Chicago Slap & Tickle: But in spandex

My lock will be on my bike, so I'm fine with either locking it up and going in or just taking turns outside watching the bikes while we all have a pint or two. I'm personally hoping for a nice break there and a couple beers, so if you guys decide otherwise the gf and I may just chill by ourselves

For the lurkier denizens of the thread: holy freakin' crap, today was a blast and you folks all missed out!

I've got a little bit more limestone dust on my bike than I would like and my hands are a little bit sore (consequence of not having ridden long distances in a while), but those are my only complaints. The weather was perfect, the company was great, and Two Bros. had some great food and drink on hand for us when we got there and decided to talk about bikes and gaming. Thanks to WipEout, Norfair, Jolly Bill, and Connie for coming out, and extra props to Bill and Connie for doing it all on 26" wheels 'n' tires. You guys rock.

There was talk of another ride in the not-too-distant. After logging some 81.6 miles today (door to door), I'm not prepared to speculate about what/where/when, but I have every bit of confidence that this is the sort of fun a fellow could stand to stare down again.

Woo! Big ride tomorrow. Real excited.

EDIT: Norfair PMed me about a CO2 inflator, but I didn't catch it until after leaving work. I'll have my Topeak Road Morph on my seat tube in case it's a really flat-filled day and/or the rest of us burn through our CO2 cartridges. Everything's gonna be fine no matter what!

I am totes jelly of you guys. Especially since I threw my back out last night. Ride one for me!

(wait, that didn't come out right...)

Minarchist wrote:

I am totes jelly of you guys. Especially since I threw my back out last night. Ride one for me!

(wait, that didn't come out right...)

So much for imagination, I guess.

Thanks guys, we had a blast and enjoyed the beautiful day out on the bike trail with you! It was about 64 miles round trip for us (door to door - 1 mile we walked as a cooldown at the end).

We actually tried to take the metra about 10 miles into the return trip, but we were going to have to wait 90 minutes for the next one while we just sat tightening up in the station, so we hit the road again. About 5 miles later we hit a really nice zone between biking and breaks, and decided to go the rest of the way.

Seriously, an AMAZING trip, and I can't wait to do another tour with you guys. I might sub out my knobbies for road tires, but unless I make some very different life choices before then I doubt the equipment will change that much.

Sounds like an awesome time!

Jolly Bill wrote:

Thanks guys, we had a blast and enjoyed the beautiful day out on the bike trail with you! It was about 64 miles round trip for us (door to door - 1 mile we walked as a cooldown at the end).

We actually tried to take the metra about 10 miles into the return trip, but we were going to have to wait 90 minutes for the next one while we just sat tightening up in the station, so we hit the road again. About 5 miles later we hit a really nice zone between biking and breaks, and decided to go the rest of the way.

I very nearly texted you to make sure you both got back okay, particularly after Connie mentioned her legs hurting a bit, but I didn't want to seem like an elitist asshole after a few knobbie cracks - I generally think that sort of thing comes off as good-natured ribbing, but in the midst of people one hasn't met before, it can be tough to tell. But hey, I'm stoked that you wound up riding the rest of the way back. I'm not sure about Norfair, but I got the impression that WipEout and I could've both used a shortish break on our way back - getting through Oak Park and northern Austin actually felt like work.

Seriously, an AMAZING trip, and I can't wait to do another tour with you guys. I might sub out my knobbies for road tires, but unless I make some very different life choices before then I doubt the equipment will change that much.

Fantastic! Glad you feel that way. If you want some slick 26" tires, PM me with your price range and I'll get some on a near-future distributor order for you, my discount and so on (as incentive to help bang the "let's do another ride, guys!" drum). I'll make sure we get you something that rolls pretty quickly but is also decently resistant to punctures.

I realize it may still be a little to wintery out there but the 3 floyd's brew pub is also a pretty easy ride from the city (around 30 miles from the loop). I've done it a few times solo and am always up to doing it again. Just throwing it out there.

I'd go in a heartbeat. I'll bug everyone about it again once I know that I can be safely riding again/my medical condition isn't crazier than thought (should know in about a month). The Two Bros. ride was a blast and I'd absolutely love to make a day of it again - Goodjers and bikes and beer go well together.

Well I certainly hope everything turns out for the best for you.

I'll probably be a bit too busy for this and next month, but I've been mad at myself for not riding beyond work commute lately and would love to go on a ride if I find the time and the excuse. Next month I'm flying out to San Francisco and am (hopefully) supposed to go on a ride then, too, so a quick wintery jaunt before that would be great too. Although I'm afraid no matter what kind of riding I do out here I'm likely not built for the Bay Area mountains anymore.

Yeah, pretty busy in the next 1.5 months or so, but I would definitely be down (as would PlusOne, I'm sure)

So summer tentatively appears to have come to the Midwest. Anybody have any thoughts about doing a similar ride this year?

I'd be down for it of course, but I've been a bit too busy lately to plan anything myself.

My schedule is super busy this year, but if I can make it work, I will!

I'm in. A little notice would help though so I can get the day off work.

Yeah, same here. PlusOne and I are both in, but we are CRAZY busy this summer and can't exactly commit to anything. Is July 8th actually being offered as a date or is that just left over from last year? What dates are being proposed?

I don't think anything has been proposed yet.

Yeah, nothing's been proposed this year. I might be able to do July 8th, though, now that I think about it...

Shouldn't the thread title be "Butt in spandex"?

You know, I thought about that, and ultimately figured the title might be a bit too misleading

I like the pun either way :).

I'm probably going to have to sit this one out, unfortunately. It's about mid-June and I'm still not feeling strong and confident enough to be back on the 2-3 days a week commute, let alone a long ride on my road bike. But anyone who can should go for sure. That one ride we did last summer was a blast. Good company, good riding, good food, good beer, good times.