Chicago Bike StationChicago cycling guide
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The city on two wheels.

Rentals, routes, rules and rides. How to rent, ride, commute and stay legal on a bike in Chicago, with a numbered source behind every fact.

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Rentals & Divvy

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A homebuilt tadpole recumbent trike with two wheels at the front and one at the rear

Adaptive Cycling in Chicago: Handcycles, Trikes and Free Programs

Where to ride adaptive bikes in Chicago: the free Lakefront program, adaptive mountain biking, Divvy sessions, equipment types and who to call.

The Chicago skyline across the water as seen from Navy Pier

Bike Rental at Navy Pier: Where to Rent, Divvy Stations and Ride Ideas

Rent a bike at Navy Pier from Bike & Roll or use the Divvy station in Polk Bros Park. Season, what is included, nearby shops, prices and where to ride.

A row of blue Divvy bikes locked at a downtown Chicago docking station

Bike Rental in Downtown Chicago: Shops, Divvy, Prices and Where to Pick Up

Where to rent a bike downtown: three shops, Divvy stations and day passes, with current prices, addresses and what is included.

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Routes & Trails

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Lakefront Trail running beside Oak Street Beach and Lake Michigan

Best Bike Rides in Chicago: Trails Ranked by Type of Ride

The best bike rides in Chicago: the Lakefront Trail, The 606, North Branch Trail, North Shore Channel and the forest preserves, with lengths and surfaces.

A grain elevator and a freighter on Lake Calumet

Big Marsh Bike Park: Trails, Pump Tracks, Hours and What's New

Big Marsh Bike Park on Chicago's Southeast Side: BMX, mountain bike and cyclo-cross trails, two free pump tracks, new jump lines, hours and history.

The Chicago Riverwalk passing under a bridge beside the river

Biking the Chicago Riverwalk: What the City Allows

Bikes are allowed on the Chicago Riverwalk except where signs say walk. The 1.25-mile route, hours, access ramps, and the bike-ban signs reported in 2024.

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Bike Tours

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A cyclist rides a paved path through trees along the Chicago lakefront

Best Chicago Bike Tours Compared: Price, Length, Route and Who Each Suits

Chicago's guided bike tours side by side: city, lakefront, food and e-bike rides, with prices, length, start points and who each one suits.

The Chicago skyline rising above the lakefront and park

Chicago Architecture Bike Tour: Landmarks, Frank Lloyd Wright and Skyline Rides

Chicago's architecture by bike: a downtown landmarks tour, an e-bike skyline ride, Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park, and community architecture rides, with prices.

A Chicago-style hot dog with mustard, onion, relish, tomato, pickle spear and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun

Chicago Food Bike Tours: Deep Dish, Hot Dogs and the West Side by Bike

Chicago's three food bike tours compared: Bikes, Bites & Views, the Westside Foodie Ride and the Family & Food tour. Prices, hours, routes, what you taste.

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Commuting

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A touchless Ventra reader on a CTA turnstile

Bike Commuter Benefits: The Tax Break Is Gone, the Transit Benefit Is Not

The federal bicycle commuter tax exclusion ended after 2025. What it paid, what the IRS allows now, and the Illinois pre-tax transit rule for Chicago.

A parking-protected bike lane on 55th Street in Chicago at night

Bike Commuting in Chicago: A Beginner's Guide

How to start commuting by bike in Chicago: the network, where to ride, the lighting rule, a pre-ride check, and how to combine the bike with CTA.

Bikes locked to wave racks beneath a bike parking sign outside Damen station

Bike Locks for Chicago: What to Buy and How to Lock

Chicago needs more than one cheap cable. Which lock types hold up, the two-lock minimum for big cities, and where to lock a bike.

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Rules & Safety

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A Chicago Fire Department ambulance leaving a station

Bike Crash in Chicago: What to Do and Who to Call

Steps after a bicycle crash in Chicago from official sources: 911 versus 311, what to collect, driver duties under Illinois law, and getting the police report.

A green protected bike lane with bollards at a downtown Chicago intersection

Chicago Bike Laws: What Every Rider Must Know

Chicago and Illinois bike laws in one page: where to ride, lights, hand signals, phones, passing distance, e-bikes and the fines that apply.

A protected bike lane extended across a Chicago intersection

Chicago Cycling Safety Data: Deaths, Injuries and What the Numbers Mean

Chicago bike and scooter deaths fell from 11 in 2021 to 4 in 2024, but serious injuries did not. CDOT's numbers by year and how they are counted.

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Events

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Riders filling DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Streeterville during Bike the Drive

Bike the Drive Chicago: Date, Route, Cost and Rules

Bike the Drive closes DuSable Lake Shore Drive to cars for a 30-mile ride. The next ride is September 5, 2027. Start times, route, prices and rules.

Aerial view of Grant Park with Lollapalooza stages set up around Buckingham Fountain

Bike Valet at Chicago Festivals: Lollapalooza and Bike the Drive

Free bike valet at Chicago festivals: where Lollapalooza's valet stood in 2026, what Bike the Drive offers, and where bikes are not allowed inside.

Cyclists stopped beside a paved path on a spring club ride

Chicago Bike Clubs and Group Rides: Where to Join In

Chicago bike clubs and open group rides by day, pace and start point: Chicago Cycling Club, Major Taylor Cycling Club, women's rides, social rides and more.

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Plan a Ride

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Cyclists on the Lakefront Trail beside Lake Michigan under a blue sky, with lakefront towers behind

Best Time to Bike in Chicago: Month-by-Month Weather and Season Guide

The best months to bike in Chicago, with official NWS averages for every month: temperatures, snow, freeze dates, beach season and Bike the Drive.

The Chicago Athletic Association building on South Michigan Avenue

Bike-Friendly Hotels in Chicago: Loaner Bikes and Divvy Credits

Chicago hotels that state a bike amenity on their own pages: The Robey's Tokyobikes, the Athletic Association's Heritage Bicycles, Arlo's Divvy credit.

Lakefront Trail bike path passing under 31st Street in Chicago

Biking in Chicago for First-Timers: Where to Ride, Rent and What to Know

A first-timer's guide to biking in Chicago: the Lakefront Trail, bike lanes, Divvy and rental prices, and the Illinois rules every rider follows.

History · 2004–2022

The Millennium Park bike station

Chicago's downtown bike station, from its 2004 opening to its 2022 closing: what it offered, what it cost, and what a rider uses today.

Archive

Bike Stations in Other US Cities: Where Chicago's 2004 Station Fit

The bike station model, from Long Beach in 1996 to Chicago's 2004 Millennium Park station: who ran them, what they cost, and how secure parking works now.

Archive

Chicago Bike Resources: The Station's 2006 Links and Where They Lead Today

The old station site's 2006 resources page listed seven links. Here is what became of each, plus the Chicago bike directory riders use today.

Archive

Chicago's Bike 2010 Plan: From Bike 2000 to Bike 2015

The Bike 2010 plan behind the Millennium Park bike station: the Bike 2000 plan before it, the Bike 2015 plan after it, and what Chicago set out to build.

Archive

Free Bike Valet at Millennium Park and Grant Park Events: 2013 Service and Today

The Millennium Park bike station offered free valet parking at park concerts and Grant Park festivals in 2013. Here is who runs free valet there today.

Archive

McDonald's Cycle Center Bike Rental Prices (2013) and What Rentals Cost in Chicago Now

The 2013 rental price list of the Millennium Park bike station, line by line, beside what Divvy and Lakefront shops charge for a Chicago bike today.

Archive

McDonald's Cycle Center History: Chicago's Millennium Park Bike Station

How Chicago built the Millennium Park bike station in 2004, named it for McDonald's in 2006, handed it to Shift Transit in 2021 and closed it in 2022.

Archive

Millennium Park Bike Station Design: Muller&Muller's Glass Atrium

Muller&Muller's 2004 design for the Millennium Park bike station: a glass atrium over two underground levels, solar panels, fire-rated glass and the BP Bridge.

Archive

Millennium Park Bike Station in the Press: The 2003–2005 Archive and What Followed

Every clipping the old station site logged in 2003–2005, plus later headlines on McDonald's, Hub312, the 2022 closing and the 2023 police conversion.

Archive

Millennium Park Bike Station Membership Prices (2013) and What Replaced Them

What a Millennium Park bike station membership cost in 2013, what it included, how Hub312 repriced it in 2021, and where to park and ride in Chicago now.

Archive

Millennium Park Bike Station: Location, Old Hours and Getting There Today

The Millennium Park bike station stood at 239 East Randolph Street until 2022. Its old hours, today's park hours and how to get there by CTA, Metra and Divvy.

Archive

The Station's 2013 Bike Tours, and Chicago's Guided Rides Today

The guided tours the Millennium Park bike station ran in 2013, with prices, set beside the Chicago bike and Segway tours that depart today.

Archive

Why Ride a Bike in Chicago: The Five Reasons the Bike Station Gave in 2013, Updated

The Millennium Park bike station gave five reasons to ride in Chicago in 2013. Here is each one, checked against today's city, health and cost figures.

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