Mia, W Grand Ave & N Halsted St, Chicago, IL

Mia rides a a Gary Fisher Simple City 3 from Village Cycle Center in Old Town

Where are you going? To work - my office is across from the Merchandise Mart 
Why ride? Why not ride? Riding my bike to and from work automatically puts me in a better mood for the whole day. It just makes me really happy. Of course there are a ton of environmental and health benefits to biking, but I do it just because I love it.
Favorite ride? Oh that's a hard one because there are so many good ones in Chicago! I like riding around the industrial side of the West Loop late at night. And last year my boyfriend and I rode up the the Botanical Gardens from our apartment in Wicker Park, that was pretty amazing.
While riding you …? Smile.
How can Chicago improve bike infrastructure or make Chicago more bike friendly? Bike lanes bike lanes bike lanes! It's always such a bummer to turn on to a street just to realize there is no bike lane.

Cory, Milwaukee and Western, Chicago, IL

Corey rides a Gary Fisher simple city 3 that she got at On The Route Bicycles in Lakeview.

Where are you going?  I'm 
on my way home after an (early) birthday dinner out with my husband! It is my first time on my bike since the birth of my second son in October.

Why ride?  Well, we don't have a car, so it's either ride, take the public transportation, or walk. Riding is definitely more fun than the other options, and usually faster too (though the baby's still too small for the trailer, so I'm usually on the bus right now, sigh).

What is you favorite ride?  There's a block of Blackhawk behind Jewel (between Paulina and Ashland) that rarely has cars on it (since it's a loading zone and also has partitions in the middle), so it's pretty fun to go as fast as possible for that small stretch. I have to add I miss just riding at all - I'm definitely counting down the months until my second son is big enough for the trailer. 

How can Chicago improve bike infrastructure or make Chicago more bike friendly?
Have wider bike lanes on shared streets or, better yet, separated bike lanes. I rode most of last summer with my son in a trailer, and when we were on busier streets, it wasn't fun to have cars crowd me with him in tow.

Amy, Honore St and Wicker Park Ave, Chicago, IL

 

Amy rides a Gary Fisher Simple City 3 step-through in aqua.

 Amy started biking when her and her boyfriend (now husband) would go on bike dates together. It is still their favorite way to go out.

Check out Amy's blog Two Pitties in the city