D-Man

I am possibly relocating to the Cleveland area and am wondering what the biking scene is like there. In Minneapolis, there are hundreds of miles of beautiful biking trails and plenty of cyclists, despite the weather. So, what's up in Cleveland? Thanks.

lala

Hmmm. I don't believe cleveland is as idyllic as mpls. I live close to downtown and there's quite a bit of pollution from the industrial flats. The roads are rough and not many drivers seem aware of cyclists. Out east the roads are more suited for cycling and can be pretty, but the west side has access to (crowded) metroparks and canal towpath. You won't see too many folks out in the weather, but there are some hardcore folks about.

Face to you will be moving from a liberal to a conservative city (though not as conservative as some.) Cyclists are starting to get a community going and there are a number of good cycing clubs. Checkout: www.clevelandbikes.org and the www.ohiocitycycles.org. I live near downtown and love the neighborhood of tremont, pollution aside. Also www.crankmail.com is useful.

Good luck.

Ebbtide

Weather in Cleveland is not consistent, so depending on your riding you may have less time to do it. There are plenty of great roads and bike paths (multi purpose trails) to ride. Commuting is a snap in this very liberal town but difficult to do year round unless you are hard core.

This sight has plenty of links:

https://www.ohiocycling.info/

https://www.clevelandbikes.org/forums/category-view.asp

ClevelandGuy

Do yourself a favor and don't move to Cleveland! Too many overweight igonrant people with cigarettes hanging out of their mouth while driving there SUV's, pick up trucks and mini vans like absolute idiots with a vengeance. Maybe I'm just sheltered and don't know that other cities may be this way, but we do rank with one of the nation's largest obesity and smoking rates in the country, so that says something about the populous here. Actually the inner city seems much more bike friendly then the surrouning suburbs; that's where I tend to hang, there and downtown, to play in traffic and compete with the cagers. If you like trails there is always the Metro Parks, and Cleveland's east suburbs have some nice scenic roads along with much nicer people. There are a few good clubs here too. But if you do move here, just remember, I warned you....!

uplateinoh

As another poster mentioned, there is a great bike trail that follows the old Erie canal route called the towpath... if you don't know anything about canals, the "towpath" was the path the mules used to pull the canal boats. The downside of this trail is that it's packed crushed gravel mostly, not really suited to a road bike. It will eventually span from Lake Erie to the Ohio River...

Also, Cleveland is surrounded by a ring of metro-parks called the "Emerald Necklace" I tried to find a link to a map, but couldn't find anything. This is a string of parks, about 100 miles long that surrounds the city. I think it starts in Rocky River, down through Middleburg Heights/Berea, through North Royalton/Strongsville then to Brecksville... from there I'm not sure where it goes. A lot of the paths in these parks are asphalt, and also the roads through them are often a little less traveled by motorists than other roads you might find.

Eco city cleveland might have some information you would be interested in: https://www.ecocitycleveland.org/tran...les/bikes.html

I worked downtown for about 6 years... Cleveland has some incredible culture and resources. It's a great city to explore and find those hidden jewels. Unfortunately, it seems to always be in a perpetual boom/bust cycle. There are some areas of rebirth, though (Tremont for example). Ohio has an odd way of driving out it's young professionals that tend to be the core of a biking community, though...

bikeman

I've lived here for over 20 years and spent most of those riding with a local club of roadies/fitness/recreational types. Cleveland's weather is very changeable and riding year round would be a challenge. It can really snow a lot here, but there are some hardcore commuters that ride all year long. I commuted on bike for over 10 years in all kinds of weather, but changed jobs and haven't been as consistent.

The city does have some interesting attractions and lots of ethnic festivals, and communities. The park system, despite financial woes is truly a gift. You can't ride a bike on the foot paths or horse trails however (really strict about mountain bikes), but the parkway is very usable for cycling. The western part of the park roads do have a reputation of some nasty run ins with the local jerk drivers, but our club rides the roads all the time. Mountain biking isn't as popular but there are some clubs around and racing and riding on private and public lands is allowed.

Here is our club site: Cleveland Touring Club We are an "East-side club".

We also have maps on the site and one of them is the entire "Emerald Necklace" route that we ride. It totals about 98 miles and we usually do it at least once or twice a year. It's an all day ride with a mix of park roads, suburbs, and city riding. The terrain for riding is generally speaking - east side and outlying areas (like Chardon, Burton, Middlefield) are rolling to hilly and the west siders enjoy flatter terrain. Lots of other clubs in the area besides ours too from racing to casual riding. Check out the CrankMail.com site for an overview.

Overall there are lots of better places in the country to ride, but since this is my home, I've found a way to enjoy my sport.

D-Man

Thanks to all who have answered my query here. I had heard so much about the great urban renewal that Cleveland has experienced as of late. Sounds like maybe there's still some room to go there. Anyway, I appreciate all that has been offered. We'll see what happens.

uplateinoh

Just wanted to post a followup in case I came accross overly negative before... there has been tremendous urban renewal in Cleveland and I did really love working downtown. It's true, there is still much room for improvement, though. I guess the question is are you interesting in being part of the rebirth, or are you just looking to move to a "reborn" city.

ClevelandGuy

Are you guys kidding? This city is about broke and has had one of the worst school systems imaginable for many many years along with forced bussing that didnt work either! The horrible school system here has caused good parents leave the city and we are left with, well what we have now. A future without education? huh? Oh, ok, I get it, they can all work at Burger King and Mc Donnalds right?.......cool deal.