22k commute?

rochie16

Heading to Chicago for 3 months in the summer. I have a possible job lined up which would be 22k from where I am staying. I was just wondering if it is reasonable to commute this distance on a bike. I don't have a great cycling history. I've cycled into college intermittently for the previous 6 months. Its a 10k cycle and I'd do it maybe 2-3 times a week in an average time of 25-30mins. I think it may be a big step up in difficulty as I would find my current cycle hard enough after 3 consecutive days. I cycle a mountain bike so maybe that is detrimental to progress. Would appreciate some informed opinions!

irishmotorist

A hybrid or racing bike would suit you better but it isn't *necessary* to change the mountian bike. Once you have decent gearing and have your tyres up to a reasonably hard pressure (check the outside of your tyres and tubes) it shouldn't be too bad.

The distance is a bit of a jump and if I were you I wouldn't expect to be comfortable doing it at first. If you had a 3-day a week option on the bike (Mon, Wed, Fri) and alternative transport on the other 2 days, that would help you build up the stamina for that every day. That said, if your stuck, of course you can do it 5 days but it might be very tiring and not too enjoyable. Better build into it if you can..

Lumen

I'd first find out whether the route is cycleable at all.

I imagine that eight-lane highways make O'Connell bridge seem rather tame.

aphex™

I'd say the heat over there would be an issue.

rottenhat

aphex™ wrote: »

I'd say the heat over there would be an issue.

For anyone Irish, I would expect so - you could expect the average daily high to be about 30 and it could sometimes hit 40 with high humidity pretty much every day. If it's the kind of job that involves looking fairly presentable, there'd need to be shower facilities. That said you probably wouldn't be doing the ride during the hottest part of the day, and you'd be well used to it by the end of the summer. When I started working (as a courier) in DC, I could barely make it through the day - after my first half day on the job I went straight to a barber to get a blade two because my head was about to explode from the heat. Two months later, I had already come to the conclusion that cycling in choking heat in DC was more pleasant than working in the cold and rain of Dublin.

As Lumen points out, you'd also want to be sure that there is a viable route to get there. Major roads in the US are generally pretty wide with generous hard shoulders but they're still pretty miserable places to be on a bike and you will get a lot of **** from drivers. If it's a matter of cycling from one side of Chicago to the other, then it should be okay although you might be cycling through some pretty ghetto areas (hint - if the route takes you through Cabrini Green, plan on a detour). You could see if you can cycle part way and take the El the rest, or vice versa - I found bike theft in DC was a lot less prevalent than in Dublin and if you're leaving a hack biked locked up at a suburban station I'd expect it to be reasonably safe.

FTGFOP

Chicago's as flat as a pancake, and it has a bike path running by the lake so if your route is near the lake you could remove yourself from traffic that way. Here's a map of bike routes. I would say go for it. By the time it gets really hot in late July and August you'll be that bit fitter to face up to it. And it will be coolest in the morning anyway so you shouldn't be stinking up your work too bad.
It does get hot there, but not Dubai-hot you can expect a lot of their summer days to be high twenties to low thirties but much more than that and you're in the middle of a heat wave and even the locals will be complaining about the heat. It is muggy though, and that will make it seem hotter sometimes. You'll get dewpoints in the weather report there which is the temperature to which the air would have to be cooled before it would rain, the higher the dewpoint temperature and the closer it is to the actual temperature, the muggier it's going to feel. In the dog days of August you'll get a few afternoons where the sweat won't evaporate from your skin and you'll want to be inside with the A/C.
But, given the distance, how flat the city is, and that you will be commuting morning and evening I would say you shouldn't find it too hard. Drink plenty of water! And slap on some sunscreen.

Húrin

You would probably be better finding a web forum populated by people who cycle in Chicago, and asking them.

I once went there and used a rental bike to go sightseeing around the city centre. The wideness of the roads made turning left difficult sometimes (remember they drive on the right there) but I found it generally fine. The city council there seems to have a positive attitude to cycling and are making progress.

rochie16

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, forgot about the whole "sweltering heat" issue. I heard Chicago was quite bike-friendly alright, so that shouldn't be an issue. Might take a run at 3 days a week at the start and maybe build from there.

tommmy1979

Hey OP,

I spent the summer of 99 in chicago on a J1. I cycled to work...twas a 20mile roundtrip, i was living on south wabash avenue (not a good area) and i was working on the north side of the city on Belmont Avenue.

I used to take the lakeshore on my way home in the evenings because i had a little more time and the erm.. "scenery" was nice :P.

I was working in a bikeshop as a mechanic so my appearance didn't matter.

My route out of wabash brought me through the projects and came across a dodgy looking characters a few times the worst i got was a couple of strange looks, i was never hassled.. they may have thought i was crazy..

As for the heat.. ya i took the L a few times when it got real hot.

Happy Days!! Enjoy !!

T

Jawgap

Are you sure you want to go cycling in a place known as the Windy City??

tommmy1979

Jawgap wrote: »

Are you sure you want to go cycling in a place known as the Windy City??

That's a reference to the Chicago politicians... common misconception:)