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Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on March 11, 2014 at 4:00pm

I don't know if I'd go far enough to call it fun, but I've been grateful for my experience mountain biking. Knowing how to unweight comes in handy in that unavoidable cluster of craters at Milwaukee and Augusta.

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Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on March 11, 2014 at 7:38pm

I tried to enjoy one of my summer routes through a forest preserve the other day... but it turned into a cyclocross race against myself as I kept getting off the bike to get past obstacles (mostly deep snow and ice). 

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 12, 2014 at 3:13am

That's pretty funny.

Drewbacca said:

 it turned into a cyclocross race against myself as I kept getting off the bike to get past obstacles (mostly deep snow and ice). 

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on March 12, 2014 at 3:58am

Dave, I applaud your mindset of making a positive out of, ahem...well...what we have here. I rode Sunday and found that it required great concentration. Avoiding craters and berms of ice without drifting into traffic required planning and delicacy. It was fun. We all need to be aware of whatever is coming from behind us when we veer to avoid the abyss. We may be dangling between the scylla of a pothole and the charybdis of oncoming traffic. For the X Games enthusiasts this may add to the fun of seemingly mundane city riding. Enjoy.  

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Milham on March 12, 2014 at 4:09am

What a beautifully written post / I feel like I just got a vocab lesson :) 

David Barish said:

Dave, I applaud your mindset of making a positive out of, ahem...well...what we have here. I rode Sunday and found that it required great concentration. Avoiding craters and berms of ice without drifting into traffic required planning and delicacy. It was fun. We all need to be aware of whatever is coming from behind us when we veer to avoid the abyss. We may be dangling between the scylla of a pothole and the charybdis of oncoming traffic. For the X Games enthusiasts this may add to the fun of seemingly mundane city riding. Enjoy.  

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 12, 2014 at 4:56am

Well said.

David Barish said:

Dave, I applaud your mindset of making a positive out of, ahem...well...what we have here. I rode Sunday and found that it required great concentration. Avoiding craters and berms of ice without drifting into traffic required planning and delicacy. It was fun. We all need to be aware of whatever is coming from behind us when we veer to avoid the abyss. We may be dangling between the scylla of a pothole and the charybdis of oncoming traffic. For the X Games enthusiasts this may add to the fun of seemingly mundane city riding. Enjoy.  

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Permalink Reply by Eric R on March 12, 2014 at 2:15pm

Great post! And I agree, it is fun! Comparing winter city riding to "mountain" biking is spot on, it just takes a lot of balance and a little patience (or maybe the other way), at least that is how I try to explain it to people.

I've never ridden the trails up here but rode every trail I could find in "the Central ILL" (where I grew up). Yeah, there are a few hills down state. :)

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Permalink Reply by Eric R on February 4, 2015 at 5:35am

Hopefully we won't be picking lines in March but the last few days have been enjoyable, though I've given up on Augusta, the bike lane is completely gone.

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Permalink Reply by Beans on February 4, 2015 at 6:18am

I enjoy this weather. Potholes are fun.

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Permalink Reply by Louie Louie on February 5, 2015 at 2:32am

Thanks for this thread. I had my worst commute yesterday between getting splash with all the melted snow and the bike lane on kedzie being full of snow from cars parking on the street. Maybe I'll allow myself a little more time today and think of it as an adventure.

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