Suggestions for riding in the Schaumburg IL. area?

[Thirsty Owl]

I'll be in Schaumburg / Hoffman Estates area next Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1-2.
I will bring my bike in hopes of finding some riding either in the area, or not far from.
I would like some suggestions on routes, or if there is an individual or group that rides in the area, and would like to act as a tour guide, that would be great.
I'm doing the 9-5 schedule, so my evenings are free
Thanks in advance for any advice
-Thirsty

[TBLS]

Just relo'd from the area. There are usually riders leaving penny road pub (penny road and old sutton) near 6 nightly and the riding is surprisingly very good north of that area after you cross a few main roads. Pm me if you want me to map something out - point out where you are staying.

Bike Connection in Schaumburg may have additional ideas and there are a variety of bike stores in Barrington.

[Peter P.]

I've been to Motorola school a bunch of times, and brought my bike once. Schaumburg has an extensive bike path system that's scarcely used by bikes or walkers. It'll get you just about anywhere in town.

Stop in at any REI or Performance (they're both in Schaumburg on Golf Road) and grab a copy of one of those local athletes magazines that feature triathletes, running, cycling, etc. They're usually free. They should list group rides. They may be able to steer you toward a group ride or an alternative.

There's also the Busse Woods Preserve in the eastern/south eastern end of Schaumburg. There's pretty fun mountain biking in there and a multi-use path. Nothing for hills but you can get a decent workout considering it's such an urban area.

Just off the multi-use path on the outskirts of Schaumburg in Elk Grove Village is Village Cycle Sport. That's where I connected with some kind folk who showed me the trail network in the Busse Woods Preserve. The bike path got me there and back without a problem. Any hotel should have maps of the path network.

I did take my ATB on a road ride south to Naperville, where I hooked up with a Sunday ATB ride group, then rode back to Schaumburg. The roads are too congested to consider actual road riding in Schaumburg, hence the bike path network. But once I was on the southern outskirts, it was no problem at all.

[Gsinill]

As other said already, there are a lot of bike paths in the Chicago area.
If that is your thing, check out the Fox River Trail (http://www.traillink.com/trail/fox-river-trail-(il).aspx) that runs from Algonquin (north west of SB/HE where you will be) all the way to Oswego in the south.

You could head west to Elgin an hop on the trail there.
I rode it 2 weeks ago and liked it a lot. It's 95% paved (at least from Elgin to Geneva where I turned around) and probably one of the most scenic rides in the area.
It also has a few sections that are kinda hilly which is fairly rare in the flatlands here; a really decent one is right before you hit St. Charles.

Cheers
GS

[tv_vt]

Grew up in that area and my parents still live there.

You could just deposit yourself in Elk Grove Village and get lost on all the suburban streets. There's also a bike path in the Forest Preserve there. There used to be a good bike shop in the plaza at corner of Rt 72 (Higgins Rd) and Arlington Hts Rd. Once when I was in there, they had Lemond's winning bike from '86 (the steel one he rode most stages). Edit - as previously mentioned - Village Cycle Sport...

But beware there's a sh-tload of traffic in that whole northwestern suburban area, and they don't give a you-know-what for cyclists. I would never bring a bike there now. Just way too many cars for me on most roads.

Be careful.

T

[palincss]

I searched ridewithgps.com for rides of any length within 5 miles of Schaumburg IL and found 134. Surely there must be something worth doing in that lot!

[fio]

I'm from Schaumburg but most of my riding has been done in Wisconsin since I moved here so my experience is limited, but I do have some insights. Busse is great for cruising, but it can get crowded on the weekends. There's some decent riding if you head west of Barrington road. Things open up a bit more out there. The Fox River Trail is a lot of fun and you can really see a lot just by taking it easy along that trail. I'd try to stay away from the bigger roads as the shoulders aren't very pleasant to ride on and drivers generally aren't used to riding around cyclists.

Village Cycle Sport in Elk Grove (just across the street from Busse) is a very good shop with very friendly employees. I generally stop in every time I'm in town. Also, if you're going to be there for the 1st and 2nd, you might be interested in staying the whole weekend because the Tour Of Elk Grove is the 2nd, 3rd and 4th in that area. It's a ton of fun and there is some really great racing. You'd never think they could make a UCI race happen there, but they do. Have fun and be careful!

[Dromen]

I ride in Barrington a lot. Wisconsin type hills just not quite as many. I can send you a couple garmin routes if that is what you are interested in. Reach out to Gavingould, he lives in area and is more familiar with area.

Nice century ride from Barrington > Around Lk Geneva > Back to Barrington.

[gavingould]

in the area, sort of. honestly i've never made my way out around Schaumburg though. i generally ride Chicago to Highland Park/Fort Sheridan like everyone else on the weekends...
or i'm in southeast Wisconsin or east Iowa.
occasionally we head southwest out of Chicago to Willow Springs/Palos area.

if you're a strava/garminconnect/ridewithgps/etc member i'd try searching there or hit the shops suggested above.

[Dromen]

Sorry Gavingould... meant kentileguy (sp?)