The Chainlink

BE CAREFUL tonight

For anyone who's riding back home this evening, please be careful. For the first time in 3 winters, I opted to grab a ride from a co-worker than ride the bike home. We went Montrose to Ashland, then north on Ashland to the Jewel by Bryn Mawr. And not one swath could I see as being bikeable. I had to walk myself and the bike back to my apartment by Glenwood and Ridge, falling on my ass twice.

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Permalink Reply by Bob on December 16, 2008 at 10:16pm
,,,of course I meant it in a good way!!!
Permalink Reply by Ammo on December 16, 2008 at 10:45pm
It was absolutely crazy. I rode in areas where I could see street peeking through the snow. Mainly where a big truck rode through.
Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on December 16, 2008 at 11:15pm
I had to treck only a couple miles from downtown to Lakeview around 5pm. I only saw a couple of other riders, and a bunch of people walking thier bikes. I didnt think it was that bad, and actualy had a good time. As long as I kept it slow (like there was a choice), I didnt have any problems. To all the new snow riders- keep it up, it gets easier.
Bike Winter Yo!
Martin
Permalink Reply by Dottie on December 16, 2008 at 11:22pm
Impressive showing by you all. My boring self was on the el.

I'm contemplating riding to work tomorrow down the lake front path, giving myself two hours to get there. For fun! My sister refuses to join me. I can't decide if this is an awesome or terrible idea. Probably terrible.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on December 16, 2008 at 11:24pm
It will be awesome!

Dottie said:
Impressive showing by you all. My boring self was on the el.

I'm contemplating riding to work tomorrow down the lake front path, giving myself two hours to get there. For fun! My sister refuses to join me. I can't decide if this is an awesome or terrible idea. Probably terrible.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on December 16, 2008 at 11:25pm
I know. I didn't take it as an insult comma comma comma.

Bob said:
,,,of course I meant it in a good way!!!
Permalink Reply by terryg on December 17, 2008 at 1:13am
I think that was the key for me too.

I wonder how tomorrow's going to look... all this snow, frozen? yeesh, another adventure - The Commute as an exercise in crisis avoidance.
Permalink Reply by Brett Ratner on December 17, 2008 at 1:50am
My coworker and I wound up going for a joy ride, as it turned out. Our aim was to seek as much fresh snow as we could before the plows turned everything into slurpee. The first mile was a little comical, but once we learned how to control a sliding the front tire, the cars were actually slowing us down. This is what I think I learned about riding in fresh snow:
1. Having a mountain bike with fat, knobby tires is crucial: My coworker has a mountain bike with tires intended for "hardpack" dirt (fat tire, but small, closely-spaced knobbies) and his bike was sliding uncontrollably at times. I have standard knobbies and my sliding seemed more predictable and it tracked better in deep snow. I'd imagine riding a road bike or hybrid/comfort bike would be practically impossible...and I didn't see any non-mountain bikes out there to prove otherwise.
2. Pretend you're a car: The cars weren't going fast enough to pass us, so we had the best success riding in the car lane and staying in their tracks. The snow in the bike lane was deep and crisscrossed with tracks left by the parked cars. If we tried to ride in the bike lane, it would send our front tire scattering in all sorts of directions.
3. Wear eye protection intended for winter sports: The snow felt like needles in my eyes, and my right eyelashes eventually froze together, making it hard to see. Glasses were no use because they fogged up immediately. I was wishing for a good set of ski goggles. A hat with a brim would have helped too.
4. Be extra special careful and mindful of the cars: It would seem logical to me that in heavy rain or snow, people would drive essentially the same as they would on dry pavement (only more slowly and cautiously). But such is not the case. It seems like people forget the concept of lanes, or that in the US you drive on the right side of the street, or that four cars can't pass through a four-way intersection simultaneously. It's like an entire city filled with student drivers. My friend and I made the observation that if we did get hit, at least the cars wouldn't be going fast...but still I'd rather not get hit if I can avoid it.
5. Lower your tire pressure. The easiest way to increase traction on a slippery road is to lower your tire pressure. Just don't lower it below the minimum pressure marked on the side of the tire. We left our tire pressures at full and were OK, but if we were stuck out there on road bikes, we would have definitely let some air out.
Permalink Reply by viren on December 17, 2008 at 8:37am
This is my first winter biking and I wasn't sure I should even try it, I had almost decided on the bus home, but it seemed to be running late, and I saw a biker go by so I decided to try it. Initially I tried keeping to the right, but after some extreme slippage, I decided to ride in a car tire rut. This was going very well until a parked car pulled out and hit me. I think I could have avoided it if I had stopped at first sight, but they were moving so slowly, and I think were actually stopped halfway out, I thought they were stopping for me, but then they kept going, and I couldn't stop/get out of the way. I mean I tried but just starting slipping. No injuries to me or the bike though. I had a light on my bike and a light on my helmet, but the driver said she didn't see me. (it was between 4:30-5pm)
So I decided to take to the sidewalk for the rest of the way home in which I did some walking some riding. I crossed most streets walking on account of PTSD.
I live near the loop and got back on the bike for the last three blocks cause the streets looked pretty good. And my only problem was slippage turning a corner--but there were no cars around at the time. Though I did get off my bike to walk the last turn I make, lots of cars at that block.
Permalink Reply by Michael Malone on December 17, 2008 at 9:03am
Yesterday was awesome! It sounds like everyone had an eventful ride, those who did ride. I was no exception, cruising south on Michigan Ave right around randolph I could feel my back wheel slipping terribly(actually I was beginning to fall) so I pulled my toes out of my straps and set my feet down somehow and wound up sliding with my bike on it's side maybe twenty feet. Pedestrians in awe, I put tire to snow and rode off. I can only imagine today will be equally fun/exciting. Good Luck to everyone and if you do choose to walk/drive downtown today please don't step off a curb right in front of me. I have deliveries to make. Plus in this weather I can't avoid hitting you nor will I try, brace for impact.
Permalink Reply by Thom on December 17, 2008 at 10:13am
jamimaria said:
I made it home okay. I took Wells up to Lincoln and Lincoln all the way to Lincoln Square. I found that biking in the lane worked really well for me. For the most part I could go as fast as the cars since they were going so slow.

I probably left work at about 6:15 and made it home at 8....though I did stop along the way and do some Christmas shopping.

However, I do hope that a little plowing is done....though I"m thinking that the bike lane probably won't be plowed and cars won't be as patient when I have to take the lane.

I met someone named Jami(e?) last night, and she told me about the chainlink. I was riding my Xtracycle down Lincoln, loaded down with a huge plastic bin full of books - good extra weight in back to help minimize fishtailing. Fortunately, I made it to the bar in time...
Permalink Reply by Don Sorsa on December 17, 2008 at 10:14am
Eight of us rode on the Bloomingdale Trail for an hour or so. One of the snow cyclists rode 5 miles from the south loop to The Handlebar just to get on the ride! Where there's a will...
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