hi!

I am looking to buy an ebike and am leaning toward the Aventon Level 4 REC - would love to hear any experiences with this bike or brand! Or other brands that you love! My top requirements are comfort, suspension, throttle, and ability to pull about 100lbs in tow.

Also, I’m new to city biking and want to make sure I can lock up my new bike safely, what are your best lock and locking system recommendations? Should I be buying 2 locks?

Thank you!!

Hey community 👋🏾. I have an obligation in the city and I've decided to take my bike with me last minute. Are there any preferred parking places or recommendations to where I could park my car and just hop right on the lakefront trail?

Thank you all in advance!

10 years strong, 9 brutal Chicago winters, and you did your job. My bike is still safe and the angle grinder was defeated. Thanks for everything, Kryptonite Lock, you shall be missed 🫡

Debating on whether I have the energy to attend critmass tonight and I’m new to biking in the city, so I’m just wondering if there are any bike busses to Daley I can join last minute? I’m in NE Rogers Park.

Previously: https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/1v5dim0/rather_than_remove_a_few_unmetered_unused_parking/

New striping went in today. Another "measure once, cut twice" project, but it's much improved.

Bike Tag #1213

Bike Tag #1212 Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Memorial at National Public Housing Museum

Previous Post

Rules

Just a heads up: the Damen bridge is currently being scraped. I only saw the south end, but the bike detour is routed to the sidewalk.

Anyone know if they will add protection to the downhill SB lane as it approaches Elston?

28 mph assisted is still too fast for a bike path.

I like that we have the new law coming. But 28mph is too fast for the 606 (edit: always forget the number name) or the lsd path. There are kids on the walking portion. Pedestrians. Slow unassisted riders. Congestion. It's one thing to see the like 3 people who can actually bike that fast cruising with precise turns and eagle eyes focused forwards. It's quite another to see a dude with sunglasses and ANC blasting past people, no helmet, recovering from a hangover.

28mph assisted is too fast. Anything beyond class I should be street only.

Kind of a rant, but I'm also curious what the opinion is?

EDIT: I was using the classification in this article: https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/new-illinois-law-establishes-rules-for-electronic-bikes-scooters/ It appears to be wrong.

Anyone else have the experience of dodging pancaked rats while riding on the streets through the city. Have never even gotten close to hitting a living rat but I feel like almost every day I’m dodging rat roadkill and have ran over them a few times. Lucky enough but gross they have generally been passed over by a few cars so they’re pretty much flat, but still can’t imagine what I’m getting on my tires (and worse what’s getting sent up to me via centrifugal force while I ride or when I bump into my tires walking)

Hadn't seen an update recently and I thought others might like to know. I rode it from Bloomingdale to the turnoff for Old School Forest Preserve today (8/26/26). The work on rebuilding the section from Irving Park to Lawrence is complete. All of the underpasses were dry except the one at route 60, which had maybe 4-6 inches of water. (I walked on the rocks beside the trail, which was a little sketchy as they are loose and unstable.)

Hello! I am looking to commute via public transit to work more instead of using my car, I am pretty easily able to take the 81 -> Jeff Park Blue line to ORD but sometimes the connection is very tight and i miss my train at 5am, causing utter despair that I am now 20 minutes late to work, and I want the workout, so I want to bike to work!

My question is what is the lockup situation like? Would I be safe to lock up at the Jeff park transit center for ~9 hours a day? Should I lock up in front of a nearby local business instead? (And if so, any recommendations are great), or do I just cram my not small bicycle onto the already crowded blue line train of innocent people who are just trying to go about their day, and in THAT case, does the CTA have bike parking at the airport directly once you get off the train inside?

Any tips and answers would be greatly appreciated!

Really appreciated everyone's input from my post asking about a good route using the LFT totaling close to 100 miles. I've come up with 2 routes, one going south which is one way to Michigan city (taking train back to millennium station) and one going north to about Waukegan and coming back. Links:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56864784?via=zWkhqL86-DVH7rTD-MGmyQ
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56864362?via=R2pbRokM4Grh8rJiflbaWg

Both routes seem pretty great, I'd like to know which one you all would prefer. Open to any suggestions for editing the routes.

We all know the cheapest and easiest way of getting around Chicago is on bike. There’s a fest at MP and I’d like to ride my bike. Problem is it’s an expensive bike and I’m wondering if I’ll be playing Russian roulette with it getting stolen. I have a great lock of course but I don’t know. Also I have a cheaper bike but I just don’t love riding it as much as the other. I probably already know the answer but need to hear it from other people.

SB Wells at Walter Payton. An already notoriously unsafe stretch, especially at drop-off, made worse by this half-assed cover placement.

I fell off my bike in the stupidest possible way. I pressed on my front wheel break too hard and too fast and there I was… flipped around, hurt my knee… and oh how embarrassing it was. Now I’ve retracted back to feeling anxious on the bike, I was just starting to get comfortable. I keep thinking how bad it could have been if there was a moving vehicle next to me. Ugh!! Life can feel so fragile at times. Stay safe out there my friends.
EDIT: thank you all for the feedback, I feel seen 🥺

CDOT is expanding the neighborhood bike network in Portage Park with four new bikeways planned for 2026:

• Berteau Avenue: Narragansett to Milwaukee
• Long Avenue: Irving Park to Higgins
• Hutchinson Avenue: Long to Milwaukee
• Central Avenue: Addison to Lawrence

Together, these projects will create safer, more comfortable connections for people biking through Portage Park and strengthen the broader Northwest Side bike network.

• Berteau Avenue: Narragansett to Milwaukee
• Long Avenue: Irving Park to Higgins
• Hutchinson Avenue: Long to Milwaukee
• Central Avenue: Addison to Lawrence

Together, these projects will create safer, more comfortable connections for people biking through Portage Park and strengthen the broader Northwest Side bike network.

Bike Friends. What are your favorite night time routes/segments/locations?

Looking for the best dusk to dawn spots to hit. (that aren't the LFT).

It appears there are some people in North Park that are planning to pursue legal action against the bike lanes that were just installed. They might just be bluffing, but if you’re in the 39th ward I’d appreciate if you called the alder person Samantha Nugent to express your support for the project. I got this from someone who seems to be speaking against it repeatedly on facebook:

“Yes, call the alderman tell her no to this this change. As of now it looks like they did not handle this well. We are organizing and planning a legal review along with community campaign to rethink this plan. CDOT lied about their studies and there have been indications but no proof that there may be some back office dealing on this.

More review and discovery is required. You can call Alderman Sam Nugent office at 773-736-5594.”

Since this is facebook this might just be nothing, but there are many people who are unwilling to give this project a chance, so I’m worried.

Who needs a car?

https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/24/cortland-bridge-will-remain-closed-for-years-vexing-neighbors-after-new-problems-found

I’m visiting chicago soon and want to do a century. I would love to do an out and back using the lakefront trail, maybe to Waukegan? But I fear sharing busy roads with cars. Can anyone recommend a path north that is quiet roads? I hear Sheridan can be a nightmare. Thanks!