Riding in Cleveland?

[paczki]

I'm going to Cleveland for a few days and staying near the waterfront. Should I bring my bike (probably my fixie) or is it not worth the trouble? No disrespect to Cleveland intended, I just don't know whether it's a good place for cycling.

Thanks!

[konstantkarma]

I am a native, and still visit family there frequently. Like many downtown areas, cycling is limited in the immediate vicinity of the downtown lakeshore, other than MUTs that are not very long. There is an extensive park system around Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs know as the "Emerald Necklace", or Metroparks. I have done a lot of riding there, and it is possible to connect to this from downtown, if you follow bike routes west towards Lakewood to the Rocky River Reservation. In general, Clevelanders tend to be more courteous drivers than in other parts of the country so you got that goin' for ya.....which is nice.

I would suggest checking bikely.com for more specifics on area routes.....bikely.com_Cleveland (http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/srchkey/cleveland%2C+Ohio)

[giordana93]

Cleveland actually has some great riding, though obviously a bit more limited close to downtown. the good news is that downtown is not exactly manhattan (!!) in other words, there is no gridlock traffic, so it's not too hard to get out and on the bike; and within reason, it's pretty easy to avoid the less bike-friendly "urban" neighborhoods. you'll need to do a little homework, and it will depend on how much time you have, but it's definitely a place to bring a bike. the metropark system is pretty nice, as mentioned, and it's only a few miles up to the university circle area, or go along lake shore (still waiting to be developed into something nice, but passable for now), yadda, yadda. the bike lane scene, on the other hand, is pretty lacking, and some of the supposedly scenic routes are a bit industrial, so that's the homework I was talking about. I'm up past my bedtime and not likely to be checking in that much, but if you don't get much response on the thread, you can shoot me an email.
the guys at spin bikes might be able to help you out as well

btw, depending on how much time you have (and how strong you are) you might want to consider a geared bike. I was under the false impression when I moved here 15 yrs ago that the area was mid-west flat. it ain't. there are no mountains, but a few river valleys (including the cuyahoga that caught on fire and which runs right into downtown and into lake erie) have some grades that can be short and tough, a bit like western PA and NY.

if you need it, my email is mrichards AT jcu DOT edu

[Spinner]

... there is plenty of riding here in cleveland. i live 14 miles west of downtown and frequently ride to the city. you can easily ride west on superior street, which turns into detroit avenue. head west +/- 3 miles to lake road, on into lakewood and the western burbs. once in lakewood you can also pick-up the emerald necklace (metroparks system) and ride in the shade.

pm me and perhaps we can ride together.

reporting from downtown cleveland ...

cheers.

[paczki]

Thank you all this is great :banana:

[konstantkarma]

Nice to see some NE Ohioans in the house. I spent my first 19 years in Lakewood. Now, everyone in my family, except for my mom, has moved south....toward Strongsville, Berea etc. The riding is great south of the city, and as already mentioned, it is pretty easy to get around in the city by bike. Now when I visit, I usually ride the Rocky River Reservation part of the Emerald Necklace from Lakewood south to Berea or Middleburg Heights. From there, there are tons of options for extending the routes east, west, or south through some nice, fairly rural areas.

Have fun!

[konstantkarma]

One more thing. It's funny, but when I was a kid, I thought nothing of riding my bike from Lakewood, east to downtown on Madison, or Detroit Avenues to see an Indians game, or to watch the ships pass down the Cuyohoga in the flats. Ahh the memories of the flats in the 1970s!

[johnnymossville]

I had the good fortune or riding near Cleveland last month in the Bright Side of the Road Charity Tour for ALS, it was out of Chagrin Falls.

I was amazed at the quality of riding out there. I always thought Ohio was flat. Some good hills, and some great roads and nice people.

I know that's a little east of Cleveland, but still pretty close.

[giordana93]

might not be obvious to the casual readers out there, but we are already seeing the east vs west side phenomenon at work here, with westies suggesting rides towards the west and my brief mention indicating perhaps the east. I'm most familiar with the east, then, but it's all good.

[konstantkarma]

The east side has more hills :D

[giordana93]

and TONS more snow :beer:

btw, the bikely link at the top of the thread has some pretty good routes worth exploring that it took me a long time to piece together (although, again, the bridges over the cuuyahoga near downtown are not all open, and the path project to link downtown to the erie canal towpath not complete)

[Cdub]

I too grew up in Cleveland. Well, east in Shaker Heights. The east side does get a bit hilly especially as you get toward Pepper Pike/ Gates Mill and into Chagrin Falls. River Road has great riding on it. Several roads head east. Shaker BLVD, Fairmont BLVD, South Wooodlands.

I did not know there were this many of us on here or I would have taken my bike over 4th of July.

have fun.

[konstantkarma]

I too grew up in Cleveland. Well, east in Shaker Heights. The east side does get a bit hilly especially as you get toward Pepper Pike/ Gates Mill and into Chagrin Falls. River Road has great riding on it. Several roads head east. Shaker BLVD, Fairmont BLVD, South Wooodlands.

I did not know there were this many of us on here or I would have taken my bike over 4th of July.

have fun.

Maybe we could set up a Serotta Forum tour de North Coast sometime? I am heading back for a few days the 2nd weekend of October to visit my family. Let me know if anyone wants to ride then.... :bike:

[rwsaunders]

+1 on the Metroparks. Make sure that you wear your Steelers garb when riding in the area. :cool:

[nohappen]

there are no mountains, but a few river valleys (including the cuyahoga that caught on fire and which runs right into downtown and into lake erie) have some grades that can be short and tough, a bit like western PA and NY.

[Spinner]

Maybe we could set up a Serotta Forum tour de North Coast sometime? I am heading back for a few days the 2nd weekend of October to visit my family. Let me know if anyone wants to ride then.... :bike:

karmadude, count me in. how about you flickwet? and you girodana93?

[giordana93]

possible though not probable:
1.I'm going to a conference 2nd week of October(15-19)
2. for the first time in almost 2 decades, I went down hard in June (Friday the 13th, go figure), breaking 2 ribs and keeping me off the bike for over 2 months. I'm just now getting back, but haven't ridden over 25 miles since June, with a grand total around 200 mi. for the summer. bummer

I'm thinking god must be mad at the Jesuits (I work at john Carroll U, a jesuit university): the same Friday the 13th that I went down, Tim Russert (a john carroll grad) died, and just a few weeks ago, the president of our faculty council and wonderful friend and colleague Miles Coburn was killed on a ride. There is a memorial ride scheduled september 20th.

http://www.rideformiles.org/

http://www.jcu.edu/breakingnews/mcoburn/eulogy_laguardia.htm

can't tell you how sad this makes me :(

[flickwet]

karmadude, count me in. how about you flickwet? and you girodana93?
Hey spinner sorry I've been awol here I.ve been ridin' alot with Weston my 12 year old, he did the short lived Euphoria/spin CX up at airport,and the Ohio Crit Champs in Columbus.With training in between. This is Sooo cool, Cleveland area cyclists come out of the woodwork don't we, Like Browns Backers we are everywhere!

[flickwet]

We should note that the river has lost a significant degree of flammability over the years, although the official NE Ohio Brown Trout is still a carp. But the river valleys are beautiful, BTW not really a Clevelander, born and bred in the Rubber City but make much of my living in the Cuyahoga County area.

[Spinner]

... about your accident and the loss of miles and tim. the accident that took miles had leaves me baffled. but then again, traffic can be crazy at times.

get healthy. you can join us for next year's rock & roll burning river north coast classic.

[giordana93]

I think Miles's accident was a "look left--clear; look right-- clear, forget to look left again," because it's kind of a blind spot intersection; a momentary lapse that we have all probably done, with less dire consequences. my own crash was just plain dumb luck: an itty, bitty crack in the pavement, small enough not to notice, just wide enough for a tire to drop in and make it just as if I had crossed a wheel and bam. it was a little bizarre because I had no road rash (well, a dime size one on my ankle): I basically just did a flip in one great body whiplash, landing on my back and side and going from 20 to 0 in a second. not a scratch on the bike, just the rear quick release and a tiny scuff on the hb. but I have never taken a complete 2 months off the bike. it is amazing what it will do. my first ride back was 15 miles at 12.5 mph and I don't think I could have gone any faster. makes you appreciate the "residual fitness" we have even over winter that allows one to hop on the bike and knock out a 25 or 30 mile ride without a problem (slowly, perhaps). the only good thing (besides not wrecking my bike) that came out of this is I had already been evaluating some new fit/positions and the time off made every little adjustment immediately apparent in what effect it had..
sorry for the thread drift. let me know when you guys will be getting together. I don't have many miles, but do have many years of experience as a wheel sucker :beer:

[konstantkarma]

giordana,

I have been following the reports of the accident involving Miles pretty closely in Cleveland.com. It is truly a tragedy that such a gifted individual with so much to offer society was killed while riding. It sounds like that intersection and stretch of road is one in which extra caution and patience is necessary.

On another note, my cousin's son has transferred to John Carroll from U Akron, and is trying out for the football team as a walk on. He was a stellar LB and receiver at Olmsted Falls High.

BTW, I am an Ohio U grad. Started out at Cleveland State.

I would be up for a ride on the weekend of the 11th. Anyone want to name a time and place? I'll bring my Concours........ :banana:

[flickwet]

Would be a good one for location, he has suggested to me routes to ride with him that would be delightful. I'll bring the ol' colorady

[Spinner]

... we can meet at my house in westlake and roll through the metropark or even ride downtown via bay village, rocky river and edgewater state park. or we can head west. the weather could come into play if you prefer headwinds on the way out and tailwinds on the way home.

i'm open to time, but would prefer starting after 8:00 am.

i'll stock some great lakes brews for the post ride debriefing. :beer:

cheers.

[konstantkarma]

That sounds good to me spinner, since I'll be on the west side anyway. Anyone else in?

Carl

[csm]

I'm heading to Cleveland the week of the 28th I think. unsure at the moment if I will fly in or drive. I've been traveling a bunch more for work and am getting to some neat parts of the east. last week I did 3 days in NY; was in Auburn, Oswego and Vestal. I am still kicking myself for not taking a bike or a fly rod with me. though, I guess work would get in the way some. a few weeks back I was in new england. next week I think I will be local to the harrisburg, pa area but the following week is back to new england.

[flickwet]

Spinners after 8:00 am I'm a post nooner kinda guy. could even bring an extra bike for out of towners

[jmr986]

a great source of cycling information. This link is for Cuyahoga County where if your going to Cleveland, and not venturing far, should cover a ton of routes.
http://www.noaca.org/cuybike2006.pdf

[Spinner]

... has been suggested for a start-time. the day should be warmer at this point. interested parties can show-up earlier for bike prep (i have a stand, tools, etc.), coffee and bike talk.

i'll pm details to those who have thus far expressed interest. others wanting to play should pm me for location information.

let there be sun.

cheers.

[Spinner]

I'm heading to Cleveland the week of the 28th I think.

... for a fellow rider, let me know when and where and i'll try to join you. if having a bike is a problem, i ride 59 x 58 and 60 x 58 on the road.

cheers.

[csm]

Spinner, thanks! I may take you up on that. I had to come out to Masury this week due to the power outages among other things.

[dekindy]

Taking my Son to Cleveland Clinic Sept 20th-24th; not sure if taking my bike is practical logistically or if i will even have free time but might be interested in renting a bike if possible.

What bicycle clubs are in the area that I could check for rides?

[Jawn P]

Best city on earth by the way :banana:

I'll shoot you a PM with specifics, but we're a bit into 'cross season by then, so most group rides take that sort of bent. What size do you ride? I can set you up with a loaner if you're in the 56-58ish range.

There is a cross race not too far from Cleveland when you're in town: http://neocx.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/brooklyn_cx_2.pdf

And I'm a board member of the Cleveland Velodrome (http://clevelandvelodrome.org) whose grand opening happens to be tomorrow! Come by for a few laps on the track!

[dekindy]

Best city on earth by the way :banana:

I'll shoot you a PM with specifics, but we're a bit into 'cross season by then, so most group rides take that sort of bent. What size do you ride? I can set you up with a loaner if you're in the 56-58ish range.

There is a cross race not too far from Cleveland when you're in town: http://neocx.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/brooklyn_cx_2.pdf

And I'm a board member of the Cleveland Velodrome (http://clevelandvelodrome.org) whose grand opening happens to be tomorrow! Come by for a few laps on the track!

Thanks for the reply. Definitely not a track rider. Found the Cleveland Touring Club and it looked like they might have some tame rides as I am not looking to ride hard, just get out and get some exercise and get away from the hospital for a few hours. My wife and I are both going so we will tag team to give each other breaks. Do you live close to that area? We have not received our packet yet but it is my understanding that we will be on the main campus; have plenty of time to make plans once we receive the schedule and addresses.

[Jawn P]

Thanks for the reply. Definitely not a track rider. Found the Cleveland Touring Club and it looked like they might have some tame rides as I am not looking to ride hard, just get out and get some exercise and get away from the hospital for a few hours. My wife and I are both going so we will tag team to give each other breaks. Do you live close to that area? We have not received our packet yet but it is my understanding that we will be on the main campus; have plenty of time to make plans once we receive the schedule and addresses.

The Clinic is around midtown / the near east side of Cleveland. I'm about 15 minutes away on the near west side of town.

The CTC does have some causal rides that roll out on weekends. I also know there is a ride that meets at Shaker Square in Shaker Heights (reasonably close to the clinic) that rolls out earlier in the AM on the weekends.

I have a friend / teammate who is a MD at the Clinic and lives in Shaker, so I'll tap him this week and see what is good on that side of town for you to get into.