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Chicago Bike Adventures

Chicago Bike Adventures

Custom guided bike rides through Chicago's neighborhoods.

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Tag: near west side

Looking Around 7 (12 Photos)

February 4, 2019May 17, 2019 SteveLeave a Comment on Looking Around 7 (12 Photos)
A tour bike in the snow leaning on a yellow brick wall with large band of blue and white small square tiles.

12 photos taken during a very cold back end of January

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Posted in Looking Around, PhotosTagged brick, lincoln square, motels, near west side, ravenswood, street art, west town

Looking Around 5 (19 Photos)

January 7, 2019August 21, 2019 adminLeave a Comment on Looking Around 5 (19 Photos)
A tour bike leaning on a yellow and blue painted wood block wall arrangement.

Photos taken while riding around Chicago in December

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Posted in Looking Around, PhotosTagged brighton park, cabrini-green, details, east garfield park, humboldt park, logan square, near west side, pilsen, river west, smith park, street art, uic, ukrainian village, university village, west town, wicker park

CBA Rides (11 Photos)

December 10, 2018December 17, 2018 SteveLeave a Comment on CBA Rides (11 Photos)
Two CBA bike tour riders posing in front of a mural of a dark skinned woman with blue pain across her face, butterfly wings in her hair, an eye in her neck, and a hanging key

Looking back at CBA rides from earlier this year.

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Posted in Photos, Tours in ActionTagged architecture, bridgeport, caught in action, chinatown, logan square, near west side, pilsen, street art, uptown, urban greenery, west town

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A book cover for 100 Things to do in Illinois Before You Die with blue text that says We're in the Book!

Yelp

  •   Absolutely loved this bike tour with Steve. Our tour was customized to what we wanted to see. Steve included stops in between our requested stops so we could learn and... read more enjoy more about this beautiful city. Steve was patient with us and accommodating to our level of bike riding, making sure we were following behind and letting us know our route ahead. Steve took pictures and put them together on a map showing where we had been. He also included photos from the movie sites we stopped at so we could compare our pictures with the movie. It was awesome! I will recommend Steve to friends and book again!!!

    thumb Stacie A.
    9/25/2023

  •   Steve is great and love the tours. My wife took me on one a couple years ago and we went again while some friends were in town last week. Great... read more way to see the city and each tour is customized based on what you are interested in learning about and how far you want to go. Highly recommend!

    thumb Jason K.
    8/16/2022

  •   I spent an amazing 4.5 hours riding 15 miles on a totally customized bike tour with Steve. He knows so much about the art, architecture, and history along the way... read more (he is a retired teacher so it's not surprising.) After I got home he even provided me with a detailed map of the ride that included photos of me along the way with informational links about the scene shown. A+ experience.

    thumb Colin K.
    8/17/2021

  •   I found Steve of Chicago Bike Adventures on Trip Advisor. They also have a website: https://chicagobikeadventures.com/about/

    I wanted to enhance a four day holiday in Chicago... read more with something more interesting than the usual Red Bus or Architectural River Tours which, while worth doing, are things I had done before. Steve's tours involve riding cycles around the northern neighborhoods of the city for 5 hours while he explained the sights. Before the tour, you are sent a questionnaire which asks about your size, bike riding expertise, and interests: History, architecture, sports, churches, etc.

    I chose a cold day in December and was the only person on the tour which meant I got Steve all to myself. When I arrived a the beginning of the tour, Steve was waiting with a helmet and a well tuned bicycle adjusted for my size and ready to go.

    We started with a tour of the immediate neighborhood. As we rode He explained the local history and pointed out landmarks. The pace was just right, we kept moving to stay warm, it was about 30 degrees F, with stops at various points of interest. Steve teaches in the Chicago schools when he is not giving bicycle tours and we got along famously. As the tour went open we explored the University of Illinois, street art, the trendy new neighborhoods that are attracting tech workers and historical sights going back 100 years.

    One of the best things about a small group tour is the ability to get to know a local, ask questions and get a sense of what it is like to live in the city you are visiting. This is much better than hearing a recording of the points of interest as you drive by on a bus filled with other tourists.

    Later Steve took me to a local taco place for lunch. The food was very tasty and we continued our discussion of Chicago, one of the most interesting cities I know.

    After 5 hours and 12 miles of bike riding I was tired and very happy to have taken the tour. I suspect you will be just as satisfied if you take one of Steve's bike tours. Although the route is chosen carefully to minimize congested streets, you will be riding in a big city for hours so you should be comfortable riding a bicycle in traffic.
    John Kelly

    thumb John K.
    12/28/2018

  •   If you want to get to know Chicago more personally, try this out. This was one of my favorite experiences during my three day stay at Chicago. I did all... read more the tourist must-dos but it was nice to bike around neighborhoods and to feel what exactly the locals see everyday. Steve was great with everything from picking out/adjusting a bike for my size to explaining fun little details of Chicago. If you love being active and want a new experience while traveling, this would be great for you.

    thumb Somang L.
    8/28/2019

  •   A fantastic bike tour, personally tailored to your interests. We did a 3-hour ride with a group of four who signed up together, but you can also sign up alone... read more and be paired with others.

    Steve is a friendly and knowledgeable guide. We had a rider who hadn't ridden a bicycle in years and Steve's loaner bike and helmet worked out great.

    Highly recommend the "bike the boulevards" route and on through Pilsen and Chinatown. Great history and architecture.

    Thanks, Steve!

    thumb Alex H.
    7/12/2019

  •   My friend from out of town wanted to visit me in Chicago for my birthday. Instead of going out to a fancy dinner, we decided to go on an... read more adventure with Chicago Bike Adventures. It was a great! I live in Chicago and love to bike. I wasn't sure if I would see anything new or unexpected on my trip because I live here, but I certainly did! Steve is extremely knowledgeable and knows about all the hidden gems! He customized the tour for just me and my friend and one other woman that joined us that day. It was great to be able to see all of the things I wanted to see (like street art, history, and planning stuff) and not get into the things I didn't care as much about. I'm sure there are many more customized adventures that he is prepared to give!

    We saw a lot of really fantastic street art. We also stopped by a brewery in Pilsen, Lo Rez. I highly recommend it! Steve was extremely knowledgeable about all of the things and places we visited. He was also very approachable and fun to ride with. He even lent someone a pair of socks so she could be a little warmer on the ride. Great guy.

    It was great how Steve knew which route to take. He clearly did a lot of research in finding the best way to get around. I ride my bike in Chicago so I know how difficult it can be getting around if you don't find a bike lane, or a less busy street. The ride that day was very pleasant and stress free.

    Oh! I should mention that it was 33 degrees when we did this trip and I still loved it! We bundled up and kept warm by moving.

    I would definitely recommend this for a visitor or a local!

    thumb Emily E.
    1/25/2019

  •   This was by far the best day of my vacation in Chicago. A bike tour is the best way to see a city, and Steve's street art bike tour was... read more such a great experience. We saw great popular murals and tons of never seen or known about before. Steve knew the answers to all my questions about the artists, the collaborations, the backgrounds of the pieces and more. On top of that I felt very safe the whole and trusted his urban biking skills. It was truly a memorable experience and I can't wait to take my friends with me next time I go!

    thumb Naima B.
    10/29/2019

  •   Steve created a wonderful memory for us while on a short trip to Chicago. Our group of girls had a mix of biking experience and he went out of his... read more way to ensure we all felt comfortable. This tour was a comfortable pace filled with local art and history of each space. The ability to ride through the city made us feel like a local even though my riding skills may have indicated otherwise. Thank you Steve for making us feel like a priority to you and your city. Would love to come and do this again.

    thumb Amy H.
    4/29/2021

Airbnb

  •   The best bike ride i’ve had in such a long time. Thank you Steve for the tour of this magnificent city!

    thumb Sebastian
    July 24, 2021

  •   Loved it! Great way to get to know Chicago and have some fun on a bike at the same time. Steve was a great guide, friendly and knowledgeable.... read more We felt like old friends by the end, and we'd seen Chicago in a way we never would have without his tour. This isn't a downtown tour (too dangerous to ride bikes down there!), this is a tour of the neighborhoods and history--very interesting and fun!! Highly recommend!

    thumb Sheri
    September 29, 2018

  •   This was amazing! We would happily do it again the next time we come to Chicago. We really enjoyed seeing the city. He has a wealth of... read more knowledge about Chicago. He is a true history buff! I was a bit nervous about the miles it would take to travel around the city. We went 20 miles but they were slow and at my pace. He will adjust the miles and pace based upon your needs/wants. He was willing to stop anytime throughout our experience to take pictures. He sent us a survey to ask what we were interested in and then tailored the tour to our wants. This would be a great introduction to the city if you have recently moved there or are tourists. He was also knowledgeable about other attractions in town. This was one of our favorite things we did while visiting Chicago!

    thumb Lisa
    July 16, 2019

  •   Steve was an incredible host with boundless energy and detailed knowledge of the diverse historical sites and landmarks in Chicago. We saw a beautiful cathedral, learned about the devleopment... read more of Chicago neighborhoods, biked across the serene Humboldt Park as well as checked out some street mural art, all quite a delgihtful treat!

    thumb Yvonne
    May 30, 2024

  •   Steve is a cycling encyclopedia. My wife and I did this tour on our first full day visiting Chicago, and we are so glad we did! The personalized tour highlighted... read more all kinds of things we were already interested in but couldn’t have learned anywhere else. If we ever come back, this is the kind of activity we could book again and have a completely different (and still fascinating and engaging!) tour.

    thumb Kate
    October 9, 2020

  •   The bike tour with Steve was great. A great way to explore a bit more than downtown Chicago and connect better with the city. Steve knows the region and its... read more history very well and he was a great guide. After the tour, he sent me a map with our route and some great pictures. Totally recommend this!

    thumb Livya
    June 11, 2023

  •   This was awesome! When I signed up, I thought this would be good but turned out to exceed my expectations. Steve was super friendly from the beginning and his joy... read more of biking and sharing the city was infectious. There is no way I would've ever seen the places we visited on my own and enjoyed every minute. I've been to Chicago over a dozen times and I learned and saw more during this trip than I've ever seen. He was funny and very smart and his expertise is history showed through his stories, historical information about the city, and knowledge of the changing neighborhoods we went through. He genuinely cared that I was enjoying my time and seeing the things I was interested in. This is the best way to really 'see' the city and travel through the decades. This experience is a must! Thank you, Steve!

    thumb John
    October 5, 2019

  •   A great tour! We had a blast!

    thumb Katherine
    August 9, 2021

  •   We loved this tour and really felt that we got much better sense of Chicago because of it. Steve tailored the tour to our interests and had great info about... read more the history and architecture of the areas we explored. We used Steve’s bikes and found them to be well maintained and comfortable to ride. Even our 14 and 15 year old sons gave the tour a big thumbs up. Thank you Steve!

    thumb Satara
    July 13, 2024

  •   Steve was really patient and knowledgeable. I’m amazed by the amount of details he dishes out in his explanations. Really worth the time and money!

    thumb Jan
    August 5, 2022

TripAdvisor

  • star rating  I read the reviews about how awesome Steve and his Chicago bike tour is ahead of visiting Chicago...and they were all true. Steve is a super laid back guy that... read more knew every inch of incredible Chicago. This was my first visit to the city and...More

    tripadvisor logo
    Kookoocachu
    October 18, 2019

  • star rating  Wonderful ride, Steve is a very nice guy who knows A LOT of Chicago, you will really have a good time with him. Such a great experience!

    tripadvisor logo
    avatar thumb Julio S
    September 18, 2018

  • star rating  This is a great way to see more of Chicago and develop an understanding of the communities and... read more

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    D2057BUshannonh
    March 22, 2021

  • star rating  Steve was a great tour guide as we biked through Chicago. His pre-ride survey allowed him to tailor... read more

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    amyek-6
    March 21, 2021

  • star rating  This was a great experience! Steve was great, informative, and truly wanted us to have a great time. This is highly recommended and a great way to see the city... read more in a totally different way! His expertise in history exponentially added to the already great...More

    tripadvisor logo
    John R
    November 1, 2019

  • star rating  Excellent experience and would highly recommend. Steve, the owner and guide, was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and tailored the tour to our interests.

    tripadvisor logo
    avatar thumb SLC3333
    May 28, 2019

  • star rating  I spent an amazing 4.5 hours touring Chicago neighborhoods with Steve. He knows an amazing amount about the art, architecture, and history along the ride. He totally customizes the tour... read more based on your interests. After the trip he provided me with a detailed map of the route with photos of some of the stops and with informational links. A+ experience. …

    tripadvisor logo
    Colin Knight
    August 17, 2021

  • star rating  Thank you Steve for an informative, detailed and unforgettable bike tour through Chicago‘s suburbs, but also for showing us Chicago from a completely different side. The ratio between riding the... read more bike and receiving information was perfect!

    tripadvisor logo
    avatar thumb Kai H
    July 19, 2018

  • star rating  I spent an amazing 4.5 hours touring Chicago neighborhoods with Steve. He knows an amazing amount about the art, architecture, and history along the ride. He totally customizes the tour... read more based on your interests. After the trip he provided me with a detailed map of the route with photos of some of the stops and with informational links. A+ experience.

    tripadvisor logo
    ColinKnightMD
    August 17, 2021

  • star rating  A must if you come to Chicago. You’ll see a different side to the city and Steve will customize the experience for you. See different neighborhoods, learn about the history,... read more take great photos and enjoy

    tripadvisor logo
    ana_rg123
    March 1, 2020

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