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Riding (DH?), Chicago Area

lamp

lamp

Monkey
Mar 21, 2008
210
0
I am contemplating a move to Chicago, University of Chicago area. Currently I live in Southern California, and know nothing really about riding scenes in the other parts of the country. Anyone care to chime in about riding and commute-to-trailhead times in the area? Anything notably rough around? What kind of a drive am I looking at to get to a lift-served spot?

Thanks, not sure if this would be better in the DH forum but I have the feeling that the local riding is not going to be dh-y.
 
dhmike

dhmike

Turbo Monkey
Dec 20, 2006
4,304
43
Boise Idaho
wtf lamp ? hit up burleyshirley , he'll know the answers . if you leave socal your going to have your antisocial group pass pooled b*tch !
 
chillindrdude

chillindrdude

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2002
1,852
23
Northern VA, a peckerwood with too many guns
no dh whatsoever in chicago. supposedly some tolerable stuff in peoria (no lifts, shuttles, but also +3hrs to get there) boyne mtn in michigan has lift served, again, of dubious quality and +5 hrs to get there.

i'm from jersey and rode plattekill or diablo every weekend. chicago is about as ****ty for DH as you can get. if you value your DH/freeride venues, stay the F away from the midwest. i'm leaving this hellhole in 2 months. i'm moving to DC, where at least i can drive to good terrain at snowshoe and diablo.
 
Mtbike

Mtbike

Monkey
Jul 28, 2004
232
0
Indiana
We do our best in the Chicago land area. But you will be disappointed with your riding life if you are used to having access to real mountains.
 
greenchris

greenchris

Turbo Monkey
Jun 24, 2005
1,381
0
DA BEARS.
Hacktastic said:
Fixed.
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actually, for everything beyond outdoor lifestyle short of the huge ****ing lake here, you're wrong. lots of fun going on in the city/bars and sports/ nice neighborhoods w/ tons of culture. very bike friendly just really long and ****ty winters.

id move away in a heartbeat if I could but I def wouldn't say chicago is the suck.
 
Kanye West

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,741
473
greenchris said:
actually, for everything beyond outdoor lifestyle short of the huge ****ing lake here, you're wrong. lots of fun going on in the city/bars and sports/ nice neighborhoods w/ tons of culture. very bike friendly just really long and ****ty winters.

id move away in a heartbeat if I could but I def wouldn't say chicago is the suck.
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I spent 18 years there. The place is friggin' miserable.

The nightlife downtown is a lot of fun, and much more friendly to get around if you're fvckedinhalf drunk without risking a DUI. Of course, it has to be because the place is so intolerable otherwise that all there is to do is drink and play hockey (or some other boring field sport).

I don't think I can live somewhere flat again after having too much fun in the mountains. If you move there, sell the mountain bikes, buy a dirt bike and start riding the local tracks on private lands, or make the trek up to Wisconsin to hit the woodsy trails.
 
gemini2k

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
greenchris said:
alots of fun going on in the city/bars and sports/ nice neighborhoods w/ tons of culture. very bike friendly just really long and ****ty winters.
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There's a reason a lot of good work comes out of UChicago, because there's nothing to do there but work. Ya wow, good food and omfg bars at Wrigleyville! Ya well there are good bars to get drunk at and good restaurants everywhere. Personally, having good places to go drinking, isn't saying much about a city. Also, there are sports in every city. , and the riding sucks. Bike friendly? Ya riding a road bike, dodging cars on the south side, breathing in the smog...sounds like a blast...

Used to be some awezome FR stuff at Challenge Park in Joliet, but that's long since gone (R.I.P CPX, you will never be forgotten). Peoria is not worth the drive, trust me. I lived 40 minutes from there during college and still wouldn't go ride there that often. There is some decent dirt bike stuff in central IL near oglesby and buffalo rock, but that's about it. Palos can be fun for XC, but gets old fast. And there are some fun Urban features around the South side of Chicago, but that gets old even faster. There is a new DJ part in Plainfield, but meh....it's as much BMX as MTB.
j.les said:
Chicago has a plenty of hot women to ride.
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Joking? This guy's coming from Socal...not rural Wisconsin.

Hacktastic said:
I spent 18 years there. The place is friggin' miserable.

The nightlife downtown is a lot of fun, and much more friendly to get around if you're fvckedinhalf drunk without risking a DUI. Of course, it has to be because the place is so intolerable otherwise that all there is to do is drink and play hockey (or some other boring field sport).
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^^ agreed. 22 years there was enough. The only thing I'll ever miss is Giordano's pizza :'(. Well I suppose that's not true. I've been a tad harsh. I'd say the overall culture and viewpoints of people in Chicago are one of the better regions of the country, a bit more 'down to earth' than Socal for example.

Edit: Sorry I just back from a week in Chicago, reminded me why I love SB so much
 
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Kanye West

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,741
473
Yep, the typical Chicago "cute face fat ass" phenomenon. They gotta make it through the winters somehow.

I have heard many times than San Diego is the most fit city in the nation, and I believe it every time I go there.
 
JohnE

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,448
1,976
Front Range, dude...
Grew up in the burbs, and as much as I still identify with the city and surrounding area, I am glad I am not there anymore. Also cant see myself living there ever again. Closest I would go is Madison Wis.
Great place to grow up, but over it.

Gotta have Malnatis or Giordanos, plus a Portillos and Augustinos Deli run when in town though...good eats!
 
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