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Old 07-23-2014, 11:50 PM
 
11,768 posts, read 10,261,651 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
The OP would be wise focus on a nice apartment in Hyde Park. The stated budget should allow them a decent range of options. It should also be possible to ride a bike to work from most any safe area that is patrolled by campus security in 10 minutes or less...

Competitive cycling such that you'd be in regional criteriums is going to require pretty serious training and that may want to consider other factors. There are options for group rides that may start in Chicago or suburbs but it may not be wise / practical. It may be better to plan on using the commuter rail links to get to rides or driving an auto to the start of the ride. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of the new velodrome that is not too far from UofC. ABOUT | chicagovelocampus.com
Chicago has some negatives that effect all bicycle riders in the region. We are a northern city with fickle weather -- one day it may be humid / stormy, the next so much cooler as to risk muscle craps from the wind. Winters maybe worse, with some years having extreme cold / snow. Even if we have some winter days that are dry / relatively warm the limited hours of daylight and location very close to eastern edge of the central time zone make a rigorous outdoor regiment of training very hard to fit into a normal day. A solidly built apartment with a spare room for a set of rollers may be the only way to maintain riding fitness ...
Oh come on now. It's not that bad.
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Old 07-24-2014, 12:13 AM
 
1,971 posts, read 3,043,969 times
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most serious roadies do rollers anyway

like... more rollers than road

or these days some sort of power trainer contraption

but i don't know why you'd need to train on rollers for crits
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Old 07-24-2014, 08:30 AM
 
28,453 posts, read 85,379,084 times
Reputation: 18729
Default Depends on the rest of your age group competition...

Quote:
Originally Posted by rzzz View Post
most serious roadies do rollers anyway

like... more rollers than road

or these days some sort of power trainer contraption

but i don't know why you'd need to train on rollers for crits
If the OP hopes to be competitive he ought to know that quite a few of the regional riders are coming from parts of Iowa & Wisconsin where their native rolling hills really build leg strength far better than one can anywhere in pancake-flat Chicago. If they are able to get out to some group rides in the Forest Preserves that helps a bit but honestly even the locals that literally work in bike shops or gyms will tell you riders that can put in hilly training rides from home before work have a huge advantage...

South Chicago Wheelmen | Bicycle Racing since 1923

Training Rides and Off Season Indoor Group Trainer Schedule |The Wheel Thing, LaGrange IL

Chicago Bike Racing Scheduled Training Rides All Areas

Last edited by chet everett; 07-24-2014 at 08:43 AM..
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Old 07-24-2014, 09:31 AM
 
4 posts, read 4,143 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
If the OP hopes to be competitive he ought to know that quite a few of the regional riders are coming from parts of Iowa & Wisconsin where their native rolling hills really build leg strength far better than one can anywhere in pancake-flat Chicago. If they are able to get out to some group rides in the Forest Preserves that helps a bit but honestly even the locals that literally work in bike shops or gyms will tell you riders that can put in hilly training rides from home before work have a huge advantage...

South Chicago Wheelmen | Bicycle Racing since 1923

Training Rides and Off Season Indoor Group Trainer Schedule |The Wheel Thing, LaGrange IL

Chicago Bike Racing Scheduled Training Rides All Areas


Thanks! I've started looking into the Chicago-area racing clubs. I don't have a strong desire to start racing crits - I've done that and crashed, but avoided breaking any bones (unlike some of my buddies). I mostly enjoy hanging with a very strong group ride, participating in an occasional tri, or an occasional time trial.
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Old 07-25-2014, 01:13 AM
 
6,438 posts, read 6,917,875 times
Reputation: 8743
Quote:
Originally Posted by lycos679 View Post
Oh come on now. It's not that bad.
Yes, it is. This year we had 41 days with temperatures below zero Fahrenheit.

The OP should look in Hyde Park. It's a beautiful, mostly safe area closely associated with the U of C. Most of the professors live there. $2000 is plenty of money for a Hyde Park apartment and you'll be looking at the better places at that price.

The "nice" areas near Hyde Park (but not within it) are not all that close.

The areas west of Hyde Park on the way to Midway Airport are awful but you don't have to go there, and Hyde Park looks nothing like that. Bicycle riding on the south lakefront path is mostly safe (there was an incident recently but that was unusual) and north of about 23rd Street all the way to Hollywood (5700 North) it's completely safe (safe from criminals, not from accidents).

It is not possible to ride a bicycle all the way to Evanston without going by street from Hollywood to Juneway (5700 to 7800 North, about 4 miles).

I hope you enjoy working at my alma mater.
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