Chicago Bike Routes
Using A Bike Bag To Take My Bike On A Coach Bus
11/5/2023
After riding on many routes around Chicago, I've wanted to explore bike trails in more distant areas that I could still travel to relatively easily. It would be ideal to hop on some form of public transportation with my bike, travel to a faraway route, and then use public transit to get back home (there's always the option of biking home as well).
One option that I have tried is riding my bike to a bus station for coach buses (buses for long distance travel with luggage holds on the underside of the bus), partially disassembling my bike to pack it in a bike bag that I brought with me, purchasing a bus ticket at the station, and then riding the bus to my destination.
A couple of relevent bus stations in Chicago that I have used are the Harrison Street Greyhound Bus Station (630 W Harrison St) near downtown Chicago and the O'Hare Multi-modal Facility (10255 W Zemke Blvd, Chicago, IL 60666) at O'Hare Airport. I've been able to travel between Chicago and other nearby metropolitan areas (Milwaukee, Madison, and the Quad Cities).
Not all coach bus companies or routes allow bikes, so it is a good idea to look up the luggage policies beforehand.
Packing a Bike into a Bike Bag: Below are details that illustrate how I pack my road bike into a bike bag
Bag Dimensions: I purchased a bike bag from an online retailer. An image of the bag is shown below with its dimensions when the bag is folded and unfolded.
In order to fit my road bike in my bag, I have to remove the wheels and slightly slide the handlebars to make them take up less space. I leave everything else on the bike as-is. You can always remove more components from your bike, such as the seat and pedals, to make everything more compact. Below is an image of my bike, with the wheels removed and handlebars adjusted, overlaid over my bag. The next step is placing the wheels and bike in the bag.
Below is a 4-part image showing the process of packing my bike. With the bag flat on the floor, I put in the wheels first and then insert my bike. I then stand up the bag against a wall and wiggle the bike frame around until I can get the zipper closed over the bike seat and handlebars.
After packing my bike and purchasing my bus ticket (usually at the station), I'm ready to hand my bike to the bus driver for placement into the luggage hold, and we're ready to go. At the destination, I unpack my bike, install the wheels, tighten the handlebars, and I'm off.
