Cleveland-area cyclists with a lot to look forward to: An opening, a bypass, some kudos and a summit

CLEVELAND - Ray’s is open

Ray’s MTB on Walford Avenue on the west side of Cleveland has opened. The Oct. 1 opening was a few weeks earlier than in years past.

New this year at Ray’s are two beginner rooms. They’ve knocked out a wall to add to the massive indoor bike facility. It’s truly a Cleveland gem but they added a Milwaukee location last year.

Our video player contains a previous WEWS story on Ray’s.

Brandywine Road bypass

One of the most dangerous sections of hiking/biking trails in our area is getting a major upgrade.

Summit County Metroparks along with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park are building a trail along Brandywine Road near the falls in the national park.

The southern end of the one-mile route is finished, but the Interstate 271 overpass and the tunnel area near the falls are far from completed. Four bridges on the northern end of the new trail are near completion.

For years the trail shared the road which is narrow and marked at 40 mph.

Click on the photo tab to see pictures of the tunnel and bridge construction.

Shop news

Congratulations to Joy Machines on West 25th for being named best commuter bike shop in Cleveland Magazine’s Best of Cleveland .

Blazing Saddle Cycle opened on West 76 near Lake Road in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood in May.

The shop, whose entrance is not visible from Lake avenue, has an unusual ‘open for business’ sign. If a bike is chained to a pole in the parking lot they’re open.

Business has been so good that owner Travis Peebles told me they’re moving to a bigger and more visible space. Look for the new shop in the former Lakeshore Hardware store on Detroit Avenue at West 74 to open in November. The "open sign" is making the move too.

Night lights giveaway

Speaking of Joy Machines, Alex Nosse and Renato Pereira-Castillo at the Ohio City shop are playing a major role in the giveaway of lights to night cyclists who are unable to afford the safety devices.

The Be Bright at Night campaign will be stationed on unannounced days at locations in Cleveland. A Groupon campaign raised enough money to purchase $1,750 in lights.

Ohio law states all cyclists must have headlights and tail lights when riding on roadways at night.

Night ride and beer

The final night ride on the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley will celebrate Cleveland Beer Week.

Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. are the date and time but they suggest you arrive a bit early to fill out a waiver. You can dress you and/or yourself in a costume if you’d like – a beer motif might be fitting.

The free ride begins at Century Cycles in downtown Peninsula and after the ride they’ll tap cask-conditioned Sierra Nevada Dry Hop Torpedo beer.

The third picture under the photo tab is from the September night ride.

Dead Ride II

Calling all zombies… the second Dead Ride takes place Oct. 22.

Last year they gave away $1,500 in prizes meandering around different northeast Ohio establishments…and a cemetery or two.

The ride costs $7. Meet at the Lincoln Park Pub 2609 West 14 between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to register then plan to spend all evening scaring Cleveland.

BikeCLE will have bikes (zombie chariots as they put it) available for rental for $10.

Two Wheels and Heels for lady cyclists will have monthly ride Wednesday Oct. 26.

Cleveland Critical Mass will host their always fun Halloween ride Friday Oct. 28.

Cleveland Bike Summit

I’ve been remiss in not posting anything on Cleveland’s bike summit which took place Sept. 10 and 11.

Some 120 cycling/pedestrian stakeholders gathered at Windows on the River in the Flats to carve out a framework to make Cleveland a world-class cycling/walking/public transit city.

Among Bike Cleveland’s goals is to embark on a 10-year campaign to “empower a green city on a blue lake” while raising the percentage of Clevelanders who commute by bike to 3 percent.

Jeff Sugalski told me the group estimates eight-tenths of one percent of Clevelanders currently commute by bike.

I always appreciate any cycling items, so feel free to email me. They’ve made contacting me easier by adding a link to my email at the top of the article next to my airbrushed picture.