Riding the Metra

On Friday, I decided to take my bike on the train to go to the city. I don't know why I've never done this before, but I've always been a little nervous about the Metra people bugging me and more importantly, riding in the loop during rush hour. I had a great time, saved lots of potential CTA money and got to my destination in 15 minutes instead of 50. Riding downtown is so much more exciting than the suburbs. The whole time, I was really focused on not getting doored, hit by a bus or flung from my bike after hitting a nasty pothole. Then I saw a bike messenger fly by while looking down and texting on his cell phone. Maybe after years of riding down there I'll have the same confidence and level of nonchalance as those guys.


I didn't want to try to bring the Big Dummy, althought I have a feeling that about 15% of the Metra staff would let me on with it. The rules say that there is a 70 inch limit, which is a good 15" shorter than the bike, but there's tons of room in the handicap section, especially when you have the entire car to yourself! I guess getting it on in the first place might be the biggest hassle.


I got some crap from one of the workers at the station when I was walking towards the train. He kept on saying that I better have a chain to secure it to the rail on the train or else he wouldn't let me on. Some Metra workers are way too power hungry. I was a bit confused because the guy working on the way there didn't bother me at all, so I expected the same coming back. When I told him I have a U-lock, he almost didn't let me on because it wasn't a chain. I think all you really need is a couple of bungee cords or straps that can tie the bike down. Just make sure you've got something and there isn't much else to it.