August 26, 2026 Local news 2026: Salt Creek Trail finally reopens at I-294; Klein Road path plans to be presented Bicycling-relevant news, such as the Salt Creek Trail’s reopening under I-294, a new traffic light at a Great Western Trail crossing, and a proposed path along Klein Road in DuPage County.
August 22, 2026 Bike infrastructure work in 2026: Elk Grove bridge behind schedule; Poplar Creek, Fox River Trail detours Significant bicycle infrastructure projects are coming in 2026, including a few new bridges, a new Barrington Road path in South Barrington, plus a difficult Poplar Creek Trail detour.
August 20, 2026 Big improvements to Cook County’s Des Plaines River Trail; flooding persists on Lake County side Have a look at the remade Des Plaines River Trail between Lawrence Avenue and Irving Park Road in Cook County, with the new boardwalks. Plus, how to get hints about flooding in Lake County.
July 29, 2026 Destination roads: What’s worth the ride to find in the suburbs, and southern Illinois Some great roads are kind of a secret; they may take a while to find on a bike. But they’re so worth it. There’s a good one in southern Illinois, but there are plenty in our suburbs, too.
July 11, 2026 Favorite road ride: Through Barrington Hills to Algonquin’s River Drive One long road ride I figured out early in my amateur bicycling “career” took me through Barrington Hills to a wonderful road along the Fox River: River Drive in Algonquin.
June 18, 2026 Ela Road, Cook County’s gateway to Lake County — but how is the shoulder on new pavement? Cook County has finished repaving about 4 miles of Ela Road from Hoffman Estates to Inverness. It’s a key gateway into Lake County. But did the promised 3-foot shoulders happen?
June 18, 2026 E-bike laws town by town: Where there are age, other limits New, sometimes strict e-bike laws emerged across the suburbs in 2025 after concern about the safety of e-bikes and “e-motos.” Here’s a town-by-town breakdown.
February 18, 2026 Lake Zurich and its new Main Street downtown: Bike-friendly … someday? The reconstruction of Main Street through central Lake Zurich is complete, and it’s spectacular, especially through the Promenade. But one thing it isn’t right now: bike-friendly.
February 3, 2026 Evanston tops 9 suburbs now on League’s ‘Bicycle Friendly Community’ list Nine suburbs of Chicago are now on The League of American Bicyclists’ “Bicycle Friendly Community” list after the latest round of applications. One is back above the others.
February 3, 2026 Bike lanes or paths town by town: A compilation of suburbs’ infrastructure As Schaumburg residents differ on the village’s move from bike lanes to off-road paths in some places, I examine what other suburbs are doing for bike routes — paths or lanes or nothing?
December 27, 2025 Top suburban Chicago bicycling news in 2025: E-bikes, roundabouts, bridges and more In the first year of this website, I found even more suburban Chicago bicycling news than I imagined I would. E-bike laws, new bridges and roundabouts were among the most read topics.
December 19, 2025 Riding a legend: The mysterious, beautiful Cuba Road in Lake County As the suburbs slowly rose in southwest Lake County, Cuba Road was always there. While in recent decades it has been the focus of haunted legends, it’s become a haven for bicyclists, too.
December 13, 2025 2025 road, bike trail construction: Old Plank Road, McClory trails done! Suburban road construction and even trail work are happening in 2025. Here’s an ongoing list of temporary obstacles on bicyclists’ routes, plus some notes on future projects.
December 6, 2025 Local news 2025: Quentin Road plans through Deer Grove; Naperville’s new bike plan Quick bicycling news involving Quentin Road through Cook County’s Deer Grove preserve; Naperville involving its bike plan; Mount Prospect involving new paths; and much more.
November 6, 2025 Our best fall colors of 2025: Less the preserves and more the neighborhoods It seemed like we waited longer this year for the fall colors, didn’t it? And what we’ve seen while riding around has been more muted. That means we just had to look a little harder.
October 14, 2025 Lake County update: Checker, Old McHenry, Darrell roads, Lake Zurich’s Main St., and the future Some major road construction projects that matter to bicyclists have been going on in Lake County this year. I decided to peek. This as the county looks to bicycling and more in 2050.
July 17, 2025 Favorite scenic road: Spring Creek Road in Barrington Hills Spring Creek Road in Barrington Hills offers varied scenery that includes horse farms, old trees, elegant big homes, and of course, hills.
July 7, 2025 Favorite road ride: Lake Barrington, Port Barrington, Island Lake (now with roundabouts) The pretty ride through Lake Barrington, Port Barrington and Island Lake now features roundabouts, too.
June 12, 2025 Invitational ride review: Bicycle Club of Lake County’s Wisconsin Ramble The Bicycle Club of Lake County began June with an invitational it had been preparing for all year, and it was neither in Lake County nor even in Illinois. Organizers chose a more peaceful area.
June 5, 2025 Invitational ride review: Arlington 500 through southwest Lake County The Arlington 500 invitational has been a staple of the suburban invitational calendar for years. This year’s version through southwest Lake County was another well-organized event.
