Insights from Suburban Commuters

So what's it like on a typical "day in the life" of a cycling suburban commuter?

Where do you live?
How far is your commute?
Do you use pace or other forms of public transportation to supplement your biking?
Why do you choose to live outside the city?
What types of reactions do you get from your neighbors, etc when you show up on bike?

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Permalink Reply by Zomboogz on August 11, 2010 at 4:24am

Hey,

Nice, a thread for the burbs'. Im originally from Chicago and go back every weekend but I work out here.

Where do you live?

I live in Homer Glen

How far is your commute?

6.5 miles (All hills ><;)

Do you use pace or other forms of public transportation to supplement your biking?

No suppliments, not because I'm hardcore, because there are none avail.

Why do you choose to live outside the city?

I work at a University in the burbs' plus its hella cheaper

What types of reactions do you get from your neighbors, etc when you show up on bike?

Surprised! The all think Im some kind of beast. Im like, its only six miles lol

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kalelkar on August 11, 2010 at 4:31am

I live and work in Naperville. That's why I don't live in the city. I did some years ago but I didn't ride then, for shame.

My commute is about 12 miles and I use a mix of gravel paths through two forest preserves, residential streets, and sometimes sidewalks on unsafe streets for riding (i.e. rt.59).

I was at first met with incredulity when arriving by bike, but now my coworkers know that its no big deal. I haven't inspired anyone else to ride, though, even though some of them are even closer.

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Permalink Reply by Zomboogz on August 11, 2010 at 4:45am

Woah, RT. 59 is a beast. I give you alot of credit for that one. Alot of our streets out this way here. I used to live in Bolingbrook as well and 53 is terrifying.

Anand Kalelkar said:

I live and work in Naperville. That's why I don't live in the city. I did some years ago but I didn't ride then, for shame.

My commute is about 12 miles and I use a mix of gravel paths through two forest preserves, residential streets, and sometimes sidewalks on unsafe streets for riding (i.e. rt.59).

I was at first met with incredulity when arriving by bike, but now my coworkers know that its no big deal. I haven't inspired anyone else to ride, though, even though some of them are even closer.

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kalelkar on August 11, 2010 at 4:50am

Well i use a convoluted route to avoid as much of rt.59 as I can. South of 87th street in Naperville there is a new sidewalk that I use. I live and work right off of rt.59, so if I rode it the whole way I could shave a few miles off the ride each way.

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Permalink Reply by kayaktjb on August 11, 2010 at 8:48am

I live in Bucktown. Typical day is to bike to Kedzie stop on UP West Line, about a 15 minute ride. Then it is a half hour trip by train to Lombard, where I have about a 25 minute ride on back streets and a bit of Finley Road to shower/work on border between Downers Grove/Lisle. Going home I go by Morton Aboretum and then up Park Avenue to Metra station in Glen Ellyn.

Overall, it is about 20 miles a day on a mixture of city and suburban streets.

Nice bunch of bikers on Metra.

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Permalink Reply by Seri97 on August 11, 2010 at 4:01pm

Where do you live?

I live in Park Ridge

How far is your commute?

to Buffalo Grove: 14 miles each way (I add an extra 3 miles each way to make it a safer route)

Do you use pace or other forms of public transportation to supplement your biking?

I use my car when needed and between December and March

Why do you choose to live outside the city?

I like living close to work, freinds and family (my work commute will be cut in half in a year) I may move closer to the city in the future.

What types of reactions do you get from your neighbors, etc when you show up on bike?

They are in awe at first and then forget about it after a while.

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Permalink Reply by mike w. on August 14, 2010 at 1:37pm

Palatine, in the middle of the Great Cycling Desert -hard to find good roads going anywhere beyond about a 10 mile radius.

Commute to Rogers Park. Usually spit between car & bike. Depending how late i get out of the house in the AM, about 12 miles on average. Occasionally i'll do the whole 26 miles.

Pace? CTA? Hah. Hah hah. Palatine is also the centre of the Great Mass Transit Desert if you need to go anywhere other than Downtown Chicago. i do drive to the Skokie Swift in foul winter weather.

i live here due to family considerations and because i'm pretty much done with Chicago.

My job is pretty physical -it's not office work- so the whole sweaty thing is not an issue. The main issues that keep me from riding the entire distance have to do with not getting too bonked to do my job or get home after a bad day, how early i can get out of the house, and road/weather conditions. The 26 mile route entails a few miles of somewhat hairy traffic and gnarly roads (Euclid & Milwaukee rd, west Glenview rd) which are pretty much okay in the early AM ( i'm out before 5AM) but are nerve wracking at 5 PM (not that Sheridan rd. is a picnic either.)

My co-workers comment when i don't ride in. If i don't ride regularly, i get very cranky. Driving and parking in Chicago is my idea of a place very much like hell.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on August 14, 2010 at 2:29pm

Where do you live?

East Dundee

How far is your commute?

Round trip is 11.5 miles when there isn't snow on the Fox River Trail. 12 when there is.

Do you use pace or other forms of public transportation to supplement your biking.

What is this 'public transportation' of which you speak?

Why do you choose to live outside of the city?

I grew up shoveling cow shit and bailing hay in Wisconsin. My wife grew up in the Lakeview neighborhood. She conned me into living in Chicago when we were first married by telling me how great city living was. After having our apartment ransacked twice, our car broken into thrice, mugged, bike stolen, vehicle stickers, high insurance rates, etc., I told my wife I was heading back to the sticks. She could come with or stay put, but I was getting out of what I consider 'Hell on Earth'. We compromised with the far NW suburbs. That was 33 years ago. It was much more rural back then and getting too crowded for us now. We are considering picking up sticks and moving to rural Maine in the near future.

What types of reactions do you get from your neighbors, etc., when you show up on a bike?

Not much anymore, except when the temp drops below 10F. Then I hear, "Don't you know it's cold outside?" as I'm wiping sweat off my forehead.