Just starting out with bike commuting? Here are some of the lessons I've learned over a dozen years of bike commuting in Barcelona, Pittsburgh and Chicago. 

Earth Day - a movement that has powered a growing awareness for the environment around us and inspired numerous efforts to promote and sustain healthy environments. One local effort in Chicago is being led by Jonathan Scheffel a.k.a. Farmer Jon - a man who has made a business of hauling organic waste and food scraps by bicycle. Over the course of a month he pedals 500-600 miles and hauls 6000-7000 pounds of organic waste - all of it with a bicycle!  And the business is growing, powered by a consumer demand for sustainable products and services. 

Roscoe Village Bikes is located at 2016 Roscoe Avenue in Chicago which is a very appropriate address since the bike shop is celebrating 10 years in operation. First and foremost, it is a local bike shop that serves the needs of bike commuters, recreational riders and families within the Roscoe Village neighborhood. Co-owner and Founder, Lesley Tweedie shared her perspective on starting a business and the changes she has witnessed in bike commuting and operating a retail business over the past decade. 

During college, Lesley was a bike commuter at the University of Oregon in Eugene which had a significant bike presence. After returning to Chicago, she commuted daily from Roscoe Village to Evanston - a good 8 miles one way. The yearning to run her own business must have been strong since she is a 4th generation Chicago entrepreneur. She and her husband, who raced and worked as a mechanic at another local shop at the time, had talked about opening a bike shop for years. 

Shortly after getting married they turned their dream into reality. Lesley recalls working at the Chicago Food Depository at the time and. continued to do so until they got the shop off the ground. Eventually she transitioned to part-time and after a year had segued into a full-time role at the bike shop. Lesley credits their timing with part of the shop's success, noting that gas prices were soaring and there was no bike shop in the immediate area.