Hail to the Trail

If Chicago’s Lakefront Trail did not exist, this blog would not exist. At least not in its current form with me as a co-blogger. That’s because I never would have attempted to ride my bike to work without the trail.

Oma Sunrise

Before I started cycling, I’d only been to the lakefront once or twice during my one year as a Chicago resident. All I knew about the trail was that it went all the way  downtown and had no cars.

No Cars – that was key.

Fall into the Flik

As I work on the review of the Jango Flik, and about five other half-finished blog posts, enjoy this photo of the bike posing with the last of the autumn leaves. Like Chicago, Nashville has passed a mild, dry fall that has been a joy to ride in.

I Believe in Peace, B_ _ _ _

I admit that I was all fired up to write this post when I got home, but after a hot shower, a cold beer and a phone call with my mom, I’m feeling pretty chill. Nevertheless, the show must go on.

You can't tell, but I'm flipping her off

My ride home today was scary. It was pouring rain, dark out and with all the city lights reflecting off the pavement, I was nervous about drivers seeing me and my lights. Then one particular driver had to go and be an a-hole. I was in the bike lane passing a line of stopped traffic when a car started moving into the bike lane. I yelled on the top of my lungs, “HEYYYYYYY!” to prevent being run over. The car slammed on its brakes (I’m loud) and I proceeded on.

Back to Bat

Well, for the day at least! Afraid that continued neglect of my darling Batavus could lead to a pant-snatching incident, á la Oma, I took her out to enjoy one of the last days of fall. Together we posed in front of a scraggly tree that is desperately holding on to its leaves. Keep ‘em up there, little tree — I’m not ready for winter!

Off to work -- I look skeptical of the self-timer feature

After two weeks plus of riding the Flik, my Bat felt . . . heavy. But also — stable! And comfortable. I know you roadies out there will probably say it’s just what you’re used to (and you’ll have a point — to an extent, I have gotten used to craning my neck on the Flik), but an upright riding position is SO much more comfortable than being launched out over the handlebars. The Bat was forgiving of my neglect and my sweater tights made it to work without complications.

Weekend plans include meeting up with Andrew, a local owner of a Bike Friday, during a ride through Shelby Bottoms. And, gulp, a viewing of New Moon. Don’t judge, people. As this spot-on article in the WaPo warns, it could happen to you.

Happy Friday!

Scenes From My New Commute

My new commute is not very different from my old one.  The biggest difference is that my office is not by the lake, so it makes sense to take city streets the whole way instead of the Lakefront Trail.  The other big difference is that  I don’t have to ride through downtown.

The streets I take have either bike lanes or marked shared lanes.  As you can see below, I’m able to slide past car traffic in the bike lane.

Car Traffic

Last Week

These pictures are from last week. I’m remembering it fondly, as this week has been gray and dreary. Rain was pouring this morning, so I sighed and took the L train to work. I’ll be back tomorrow with a report of my new commute.

Good Times

A Final Burst of Fall

Cycle Chic

P.S. I’m rarely able to take good pictures of other cyclists going by, but I managed to snap the one above. Note that she has a Jimmy Choo bag on the handlebars of her vintage Schwinn. Only when I was cropping this picture to post did I notice that her pants legs are tucked into her socks. Thank you, anonymous beauty, for proving that tucked hems can be stylish.

Bad Oma

Oma was very naughty this morning. I need Super Dutch Bike Nanny. Angry that I was returning to work and spending less time with her (Trisha’s astute observation), Oma lashed out by tearing my pants leg. I was feeling spiffy, riding in my best Brooks Brothers pants suit, when the hem fell and Oma grabbed it with her crank arm.

The Aftermath

I had to show up on my first day of work with pants held together by a safety pin, and being yanked by my bike was not fun. I’ve never had a problem riding Oma in wide-leg jeans, but from now on I will secure long and loose pants.

Taking the Elevated Train

Chicago has an excellent public transportation system, despite constant talk of fare hikes and service cuts.  Within the city there is the elevated “el” train and an extensive bus system.  For traveling to the suburbs, there is the cushy Metra train. Chicago’s public transportation system makes living car-free easy. Although we almost always ride our bikes, having other options is helpful.

The El Train

The Platform

During my first year in Chicago, I took the El train everyday. We bought a condo close to an El stop. I was happy to be free from driving: I could read during my commute or stare out the window aimlessly while listening to music. Most of the routes are above-ground and provide a great view of the city and its neighborhoods. Eventually the routine grew tiresome and I decided to look into bicycling – the rest is history. But sometimes I still take the El (and so does Oma).

Chicago’s Navy Pier

I ride by Navy Pier every day during my commute. Today the weather was gorgeous – sunny in the 60’s F – so I decided to stop and explore the pier before heading home. I enjoyed it all, even my $5 icecream cone :) This is a great place to go for families, friends and dates.  I love being a tourist in my home city, which you may have noticed. 

Ups and Downs: Balance on a Bike

My ride today was filled with wild variations. A super harsh headwind in the morning and a powerful tailwind in the evening. A calm, safe ride on the Lakefront Trail most of the way and a stressful, congested ride through downtown the rest of the way. Starting out a bit too cold and ending up a bit too hot. Life is full of ups and downs, and dealing with it on my bike helps me appreciate the balance. I really think bike commuting can be as mindful and therapeutic as yoga sometimes.

A Very Good Day

The highlights:

• I got a job as an in-house attorney for a charitable organization!
• I am now the proud owner of a sweet camera, the Nikon D3000.
• I rode home with Ms. E A, and this week I met several other cool bikey people.
• The new Tori Amos winter album was released.

Here are some photographs of my day.

Bike, Sun, Beauty, Happiness!

Forget winter – today was the best day of the season with clear blue skies, a bright sun and warm breezes.   I did not even mind working on a Saturday since my commute was such a joy.  Otherwise, I would have slept in and missed the morning after a fun late night out with the lovely Ms. Elle of Dancing Gypsies.

This is what I call a perfect commute.

The Sun and Betty

A Peek at Winter Riding

This week has been a blur of bike commuting with buddies (Elizabeth and Mr. Dottie) and awkwardly working winter gear back into my routine. Waking up to temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s, I’ve been putting more thought into my layering strategy. The goal is to stay warm but not overdress.

The Dotties

Farewell, October!

I was riding home from work today and saw this beautiful leafy scene. My sister and I loved to rake up piles of leaves and jump in them as kids. In honor of playing with leaves, I stopped and had a little too much fun with my camera’s self-timer. I was way too into my leaf-playing to care whether passersby thought I was insane.

On Your Mark...

Have a Haunting Halloween

Two of the more festive houses along my commute:

This house is made all the more fearsome by the fact that I somehow took the picture off-kilter.

Bike Commuting is Fun!

After starting a new job, I’m reminded of the fun of bike commuting.  A few main points:

• Riding a bicycle every morning and evening keeps me sane, especially because I spend 10.5 hours of my day sitting at a desk in front of a computer.
• Co-workers are always surprised and impressed and want to talk about it.  I try to make it sound fun and easy, while at the same time secretly being proud of the one trait that makes me interesting.
• Businesses are really catching on.  The new sky scraper where I work has a lovely secure bike room directly off the lobby.  I was locking my bike up outside the building when a man from security saw me through the window and came outside to walk me to this magical bike room.  Very nice!

Oma at Night

My commutes continue to be dark and rainy, but I’m having fun. I’d better get used to the dark, as the days are only getting shorter.  The rain will soon become snow, though.  I say bring it on!

A Bike Commuter Again

I have not been a “bike commuter” for the past two months, merely a girl who rides her bike everywhere.  On Monday I started a new job (nothing exciting – a 3 week contract attorney position) and rejoined the hardy ranks.

Wet vintage dress, necklace made by Melissa (thanks!), messy garage

The Mystery Flat

Flat tires are an inconvenience that I have not experienced for over a year, since I got Schwalbe tires on Oma and Betty Foy.

Sliced Tire

The cheap tires that came on Mr. Dottie’s Jamis, on the other hand, have had several flats in their lifetime. The most extreme flat happened last week – a clean slice straight across the tire itself. He went back to try to find the culprit, but did not see anything that could have sliced a tire, other than a grated bridge, but that seems unlikely. The problem cannot be a defect with the tire itself, because the tube was also sliced. Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?

Poor flat tire

As an aside, I must note that his Jamis frame is obviously too small for him, and the larger vintage Raleigh frame he recently built up is a much better and more comfortable fit. I don’t know why the bike shop sold him that size – they even had to special order it because the size was not in their inventory. We had no bicycle knowledge at the time, and we followed their recommendations. Boo.

An Autumn Commute

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.

-Emily Dickinson

Oma in Grant Park

Beautiful Bicycles: Bakfiets (a real S.U.V.)

There are two types of bikes that look so odd, I had a hard time imagining how they worked: folding bikes and bakfiets. I experienced the magic of the folding bike while riding the Dahon, and now I have experienced the feat of engineering that is the bakfiets.

Since Mr. Dottie and I sold our only car in January, I’ve never missed it or needed a car for any purpose. Recently, I encountered a challenging situation: hauling a folding table and folding chairs for a fundraiser I helped organize. The bakfiets came to my rescue. I borrowed the folding table from Dutch Bike Chicago and, knowing that I am car-free, one of the owners offered me the use of his personal bakfiets. Yesss!

On the way to the event: me with a folding table

The bakfiets carried the folding table and the eight folding chairs perfectly – as two different loads, although if I really wanted to push it, I could have piled it all on together. Each load also included several bags of supplies.