Sightseeing on a bicycle is far superior to perusing tourist spots on an icicle, with its uncomfortable seating and tendency to melt as soon as you start pedaling. Cruise the streets in sturdy style with today's Groupon: for $18, you get a three-hour Lakefront Neighborhoods Tour or a City Lights at Night bike tour from Bobby's Bike Hike (a $35 value).

The pedal-powered expedition emporium treats wheeled fitness enthusiasts and sightseeing fanatics alike to inimitable and ecologically affable jaunts through the Windy City. Sail down streets on a comfy provided cruiser during one of two guided tours. The Lakefront Neighborhoods Tour, rated "ridiculously easy," lopes riders through the quiet neighborhood boulevards of the North Side and into city parks and bustling beaches. Take in views of the Old Town historic district, the lakefront, and the Lincoln Park Zoo with its pinochle-playing lions during your three-hour cycle saunter. Dusk devotees will high-five their borrowed bike spokes for the "amazingly easy" City Lights at Night Tour. Hit downtown hotspots such as the Museum Campus, Millennium Park, and Buckingham Fountain, whose aqueous spray glints with ghostly reflections of stoic British guards. Opt for a Wednesday- or Saturday-evening tour to witness fireworks popping deftly through the skyline from your perch on Navy Pier. Tours closer to the expiration date may fill up, so book early to reserve your preferred time.