On Tuesday morning I woke up to heaps of snow. Not anything like the EastCoast is experiencing, but the first real snow for Chicago this winter. One of my rules is not to ride in measurable fresh snowfall, but my girlish fun side took over, enchanted by the winter wonderland and potential for pretty pictures. If I wanted the easiest way to work, I would have taken the L train.
The side streets were not plowed at all, and thus a bit slippery at times, even with my studded tires. Drivers were very patient, though, going slowly behind me as I took up the one-way street to ride in tire tracks. Once I got to the Lakefront Trail, I was surprised that the Parks Department had already plowed it. Thanks, Parks Department for making my commute 100% easier! The streets downtown were, as always, miraculously free of any trace of snow.
The Day. I spent Sunday in downtown Chicago with Melissa, ice skating, warming up with afternoon tea service and generally enjoying the beauty of the season.
On Friday, after riding city streets all week, the beauty and safety of the Lakefront Trail won me over. Light snow fluttered in the morning, but changed to freezing rain by the evening. Again the temperature was 30-something and my new thrifted wool cardigan kept me warm enough.
Here is a secret to winter bike commuting: it’s not that bad. If you look closely at the individual days that make up winter, you’ll see that most of them are pretty nice. Sure, sometimes the windchill is -20 and sometimes a foot of snow falls, but the time between the extreme days is perfectly fine for bike commuting.
Winter is kicking my ass already. The extreme freezing temperatures more common to mid-winter arrived early on Thursday: 2 degrees Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius) with 25 mph winds, 40 mph wind gusts, and a windchill of -20 degrees (-29 Celsius). Despite the severe weather, I dragged Oma out to bike to work as usual.
Oma in the Snow
At first everything went smoothly. My studded tires crunched over the ice with ease. Dressed in wool leggings, tweed slacks, wool undershirt, wool sweater, wool overcoat, wool socks, wool scarf around my head, Bern winter helmet, leather snow boots, safety glasses, wool-silk blend glove liners and heavy duty Gore-Tex goose down mittens, I was feeling good. I even put chemical warming packs in my mittens.
This post title is inspired by the homepage of Performance Bicycle, which announces: “Who needs cashmere? Wrap yourself in Spandex!” (Thanks Steve for the heads up.) While I appreciate that some cyclists prefer spandex, I thought I’d represent for all the cashmere-wearing cyclists out there. After wool, cashmere is my favorite clothing for winter cycling: luxurious and warm.
Cashmere
Unfortunately, after I snapped this picture in the morning, I realized my narrow skirt was impossible to cycle in, especially sitting upright. Taken down by a skirt! I was in a rush, so I garaged Oma and took the L train. Too bad, because I missed Chicago’s first flurry.
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.
This weekend we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (~50 degrees F) and cycled along the lakefront to the Christkindlmarket downtown.
I love being able to take off my helmet when I get on the Lakefront Trail with Oma. The wind in my hair feels so good.
Helmet off, hair loose
Chicago’s Christkindlmarket claims to be the only authentic Christkindlmarket outside of Europe. I’m not sure about the “only” claim, but it looks “authentic,” based on pictures of a Christkindlmarket in Salzburg via Academichic.
I think today was the coldest of the season, dropping down to 32 degrees F. We donned our winter Bern helmets and safety glasses for a trip to a home improvement store. I got caught up in the holiday ribbon section, where I picked up some trimmings for Oma (more on that later).
Waiting for Winter
Despite the chill today, the weather tomorrow is expected to be sunny and up to 54 degrees F. I feel like I’ve spent a month bracing for a winter that never comes. By this time last year, snow was on the ground. Not that I’m complaining – I’ll be on my bike enjoying the sunshine!
I am still thinking a lot about bicycle marketing, and how important a simple and positive message is for eventual infrastructure change. I strongly believe that on a basic level people are naturally attracted to bicycles. Cycling reminds them of the freedom and fun of childhood. If only we can expose everyone to the beautiful side of cycling – think Copenhagen – the tide would start to turn in our favor.
Out and about with Oma
Am I veering too far into unicorn-and-faerie territory? An experience today makes me think that this idea is not too far-fetched. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
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!
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 thehardyranks.
Wet vintage dress, necklace made by Melissa (thanks!), messy garage
Here is the second video for the LGRAB YouTube channel. Clearly, I don’t have a future with broadcast journalism, but I want to share more about Dutch bikes with the public. When I started researching Dutch bikes, there were none in my city to test ride and not much information beyond the manufacturers’ websites. I obsessively googled different bike brands and found frustratingly little on my favorites.
My WorkCycles Azor Oma written review is extensive, so the video can be considered bonus material. Not super interesting, so don’t feel compelled to watch, but I hope this video will help others who are seeking more information about them before ordering one on the internet or driving a far distance to test ride one.
I’ve never posted about grocery shopping on my bike before, because I live very close to a grocery store and simply walk. In these tough economic times ™ I decided to head up the road a bit and see what good stuff (i.e. beer and wine) I could find cheaper at Trader Joe’s.
Loaded Oma
As expected, all my purchases fit with no special panniers. For the weight she was carrying, Oma rode smoothly. There was a barely perceptible squirrely-ness to her front handling – a slight but constant shift side to side in the handlebars.
The Groceries
If I had to bike to get my groceries on a regular basis, I would either make more frequent trips, drag Mr. Dottie with me, or buy less beer and wine (maybe). I’d also buy some special grocery panniers. I imagine grocery shopping gets more logistically complicated with a kid or two, but then I would have an excuse to buy a bakfiets.
Anyone else grocery shop without a car? Silly question – I know lots of you do! What’s your method?
The best part of blogging is meeting (virtually and in real life) so many cool people who share my passion for cycling. A community of like-minded folks is invaluable: I may have been the only bike commuter at my office, but I was never alone. This weekend was packed full of visitors from the online cycling community, and I had a great time.
There’s so much for me to cover, including the people I met, the cocktail party ride, new Gazelles at Dutch Bike Chicago, and the temperature dropping into the 30’s. I’ll start with the visitors.
The easiest way for bicycling to woo a person is on a bright, sunny day with birds chirping. However, to move past the initial stages of infatuation and build a solid relationship, bicycling must endure the ups and downs of real life. By trudging through, you will realize that the bicycle allows you to feel alive and connected to the world.
On the bike
People nowadays are too hermetically sealed. When’s the last time you played in the rain? I like being able to answer that question: “Today!” The force powerful enough to send me on a 12-mile roundtrip in 50 degree rain was a showing of Richard III at the Shakespeare Theatre. My toes and fingers were freezing, my tights were soaked through, and my bow was dripping water down my neck. I’m not sure if the ride was fun, but it was exhilarating.
As two girls who practice city cycling with style and think you can too, we started this blog to share our stories, learn more about cycling and encourage others to rediscover the fun of riding a bike. All opinions and reviews are our own, and we are not paid to provide them. Check the "About us" page for more details.
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Posted by dottie 
Posted by dottie 
Posted by dottie 
