On Shaker’s tree-lined streets, there’s room for all to pursue their pedaling passion.
By Zach Lewis
Greg van Lunteren, a year-round rider and advocacy co-chair at Heights Bicycle Coalition. Photos by Gus Chan.
When it comes to cycling, “I think Shaker is among the top in Northeast Ohio,” says Greg van Lunteren, a year-round rider and advocacy co-chair at Heights Bicycle Coalition, a chapter of Bike Cleveland working to increase the use of bicycles.
“Shaker’s very thoughtful in the way they approach cyclists. You can find a lot of nice places to ride. There are a lot of nice, quiet streets where you can feel pretty safe.”
Van Lunteren knows of what he speaks. A Shaker resident who rides everywhere he can, even in the depths of winter, he has years of experience and thousands of miles under his belt.
What’s more, he’s also lived in Portland, Oregon, one of the most bike-friendly areas in the nation. Even compared to that city, he says, Shaker Heights holds up well, with its bucolic paths around the Shaker Parklands, numerous side-streets, off-road trails, and designated bike route on Shaker Blvd; where motorists are generally considerate of cyclists.
Indeed, that degree of consideration from motorists is a big part of what makes Shaker special. Cameron Roberts, van Lunteren’s colleague at Heights Bicycle Coalition, says drivers in Shaker are uncommonly aware of cyclists, and respond accordingly.
That’s by design. After years of building up a robust local cycling community with bi-weekly group rides, Roberts says he feels motorists in Shaker have come to accept and even anticipate the presence of bicycles throughout the city.
“A lot of people now expect that cyclists might be anywhere they go,” he says. “I think our presence has changed their behavior.”
George and Arletta Coulter get ready for a ride.
Fitness is the goal
All of this is music to the ears of Shaker’s many cyclists, who ply the City’s streets in the name of fitness, social connection, or transportation, to get from point A to point B. These are people who came to Shaker not only for the schools and diversity but also for the ready ability the city affords them to ride their bikes.
Count Shaker resident Arlette Coulter among the cycling fitness enthusiasts. She and her husband, George Coulter, used to be avid runners but switched to cycling after finding it easier on the body. Now biking – whether stationary or outdoors – is their primary form of exercise.
Both are athletic, but George is the more competitive, Arlette says, the one who participates in races and long-distance rides. “He’s the one who likes speed,” she says.
Don’t be fooled, though. They’re both serious cyclists. Both ride all over town, year-round, drawn outside by Shaker’s low traffic sidestreets, and the newly extended median path along Shaker Blvd.
Undaunted by hills, the Coulters will follow the path or other roads through Shaker, Beachwood, and Pepper Pike all the way to Gates Mills and back. Sometimes, when the mood strikes, they’ll hop on their tandem bike and pedal together.
“You name a place in Shaker Heights, we’ve ridden it,” Coulter says.
Kristina Gobel with her sons Michael and Matthew.
Replace the car, when you can
The same cannot quite be said for Mercer neighborhood resident Kristina Gobel. That’s because she rides most often with her two sons and hesitates to lead them anywhere with heavy vehicle traffic.
To Gobel and her sons Matthew and Michael, bikes are primarily a form of transportation. Rarely do they ride for pleasure, but so long as weather permits, they make every effort to ride to baseball practices, the Thornton Park pool, the Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library, school, and the Van Aken District. Wherever possible, they take residential streets and bike paths.
It’s a habit that’s been in place since the pandemic, when the family was home all day and looking for wholesome things to do together.
“It was a way for everybody to be outside, and to get some exercise,” Gobel says. “As long as we have a destination, they’re on board.”
Gobel herself rides even more. In addition to cycling with her sons, she’ll pedal to Shaker-based doctor or dentist appointments and to work or school meetings. More often still, she’ll travel by foot.
“It’s a way for me to clear my head and still be doing something,” Gobel says. “It goes to show, in Shaker, you don’t have to go everywhere by car.”
Community of cyclists
You also don’t have to go anywhere alone. If you’re thinking about taking up cycling, getting back on the bike after a long pause, or simply prefer the company of others, consider yourself lucky to live in Shaker Heights, where opportunities to ride in groups abound.
One good option is the bi-weekly group ride led by Roberts and others at Heights Bicycle Coalition. The 50 or so people who typically join them from May through October come home not only with a respectable eight or ten miles under their legs but also some serious intangibles like confidence and know-how.
Before every ride, HBC leaders review the elements of bike safety, teaching participants how to signal and interact safely with cars. They also cover basic bike maintenance, teaching people how to properly inflate their tires, check and possibly fix their brakes, and spot problems with chains, cassettes, or cranks.
If you’re even the slightest bit wary of heading out on your own, a group ride is the way to go, Robert says. “Being a solo rider is very different than riding in a group. Riding with others around you really helps build up that comfort level.”
One of the most distinctive group-ride opportunities is the annual bike tour led by the Shaker Historical Society. Unlike other rides in Northeast Ohio, including the popular Slow Roll Cleveland rides, this easy tour is educational; riders traverse the city in pursuit of knowledge as well as exercise and fresh air.
This year’s ride takes place August 9 and introduces riders to local history while highlighting historical sites connected to racial equity and inclusion (register at shakerhistory.org/bikeshaker). Other events have
explored the founding of the City and the legacy of the Van Sweringen brothers. One amusing morsel from the latter: in addition to a railroad and real estate empire, the famously reclusive Van Sweringens also briefly ran a bike repair shop.
“Every year you can learn something different,” says Brianna Treleven, executive director of the Shaker Historical Society, noting that as the City extends bike-friendly routes, “we’ll be able to go farther and tell even more stories.”
Dedicated path
That vision, of going farther and telling more stories, is no pipe dream. As great as cycling in Shaker Heights already is, two projects in the works are poised to make life for bike riders (and pedestrians) even sweeter.
Up first is a rebuild of busy Lee Road from Van Aken to Scottsdale, which is slated to include a new section of bike lane, facilitating trips to the main library and Shaker Towne Centre.
Later, this will link with a planned bike lane on Van Aken itself, taking riders safely from those destinations at Lee to the Van Aken District.
Together, these projects stand to alleviate one of the most common impediments to cycling in Shaker: heavy traffic on main arteries. Even a cyclist as savvy as Roberts says he’s looking forward to safer options to and through the City’s busiest stretches.
“When that project [the Van Aken bike lane] is fully implemented, that will become part of our journey,” says Roberts, alluding to the bike rides he takes with his wife. “At that point, the only decision we’ll have to make is, ‘Do we take the main road, or do we meander?’”
Cycling Resources and the Community
In and around Shaker there are multiple organizations that can help you explore new communities, engage in bike safety advocacy efforts, and volunteer your time to help engage a wider community of cyclists. Below are just a few.
Heights Bicycle Coalition (HBC)
(A chapter of Bike Cleveland)
HBC, an advocacy, education, and resource organization, joined Bike Cleveland in 2020 and represents the communities of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, and University Heights. You can get involved in their efforts to make riding safer in our communities or find resources including the Heights Bike Map, which offers alternative ways of cycling through the Heights using side streets. Learn more at bikecleveland.org
Shaker Historical Society (SHS)
SHS offers both guided tours and self-guided maps you can download from their website. The three self-guided tours include one focusing on a general welcome to Shaker Heights and another with stops at history-making homes in Shaker. If you need a bike for any of these tours, the museum rents bikes as well. Learn more at shakerhistory.org/discover/tours.
Ohio City Bicycle Co-op (OCBC)
OCBC is a non-profit bicycle education center that offers classes on bike riding and repair skills and leads community programs such as fix-athons, bike valet parking, and group bike rides. Interested in volunteering in a way that supports and increases ridership throughout the region? Visit their website for opportunities to engage and learn: Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
Slow Roll Cleveland
Slow Roll bills their events as “a leisurely paced parade of bikes through the nooks and corners of the urban environment.” Riders can join their 10-mile guided rides during the warmer months. Guided rides take place throughout the city of Cleveland, including past rides in Asiatown, Veterans’ Memorial Plaza, Shaker Square, Collinwood, and the Flats. Learn more about rides this summer at slowrollcleveland.org.
