Experience the Sunset Chicago Bike Tour 

FAQ

• Expand/Collapse Where is the meeting point?

  This tour meets at our office, located at 910 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 130, Chicago, IL 60605, at the south end of Grant Park. Our entrance is located on 9th Street, steps away from the intersection of Michigan Avenue and 9th.

  • If you are taking the public Subway (the L), we're located midway between the Roosevelt stop (Red, Orange and Green Lines) and Harrison (Red Line only).
  • We have several parking options within a few blocks of our office and all have rates posted as you enter. Please note that the open air lots will require you to pre-pay for parking and tow violators regularly for not having a ticket on their dashboard. Additionally, parking rates are subject to special event pricing on busy weekends when there are festivals, concerts and other major events, so please plan accordingly.
• Expand/Collapse What cycling skill level do I need for this tour?

  While all of our tours maintain a leisurely pace, we want our guests to have fun and be safe, so being able to ride a bike is paramount.

  You should have good balance, be able to start and stop comfortably, and be familiar with hand brakes. We will be riding on bike lanes, through parks, and occasionally with traffic. Riders should be prepared riding single-file behind other riders and riding in a group. Safety is our number one priority but confidence in yourself is the first step to overall group safety.

  Please note that while this tour maintains a leisurely pace, it features more street riding compared to our Chicago Day Bike Tour. Chicago is a very bike-friendly city and cars are used to sharing the street with cyclists and pedestrians, but we ask guests to consider this when deciding if the evening tour is for you!

• Expand/Collapse Is this tour appropriate for children?

  Yes! Our bike tours are a wonderful way for kids to discover Chicago. Please keep in mind that children under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

  While this tour maintains a leisurely pace, it features more street riding compared to our Chicago Day Bike Tour. Chicago is a very bike-friendly city and cars are used to sharing the street with cyclists and pedestrians, but we ask guests to consider this when deciding if the evening tour is for your children!

  • For children up to 12 years old or 45kg (100lbs) without good bike handling skills we offer 2-wheeled tandems that allow the passenger to pedal or coast, without having to maintain a high level of balance. All riders over 45kg (100lbs) must ride their own bicycle. We have various sized city bikes to accommodate just about every size of rider, from extra small 20 inch wheeled bikes for riders that are 3.3ft (100cm) to extra large for riders up to 6.5ft (198cm). Unfortunately, we do not have adult tricycles, adult tandems, or bikes with training wheels for adults or children that may be less confident in their riding ability.
  • There is no additional charge for trailers, tandems or baby seats. Due to limited availability, please book baby seats, trailers, tandems, 20” and 24” wheeled bikes in advance. 
  • Please Note: All extra small 20 inch and small 24 inch bikes are equipped with both hand brakes and pedal brakes.
  • Our city tours are very casual, with only slight elevation changes on varying surfaces including smooth gravel and pavement. It is necessary, however, that any person participating in our bike tours have at least some bike riding experience, and should be comfortable riding in a group.
• Expand/Collapse Is the lunch included in the price?

  No, the cost of lunch is not included.

  Please note that only the 10 a.m. tour includes a stop for lunch. If you are joining us on the 2 p.m. tour, please eat prior to your tour.

• Expand/Collapse Is a helmet included?

  Yes, helmets are provided and we require all riders to wear helmets on our tours.

  Your safety is top priority for us and studies have shown that helmets can reduce head injuries by at least 85%.

• Expand/Collapse Can we buy water at your office?

  Yes! We have cold water available for purchase in our office.

   

   

• Expand/Collapse Is this tour offered in any other languages, or only English?

  All scheduled tours are in English, but private tours can occasionally be scheduled in other languages, given we have a tour guide who speaks the language of your choice. Contact our private tours team to inquire.

• Expand/Collapse Do we go inside the museums and monuments?

  Unfortunately, 3 hours does not give us enough time to enter any of the sites that we see on our Sunset Chicago Bike Tour. This tour is designed to enjoy the city from a broad perspective and enjoy the stunning skyline as the sun sets.

  After your tour, we have lots of information in our office in regards to museum opening times and the best way to see them.

• Expand/Collapse Can I leave the tour early?

  We are not able to accommodate special requests like this on our public tours.  Once the tour begins we ask that you stay with the guide and the group until the end.

• Expand/Collapse How long is the ride?

  Our Sunset Chicago Bike Tour is approximately 3 hours long. This includes plenty of breaks for water, taking photos, and to hear loads of fascinating facts and stories from your tour guide. 

   

• Expand/Collapse What is your cancellation policy?

  Fat Tire Tours Chicago is happy to offer 100% refunds if the reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours (1 day) before the scheduled tour. We do not issue refunds for tours cancelled within 24 hours of the scheduled tour.

  Rescheduling Policy: Reservations may be rescheduled subject to availability and tour guidelines.

• Expand/Collapse What is your weather policy?

  All of our tours run rain or shine. In the event of rain, guides will have ponchos that are free of charge.

• Expand/Collapse Is there parking available near the office?

  There is a parking garage in Columbia Plaza (the building we are located in). It is operated by PMI Parking. Note the address of the parking garage (2400 Virginia Ave NW) is slightly different than our address (502 23rd St NW), but they are in the same building. There is also street parking available near our office, but be sure to check the meters as they may restrict the parking time to 2 hours. Or, they may not allow parking during certain hours. Though parking is available, we always encourage our guests to use the METRO to avoid street closures, heavy traffic and difficulty finding parking.

• Expand/Collapse What's the closest Subway (L) station to the meeting point?

  We're located midway between the Roosevelt stop (Red, Orange and Green Lines) and Harrison (Red Line only). Chicago's transit system provides real-time updates to the Google Maps app on major smartphones and more information can also be found at TransitChicago.com for routes, stops and timing.

• Expand/Collapse Can minors come on tour alone?

  For safety reasons, minors (anyone under the age of 18) must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

• Expand/Collapse What time do I need to get there for my tour?

  Your tour will start promptly at the scheduled time, therefore please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure time in order to get fitted for bikes, use our restrooms, or buy water. 

• Expand/Collapse Are reservations required for this tour?

  Yes, reservations are required for our Chicago Day Bike Tours.

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