All Blog Posts (193)

Race Report: Barry-Roubaix "Killer Gravel Road Race"

Photo by Rob Meendering Photography

This "Killer" race lived up to its name with cold rainy and road conditions described as "peanut butter" or "oatmeal". Leah Barry and Zach Schneider, both racing for The Chainlink, race Barry-Roubaix for the first time and report back on what it's like to race in some of the worst…

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Added by Yasmeen on April 6, 2017 at 3:30am — No Comments

New Local Bike Shop: Tailwind Cycles in Albany Park

By Yasmeen Schuller

If you ever shopped at Iron Cycles in Albany Park, you probably met Steven Blum and Ben Fietz. Their friendly, helpful reputation is well-known in the cycling community and the neighborhood for bikes, bike repairs, and bike fit. After the Iron Cycles location on Montrose…

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Added by Yasmeen on April 5, 2017 at 7:30pm — 2 Comments

Group Rides 101

By Yasmeen Schuller with input from The Chainlink Team and Ambassadors

Thinking of joining a group ride or just want a refresher on group ride etiquette and safety? Group rides are a great way to improve your fitness and speed as well as make new friends. If you are training for a century, a bike…

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Added by Yasmeen on March 30, 2017 at 4:30am — 6 Comments

Snow Rides - Fat Bikes are a Fad

It took me forever to realize Santa Claus wasn't real and I still believe in Sasquatch. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and I've been with my current bike (yes, my only bike) for seven years. This is, of course, an opinion piece and its obviously biased. 

I dreaded moving to…

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Added by The Chainlink on March 15, 2017 at 4:30pm — 6 Comments

Race Report: The Dirty South Roubaix 100K+

Jeremy and Geoffrey share their experiences racing Dirty South Roubaix for the first time.

Photo by Matt Gholson

 

By Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin

Really, this is all winter’s fault. The roads…

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Added by The Chainlink on March 15, 2017 at 10:00am — 3 Comments

National Ride Your Bike to Work Day - They Forgot to Tell the Motorists

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…

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Added by Matt on May 21, 2016 at 7:00am — No Comments

The Salt Creek Bramble

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…

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Added by Matt on May 2, 2016 at 7:00am — No Comments

Grumpy Grind #4 - Or the story of how I bonked

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…

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Added by Matt on April 17, 2016 at 4:30am — 1 Comment

First Cyclocross Event - Dan Ryan Woods

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…

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Added by Matt on October 12, 2015 at 7:25am — 1 Comment

I Will Ride Again

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…

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Added by Mary Jo Graden on October 7, 2015 at 6:20am — 3 Comments

My Emergency Kit

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)…

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Added by Andrew Bedno on March 9, 2015 at 10:30am — 4 Comments

Nuff Sed ...

Added by globalguy on June 11, 2014 at 7:25am — No Comments

Help out Illinois trail making!

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.

Added by olloyd1 on May 28, 2014 at 2:43pm — No Comments

Cheers!

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

Added by Andrew Bedno on April 1, 2014 at 5:00am — No Comments

Why I am leaving the chainlink

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…

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Added by Christina Tanner on April 1, 2014 at 1:37am — 1 Comment

1 Corinthians 13

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…

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Added by Andrew Bedno on March 29, 2014 at 11:04am — No Comments

Cyclists of Chicago

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

Added by Avery Schleichkorn on March 10, 2014 at 8:30am — No Comments

Wine Flatbed bike Trailer

I just received my Wike Flatbed trailer. It boasts a 125 lb. capacity for less than $200. So far I have only tooled around the hood a little. I'll be sure to post pics and an evaluation once I have a chance to put it to use:-)

Added by John LaVere on July 9, 2013 at 12:28pm — No Comments

NSFW - Stunning striptease with bike to Strict Machine.

Added by Andrew Bedno on January 27, 2013 at 11:01am — No Comments

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