Daily Archives: November 18, 2017

2nd City (Literally and Figuratively)

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From NYC I flew to Chicago.  My first ‘issue’ (aside from the chain issues) occurred when checking into my flight at Newark Airport.  Since I’m traveling for work and traveling business class I had read on the United website that I would be able to travel with one ‘special’ piece of luggage.  Well, that’s not actually the case, and I was charged an extra fee for the bike case.  Not the end of the world, but if I were traveling on a budget, I’d have had an issue…

I was only in Chicago for one day, so I woke up early and, since my hotel was right on the East Chicago River, next to the Riverwalk, I was able to ride on bicycle or bicycle /pedestrian paths for the whole of the ride.  From the Riverwalk I headed south along the bike path that runs along the lake.  It was a terrific way to start the day, though it was very cold (+/- 0c).

Chicago Riverwalk

From the Riverwalk the ‘Lakefront Trail‘ runs north and south along the lake.  It is a fantastic resource for people in Chicago and was terrific to ride.  I head south and the path sweeps along the river around the various museums and park land.  The surface varies from very smooth to less than ideal, but for the most part it is very nice.  As I head south there were a few bicyclists heading the other way, and they all seemed to be working very hard.  It was not until I decided I had ridden far enough and turned around that I realised why…  The wind out out of the north was pretty nasty.  I was glad I was on a recumbent! 

Lakefront Trail along Lake Michigan

As I head back north toward the city the view of the cityscape were great.  I was stopped by someone who saw the bike and was interested in recumbents.  We chatted for a little while (I recommended a trike based on his requirements), and then I stopped to take a shot of the city.

Chicago skyline – Willis (Sears) Tower is on the far left

All in all it was a great way to ‘see’ Chicago, and to start the day.  Next stop, San Francisco.  A gps trace of the ride below.

An update to my recumbent world tour

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I’ve been in San Francisco since late Thursday night, having traveled here via NYC, and Chicago.  The Origami folding recumbent bike is still with me, and I’ve been able to ride it every day, wherever I am. 

I started this trip in New Jersey visiting family, and took two nice rides in rural NJ.  I was having issues with the chain coming off from time to time, which was frustrating, but I rode as much as I could anyway.  (I’ve since figured out the chain issue, or at least enough to deal with it.)  The bike itself has been a joy to ride, it has 20″ wheels and no suspension, but I had really fat tyres installed (Schwalbe Big Apple) which soak up most bumps.  The Pinion gearbox has worked well, though there is one gear change that is sticky.  I assume it will smooth out over time.

Riding in rural New Jersey

The bike fold is not as straightforward as with a Brompton, but I did not expect it to be.  It takes some getting used to, but it does create a really compact package, and the ‘carry’ bag that is fitted to the bike is great for bringing the bike into hotels without causing any fuss.

I already posted a picture of the bike in Times Square in a previous post.  I went down there early in the morning pretty much just to take that shot, and the other two days in NYC I rode around Central Park.  The lane that runs around the park is terrific for cycling.  The first day my chain issues continued, but after adjusting the chain tensioner, and shortening the chain, the second day the chain stayed in place and I had the best ride yet.

Origami in Central Park

The lane around Central Park early in the morning

From NYC I went on to Chicago, which I’ll cover in a further post.  Two gps traces below, the first from my rural NJ ride, the second from NYC.