All Blog Posts (193)

This past Friday, May 20th was national ride your bike to work day. I have been wanting to do this for the past several years, but rain and other factors at work have prevented that. This year however the weather…

This past Christmas I received the "Road Biking Illinois" book and two weeks ago Megan and I got out to do our first route in the book. We did the Salt Creek Bramble which was a nice ~35 mile bike ride around the…

So, if you have been following me at all on social media for the past week, you would have known that I was attempting to do the Grumpy Grind this weekend. This was an 82 mile gravel grinder. A gravel grinder is a very Midwest sort of bike ride that is focused on riding on gravel roads. 

So for the past month or so leading up to this ride I was preparing myself for some pretty terrible weather. Cold, perhaps raining conditions. What we got instead was a beautiful…

So I had my first taste of cyclocross this weekend on Saturday. Cyclocross is, lets just call it offroad bike racing. It is apparently very popular in the Chicago area. 

My first race was in the Dan Ryan Woods yesterday. I was placed in the 4/5 Men's Group, which is basically the beginners group for the race. Races last about 30 minutes and the laps are…

So I having just finished 10 months of training for two half-marathons and one full marathon. There was virtually no time to ride my bike. I have been commuting by bike to work mostly full-time since July of 2009. But since marathon training got into high gear, I "commuted" home by running instead of biking. Sometimes I would take the bus or the "L" part way, but by the end I basically was running the whole way home plus some. Okay, so I did ride home a few times this summer and fall but…

Sharing the kit I keep under my bike seat to help others make similar.  Covers common needs from flats to medical to picnics.  Crafted from experience, comes to someone's rescue often (but don't ask me to change your tire).

That's (L>R T>B)…

Heya, I ride the hell out of the bikes trails in Illinois, and this campaign is aiming to maintain and expand the system that so many of us get great utility out of.  Check it out!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/making-trails-work-illinois-trail-corps

I am Owen of Blue City Cycles, and I approve this message.

After nearly a decade helping backstage, I've announced unwinding my production involvement with the naked ride. Read the thespian themed farewell at ChicagoNakedRide.org/cheers

I started riding my bike to work again about a year ago and I also really enjoy the social rides. I have been graciously welcomed into the community by so many lovely people and when I was invited to join the chainlink I was excited.

After joining the chainlink, I was shocked to see that this website allows personal attacks, vitriolic accusations, cyberbullying and actual threats. There is even a hate group on this site with the sole purpose of harassing a well attended, peaceful…

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.

It does…

I don't just see the cyclists of Chicago as environmentally friendly commuters riding a road but as people traveling on a journey.

Road Cycling in Maui » Geeky Ramblings