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Permalink Reply by Rich S on July 5, 2011 at 4:37am

I would just take Lincoln to Montrose and then Montrose all the way.  Only thing is a few blocks past Narragansett, right by Wright College, you'll have to take a right to stay on Montrose.  Otherwise you'll head Southwest on Forest Preserve Drive. 

 

Google directions seem a bit more complicated than they need to be. 

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 5, 2011 at 5:57am

Google seems to like Lawrence a lot of the way (and it has a bike lane from Hamlin to at least Milwaukee. N Lincoln Ave & W Wilson Ave Chicago, IL 60625

	1. Head west on W Wilson Ave toward N Oakley Ave
		1.6 mi
	2. Turn right toward N Hamlin Ave
		0.2 mi
	3. Turn left toward N Hamlin Ave
		0.3 mi
	4. Turn right onto N Hamlin Ave
		174 ft
	5. Turn left onto W Lawrence Ave
		1.7 mi
	6. Slight right to stay on W Lawrence Ave
		1.1 mi
	7. Turn left onto N Austin Ave
		344 ft
	8. Turn right onto W Giddings St
		0.2 mi
	9. Turn left onto N Melvina Ave
		0.1 mi
	10. Turn right onto W Eastwood Ave
		0.2 mi
	11. Turn left onto N Mulligan Ave
		0.2 mi
	12. Turn right onto W Sunnyside Ave
		338 ft
	13. Turn left onto N Narragansett Ave
		489 ft
	14. Turn right toward N Nashville Ave
		0.3 mi
	15. Turn left onto N Nashville Ave
		26 ft
	16. Turn right toward W Forest Preserve Ave
		348 ft
	17. Turn left onto W Forest Preserve Ave
		364 ft
	18. Turn right onto W Montrose Ave
		0.1 mi
	19. Turn left onto N Rutherford Ave
		171 ft
	20. Turn right toward N Sayre Ave
		0.3 mi
	21. Turn right onto N Sayre Ave
		171 ft
	22. Turn left onto W Montrose Ave
		0.2 mi
	23. Turn left onto N Neva Ave
		0.1 mi
	24. N Neva Ave turns right and becomes W Pensacola Ave
		318 ft
	25. Turn right onto N Harlem Ave
		312 ft

N Harlem Ave & W Montrose Ave Norridge, IL 60706

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Markus on July 5, 2011 at 6:54am

If you are an experianced traffic rider the fastest and easiest route (OK a bit dull but...) is Irving Park Road. This is 4lanes all the way to Austin and wide enuf to leave a good bike zone. BUT there is parking all the way so eyes up buddy. The surface is usually in fair 'Chicago' shape and if you are spinning at a decent rate it is easy to use traffic gaps to get a smooth(er) ride.

On the west end cut off at Oak Park and then turn at Montrose (first major intersection after Forest Preserve Drive) and it dumps you out at Maurice Lennel.

Montrose from Lincoln Ave ain't bad either as you can pretty much pace traffic with the lights and flow but it is only 2 lanes and parkers and road surface can get dicey as well as the Elston to Kennedy stretch which cars try to make a passing lane on the right....

If you use Montrose ya gotta take the Forest Preserve Drive bend at Nagle...er Narragansett to Oak Park and see above.

Most other E-W routes do the 2to4 lane damce making them dicey with competetition against cars or are not wide enuf to ride safe.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on July 5, 2011 at 9:02am

I think Montrose is a much better road than Irving for a bike regardless of your experience.  I also like the Foreset Preserve digression if that goes your direction.  I think Rich's directions make the most sense.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 5, 2011 at 11:34am

Thanks everyone. Took montrose, it was great with some good stretches to pick up some speed. It was hot though!

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 5, 2011 at 11:50am

Surprise surprise, because it was freezing yesterday. *smartass alert*

Julie Hochstadter said:

It was hot though!

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