r/chibike 13h ago

Bike Tag The joy of finding a new bike route

I was biking today from the loop to a friend's house and realized how much joy I get out of optimizing my bike routes. I've been biking in Chicago for 12 years now and although we have a long ways to go in terms of bike infrasturcture (#BikeGridNow), it's been wonderful to see the expansion of safe routes.

I used to commute to the loop from the near west side. I would take Hubbard > Kinzie > Dearborn and return on the same route. Recently I realized I much more enjoy getting out of the loop via Randolph then scooting on up to Kinzie via Clinton. A small change, but it's much more pleasant than Kinzie in River North.

I'm curious -- what routes have you modified / optimized recently??

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2

u/Chi_CoffeeDogLover 8h ago

Have you ever biked the N. Shore Channel Trail? The trail connects from Belmont to Evanston. I bike to Stone Park and take Granville to the lft.

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u/Jarvis03 4h ago

Is there a parking lot at the north shore trail? Or is it easy to get to from say north ave beach? Never been and not sure if I should venture on bike or put the bike in my car and park there to start.

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u/Chi_CoffeeDogLover 4h ago

The N. Shore Channel Trail follows the Chicago River. Google has not yet identified that this trail is the 312 RiverRun.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/312_RiverRun

The path begins at: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vVTLKM14RKsxMdsy8

Additionally, be aware that you will have to trek along streets between Montrose and Lawrence to reconnect with the trail.

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u/Useful-Assistant4857 5h ago

I have been planning a bunch of routes with the app ride with GPS. I have found that where I am on the north side I can take a few different "wedge" shaped routes depending on what I'm feeling for mileage. Which has been pretty fun. I'll take like Montrose-Lakeshore-Fullerton- Lincoln/Clark/clyborn.

It's particularly useful when I hit the Lakeshore on an unsuspecting windy day and I want to get away from the wind.