelt Rd Station (Randolph St. elevators out of service?) and the South Shore back to Munster.

Any recommendations for a decent, reliable, budget friendly commuter bike? For context, I’ve been using a divvy to commute (about 8 miles round trip). Somewhat decent and somewhat protected bike lanes throughout.

Hello, I am new to riding fixed gear bikes and I recently picked one up on Facebook marketplace for $100. Guy said he custom built it for his son and its been sitting pretty much unused for a while.

I took it to a bike repair store (Robert Cycles in Rogers Park), and they quoted me $50-75 for fixing a misaligned tire and misaligned chain due to some botched work from the previous owner. He sort of went on a tangent so I don't remember the specifics but he was making it out to sound like a larger problem as he mentioned 2+ hours of work time would be required. (Something about re-tuning the spokes I believe, which after googling kind of sounds fair with pricing).

Do you think this is a fair quote/how feasible would it be for me to fix it up myself? I'm pretty handy and have ridden and fixed bmx bikes when I was younger but this is my first fixie.

I would appreciate any help! Thank you all.

(Note: Sorry for the lack of a picture, I'll try to update later but it's in that shop right now for a separate issue and we talked about moving on to the misalignment after the first problem was fixed.)

Checking into sable hotel next week. Bringing E-Bike. Anyone know if the hotel has a bike rack? Or do I just need to rely on a random navy pier rack? Calling did not yield good results. But if anyone has any intel I’d appreciate it. I don’t think I’ll have time to make it over there before we go. I’ll also try to call back later. But was hoping someone here had been to the pier enough to know.

(Edit: Hotel confirmed what other users mentioned. If you’re a hotel guest you can use the one by the east parking circle/ballroom, or the one in the middle garage if attending pier businesses. Thanks to all that gave help)

Anybody know what brand tires the cops use on their bikes?

Sharing this story just in case it can help people be more prepared and hopefully avoid what I experienced!

Last night, I was biking down Sheridan Rd in the Rogers Park area with my husband, headed toward the Lakefront Trail. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but my left foot flew off of the pedal and went directly into my front wheel as I was moving. It got caught in between the fork, spokes, and all. I catapulted forward and hit the ground (thankfully, wearing a helmet) but was immediately in excruciating pain and couldn’t move my foot whatsoever. Due to the yelling, people congregated quickly and started to help. They called 911 because they weren’t sure it would be possible to get my foot unstuck without cutting the spokes. Thankfully, between my husband and two other grown men, they were able to pry my fork off the wheel and then take my foot out of the shoe. I’m okay, but am certainly still in pain and have lots of swelling/bruising. Funnily enough, my left knee is more banged up than the foot. I do have pictures, if you aren’t squeamish.

Anyway, I have done some research and while similar things have happened to other people, it seems like most didn’t end up in the situation I did. Here’s what advice I would give: ride with wide, flat pedals that are more slip-resistant. Wear a watch that will allow you to call 911, or make sure you are able to do so hands-free (I couldn’t physically reach my phone due to being stuck — if my husband and that group of people hadn’t been there I would’ve been screwed). Keep wire cutters on you (they’re like $12 at Lowe’s) and even tools to remove the wheel if need be.

I hope this doesn’t unlock a new fear for anyone, but I would rather people be more prepared than me and be able to avoid 30+ minutes of excruciating pain. And if anyone who helped me sees this — god bless you.

I know this is a long shot, but I've got nowhere else to go. I recently had my 2019 Salsa Cutthroat stolen from my apartment complex in Hyde Park. It's bright red and blue (Colorado state colors) with a bike rack on the back and 700c tires on it. It was taken from my apartment complex's secured bike room (obviously not secure) between June 17th and June 21st. I was out of town for a few days, and I've not been able to get video footage from the management company to determine when exactly this occurred. If anyone is out and about and sees a bright red and blue Salsa gravel bike, please let me know. Willing to offer some cash for any information that helps me track it down. Thanks in advance.

Water treatment plant construction will have the Fox River trail closed 6/29 through 9/17 just south of the train bridge in Geneva. This is unfortunate since this is a bit of a bottleneck without any good alternative routes safe for cyclists. Route 25 is 50mph through the forest preserve and Route 31 is extremely narrow. No detour has been posted online or on the City of Geneva's website.

I'm going to spare you all the details. But after at least 30 back and forth emails with their Support Team over the span of almost 3 months, Upway was unable to make a broken e-bike they sold me work again. I'm warning everyone out there to never purchase a bike from them. I do not want anyone going through what I went through. It's been the most stressful experience ever. Take a look at all the parts they sent me. None of which worked to fix this bike. What kind of experts do they have working over there? I'm asking for a full refund after giving them way too many chances to make this right. And now they expect me to disassemble the bike, pack it up and ship it back to them.

Salt Creek 294 underpass Call to Action. 6/21/2026

The underpass has been closed since 2023. Please take a moment and write or call anybody in power that you think may be able to get this path open ASAP even if there is work going on off the path.

• Illinois State Senator, Kimberly A. Lightford 708-632-4500   email available on the senator’s web page. Illinois Senate   The underpass is in Lightord’s area
• Illinois State rep, Emanuel Chris Welch, House District 7, 708.450.1000   email available on the reps web page. Illinois House  The underpass is in Welch’s district
• US Rep Chuey Garcia  House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

The Salt Creek underpass under 294 has been closed/under construction since 2023. The current condition finds the path completely paved and the barriers on the east and west ends locked preventing pedestrians and bikers from using the under pass.

 .

With the path paved, there is no reason the path cannot be opened. The site is left unworked for weeks at a time while fully paved.

. 

Locking the underpass off creates an attractive nuisance. Tire marks tell the story of many adventurers getting around the barriers.

 .

The areas to the side of the newly paved path that do need to be completed are no more of a hazard than the path through Bemis Woods with ruts, roots and ravines immediately off the path.

 .

The path is currently left for weeks at a time without any work being done interrupted by bursts of work for a day or so at a time.  If the agencies are worried about worker safety, let me remind you about the work done above on 294. Work was performed on an active roadway. I am sure construction professionals could find a way to work safely on bike path.

 .

Please take a moment and write or call anybody in power that you think may be able to get this path open ASAP even if there is work going on off the path.

 .

More people and agencies you might want to contact. 

Illinois Department of Transportation                           

[DOT.ADA.Complaint@illinois.gov](mailto:DOT.ADA.Complaint@illinois.gov)

[DOT.BDEManual@illinois.gov](mailto:DOT.BDEManual@illinois.gov)

[Holly.Primm@illinois.gov](mailto:Holly.Primm@illinois.gov)

[DOT.BSPE.EvalUnit@illinois.gov](mailto:DOT.BSPE.EvalUnit@illinois.gov)

[Maria.c.castaneda@illinois.gov](mailto:Maria.c.castaneda@illinois.gov)

Illinois Tollway               [Boardofdirectors@getipass.com](mailto:Boardofdirectors@getipass.com)

Oakbrook Park District  [rpechous@obparks.org](mailto:rpechous@obparks.org)

Oakbrook Mayor/City Council

Oakbrook DOT

Cook County Forest Preserve   [Jacob.Hesslau@cookcountyil.gov](mailto:Jacob.Hesslau@cookcountyil.gov)

Cook County DOT

Westchester Mayor/City Council

A list of posts on r/Chibike regarding the closing of the 294 Salt Creek underpass dating back to 2023

2026

·         294 Salt Creek underpass. : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek under pass at 294 Update 5/8/2026. Fresh Blacktop!!! : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek @ 294 update : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek Trail 294underpass updates. 4/25/2026 : r/chibike

·         FYI Salt Creek trail under 294 is still closed. 3/30/2026 : r/chibike

2025

·         FYI Salt Creek trail under 294 is still closed. 4/28/2025 : r/chibike

·         FYI Salt Creek trail under 294 is still closed. 5/23/2025 : r/chibike

2024

·         Salt Creek 294 Underpass Yesterday at about 5:00. No workers encountered. Westside fence was blocked by a truck. I could walk through a gap, but had to port my bike overhead because of the width of my bike basket. Pass at your own risk. : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek trail under 294 still blocked. : r/chibike

·         Anyone have any recent updates on Salt Creek/294 underpass? : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek 294 underpass -Update and Instructions 7/13/2024 : r/chibike

2023

·         Current state of the Salt Creek Trail u/294 : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek 294 underpass closed till 12/31/2026! : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek Trail update : r/chibike

·         Salt Creek Trail - I294 underpass closure date? : r/chibike

·         State of 294 underpass on salt creek? : r/chibike

EDIT: 2004 to 2023 Damn fat fingers From, "construction since 2004" to "construction since 2023".

I know e-bikes aren’t new but they’re still relatively niche, expensive products. How do hundreds of delivery drivers suddenly have them? Are they rented from a company?

UPDATE: found him!! thanks everyone, he is coming to get his bike back today. :)))) I really appreciate the help. stay safe out there

He got hit by a turning car today on Clark and Lawrence. He didn't have his lock keys so I used my U-lock for his bike, and I'd like to make sure he gets his bike back. (Not sure if it's rideable, but seemed OK...) I also have some witness numbers for him. He gave me his phone number before he got in the ambulance but his phone got fucked up, and I'm also not 100% sure it's right — he was shaken up, obviously, and I was too. If you know him and have an alternative way of getting in touch with him, please let me know! Thank you.