Friday, May 30, 2014

Underground Railroad Route Bicycle Travelers in Peninsula

The spring weather that has finally arrived here in Northeast Ohio has been a boon for cyclists, and especially for long-distance touring cyclists, who have no choice but to continue on whatever the weather.

This couple visiting our Peninsula store yesterday while riding north on the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. Once they reach the end of the route in Canada, they'll continue riding back to their home of Muskegon, Michigan.

Most of the the bike touring riders we see are on the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. Both our Peninsula and Medina stores are located on the route. This route was established in 2006 by the Adventure Cycling Association to highlight the historical significance of the many places between the Gulf coast and Lake Erie that helped enable escaped 19-century slaves to reach the safety of the North. You can read more about the route here, as well as order maps so you can follow the route yourself!

Our Rocky River store is located on another of Adventure Cycling's popular cross-country bike routes, the Northern Tier Route.

You can see more photos of touring cyclists who have visited all three of our stores in our Bicycle Touring Photo Gallery.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Pajama Party Night Ride on the Towpath Trail! Saturday, June 7, 2014

On Saturday, June 7, our regularly-scheduled Night Ride on the Towpath Trail will be transformed into a Pajama Party Night Ride!

The free event festivities begin at 7:00pm with cycle-your-own-smoothies and glow-in-the-dark goodies in the parking lot of the Century Cycles store in Peninsula, plus a few games of "Spin the Water Bottle for Cycling Truth or Dare."

Pajama-clad bicyclists will depart on the Night Ride from the parking lot at 8:00pm.

At the 14-mile bicycle ride's halfway point, there will be slumber party snacks (popcorn, cookies and Twizzlers). After the ride, bicyclists are welcome to gather in the Peninsula Winking Lizard party room to trade bicycling (and ghost) stories.

For more details, including pre-ride preparation tips, safety tips, and photos and videos from past rides, see:

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ohio's 3-Foot Passing Law moves along


In the photo above, taken yesterday (May 27, 2014), Chuck Smith and Tricia Kovacs of the Ohio Bicycle Federation are joined by State Representative Rex Damschroder, who is also Chairman of the House Transportation Committee. They are in the Taft Room of the state house celebrating the passage, by a 7-2 vote, of HB145 by the Ohio House Transportation Committee.

HB145 includes the state-wide 3-foot passing law, plus a provision that allows cyclists to legally proceed through a traffic signal when the sensor fails to detect them.

The bill goes next to the Speaker of the House and the Rules Committee before a full vote in the House. The full vote may come as soon as next Tuesday, June 3!

Even if you've already contacted your state representatives before about this issue, with a full vote coming soon, contact them again to let them know that this is important to you! You can find and contact your state representative at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Bike Cleveland invites you to Share Your Draft


You are invited to join Bike Cleveland for:

Share Your Draft presented by VeloSano
Date: Friday, June 6th
Time: 5:00-9:00pm
Where: Dunham Tavern Museum (6709 Euclid Ave.) 
Price: $50 ($40 tax deductible) 

Nothing best exemplifies teamwork in bicycling than sharing your draft, the act of supporting a fellow rider by cutting through the wind so they don't have to. By sharing your draft you not only help each other, but you are a much more effective team. Drafting creates value by working together. That value of working together to make riding a bike easier, safer and more accessible (and of course fun!) exemplifies what Bike Cleveland has been doing over the past two years. We hope you will work together with Bike Cleveland on our journey by joining us at Share Your Draft.

Enjoy a variety of local drafts (the beer kind) and appetizers while learning how you can help Bike Cleveland continue to build our powerful movement for safer streets. In addition to great food, beer and socializing, Share Your Draft will be a time for you to get caught up on the great projects underway to make riding a bicycle safer, more accessible and fun for people of all ages and abilities.

You can find more details, including the participating restaurants and brewers, plus buy tickets online, at:


Sunday, May 25, 2014

Poll: What's your favorite bike brand?

Our latest online poll lets you show us and the world your bike loyalty!

Of the bicycle brands that we carry at Century Cycles, which bike brand is your favorite? Click here to take our online poll let us know!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Thanks for Biking to the Ballpark!

The First Annual Bike to the Ballpark was a huge success! Century Cycles worked with Bike Cleveland and the Cleveland Indians to encourage people to ride their bicycles to Progressive Field to watch the Tribe take on the visiting Oakland Athletics. The first 200 people to arrive by bike got free, secure bike valet parking and a free safety inspection by Century Cycles' expert bike mechanics! Unfortunately, the Indians fell to the A's in a loss of 13-3.

See you at the ballpark next time!



Friday, May 23, 2014

More bike tourists in Peninsula!

Above are Ronnie and Zoey from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Rick and Nora, from Anchorage, Alaska. Below is Bob Lawrence, and Northeast Ohio local:
The five of them are riding together on the Adventure Cycling Association's Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, north to Canada. They stopped by the Peninsula store on Sunday, May 18, 2014. They weren't very forthcoming with information, but from what we could gather, the two couples and the single rider didn't know each other before the trip, but came across each other near the beginning at the southern end, and decided to continue together.

Today, another Underground Railroad Route rider stopped in to get a squeaky pedal looked at:
His name is Trevor, and he's from Massillon. It's the first day of his trip, and he's heading up to Niagara Falls, with stops to visit family in Erie, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York on the way.

You can see more photos of long-distance cyclists who have stopped in all three of our stores in our Bicycle Touring Photo Gallery.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Summer Hours begin this weekend in Peninsula; all three stores CLOSED for Memorial Day

Beginning this Sunday, May 25, 2014, the Century Cycles store in Peninsula will begin our extended Summer Hours. This means that we will be open an extra three hours on Sundays. This gives our customers more time to enjoy our Towpath Trail bike rental service, especially those using the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's Bike Aboard service.

Our full hours of operation in Peninsula are:
  • Monday through Thursday: 10:00am - 8:00pm
  • Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Our hours at Medina and Rocky River are unchanged:
  • Monday through Thursday: 10:00am - 8:00pm
  • Friday and Saturday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
  • Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00pm

Also, please note that all three of our stores will be CLOSED on Monday, May 26, 2014 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Sorry for any inconvenience!

As always, you can find our CURRENT hours of operation at: www.centurycycles.com/for/hours

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Ride Report: Medina's Sunday Services Group Road Bike Ride

L-R: Chuck, Lynne, Ted, Ed, Gail, Cathy, Nick, and Dan
The ride leader Cathy from our Medina store reports that eight people came for their latest Sunday Services Group Road Bike Ride on May 18.

"It was a brisk, cool morning which heated up quickly, thanks to the sun! We rode at a 16mph pace and everyone kept up. There were times of higher speeds, especially after the rest stop when Ed took off ahead of the pack. That encouraged a couple of guys to chase him down.

Nick and Dan are customers at the Rocky River shop and came to our ride at Krista's suggestion. They were looking for new places to ride. They enjoyed being able to ride without having cars constantly passing them. The only place we came across many cars was on Speith Road on our return trip to the shop. There was good conversation among the group as we rode the 20 miles. Only one issue; someone dropped their chain, but Ed was able to put the chain back on. A good ride was had by all!"

Our next Sunday Services Group Road Bike Rides are June 1 at 8:00am in Peninsula, June 8 at 8:00am in Rocky River, and June 15 at 8:30am in Medina. For the full schedule, see:

Monday, May 19, 2014

Photos from this season's second Night Ride on the Towpath Trail

It rained, then it stopped, then it rained, then it stopped again, then it rained some more! But it finally stopped raining for good late in the afternoon this past Saturday, and about 25 people showed up for our Night Ride on the Towpath Trail. We rode up to the Station Road Bridge in Brecksville and back, for an enjoyable and warmer-than-expected ride.

Click here if the slideshow above is not appearing for you.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

US Marine Corps veterans on cross-country fund-raising ride

Our latest long-distance cycling visitors in the Peninsula store on Wednesday of last week were Jay Knight and Denny Salisbury. They are veterans of the US Marine Corps, and are riding from Boston to Seattle to raise funds for Child's Play, a non-profit that provides toys and games to children's hospitals across the country.

Their ride is in memory of Lance Corporal Johnny Strong. To support their mission and learn more, visit their web site:

twitter: @pax_2_pax

To see more photos of touring cyclists that have visited all three of our stores, check out our Bicycle Touring Photo Gallery.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Chris Lenaghan - Wheelie Master!

Chris Lenaghan of the Century Cycles store in Medina shows off his mad wheelie-riding skills!

Video by Chris Walters, also of the Medina store. Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Night Ride and other events in the Cuyahoga Valley, Saturday May 17


We have just received word from the National Park Service that they have had the opportunity to further assess the recent flood damage to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. As of this writing, the trail is OPEN between Boston Store Visitor Center and Lock 39 in Independence.

However, they plan to open the section between Boston Store and Lock 29 in Peninsula by this evening (Friday May 16). So, our Night Ride on the Towpath Trail on Saturday, May 17 will proceed as planned! The forecast is calling for showers and near-record low temperatures, so be sure to dress for the weather!

Other events taking place around the Cuyahoga Valley tomorrow that you may want to check out:

  • Countryside Farmer's Market: 9:00am - 12:00pm
    This normally takes place at Howe Meadow on Riverview Road, but has been re-located to Old Trail School at 2315 Ira Road.
  • 24th Annual River Day - Volunteer to clear trash, plant native species, remove invasive species, and learn history and natural science. Canoe, kayak, bike, hike, view wildlife or simply enjoy the view – come help us celebrate and protect our Cuyahoga Valley! See the Friends of the Crooked River web site for more details.
  • The National Park Service invites the public to the Grand Opening of Canal Exploration Center, in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), 10:00am - 4:00pm. Located at the corner of Canal Road and Hillside Road in Valley View, and formerly known as the Canal Visitor Center, the center has been closed since May of 2013 for extensive renovation and expansion. This historic building now features in-depth, interactive exhibits that allow children and adults to navigate a canal boat through a lock, explore the nation’s canal system, or eavesdrop on Canal Chat conversations.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Towpath Trail and Night Ride Update

The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has re-opened the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail between Station Road in Brecksville north to Lock 39 in Independence.

They expect to re-open the section between Lock 29 in Peninsula and Brecksville late in the day on Friday, May 16. So, our next Night Ride on the Towpath Trail this Saturday, May, 17 should be able to go on as planned.

Stay tuned in case anything changes, and check the National Park's Alerts Page for the most up-to-date information on trail closures.


Bike To School action all over Northeast Ohio!

The Century Cycles Bike To School Challenge is in the middle of its second week at Bay Middle School, Rocky River Middle School, and A.I. Root and Claggett Middle Schools in Medina. The Bay and Rocky River challenges will continue through Friday, May 23, while the Medina Bike To School Challenge concludes tomorrow at Root and Claggett. A one-week challenge kicks off next week at Bay High School and Westerly Elementary in Bay Village.

Several other Northeast Ohio schools have caught the Bike To School fever! Although not officially part of the Century Cycles Bike To School Challenge, Blake Elementary School in Medina has held their own Bike To School program since 2013, running for the same two-week period. Petch and Chris from the Century Cycles store in Medina stopped by to lend their support, including a demonstration of riding the signature Century Cycles high-wheeler bike!

Click here if the video above is not appearing for you.

In conjunction with National Bike To Work Day on Friday, May 16, the St. Ignatius High School Cycling Club is sponsoring a Bike To School Day. Group rides will be led by faculty or students from various points around the city.

Last week, on National Bike To School Day (May 7), the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition and the Cleveland Heights Police Department delivered 75 bicycle helmets for distribution to students at Roxbury Elementary School.

And finally, students at Gilles-Sweet Elementary in Fairview Park have been planning a bicycle parade, which has been re-scheduled twice due to bad weather. But they went ahead with their bike safety assembly on May 7, where 6 bicycles were raffled off to students. Read more from the Sun News.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Salsa Cycles customer in Peninsula comes back for more!

Meet Mark, a customer in our Peninsula store. On Monday, he picked up his new Salsa Cycles Salsa Cycles Fargo Ti bicycle, and is ready to take it on endless adventures. The bike features a titanium frame and carbon fiber fork, Stan's NoTubes rims with DT Swiss hubs, Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29er tires, SRAM drive train, and Avid disc brakes. Nice jersey, too, Mark!

Mark also bought a Salsa Mukluk 2 from us a few months ago, and enjoyed riding it almost every day this past winter in his home town of Ashtabula, where they got even MORE snow than we did here in the Cleveland area!

As one of Northeast Ohio's exclusive Salsa Cycles dealers, we've got a wide selection of Salsa bikes in stock in our three stores, including the Fargo 2, Fargo 3, Vaya 2, and Vaya 3, plus a Mukluk 3! Stop in and check them out!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Towpath Trail closed in the CVNP; other local park closures

As the photo above shows, the entrance to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Peninsula is underwater. Due to this and other flooding issues throughout the area, the National Park Service has CLOSED the Towpath within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Our bike rentals for the Towpath Trail in Peninsula will be unavailable until further notice.

Other local park trails and roads may be affected, so be careful, whether you're on your bike, on foot, or in your car. Krista from the Rocky River store posted this photo from the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks during her ride this morning:
See the links below for updates:

Friday, May 9, 2014

First Annual Bike to the Ballpark - May 18, 2014

Take me out to the ball game! In partnership with Bike Cleveland and the Cleveland Indians, Century Cycles brings you the First Annual Bike to the Ballpark!

Ride your bike to Progressive Field to watch the Tribe take on the visiting Oakland Athletics. The game begins at 1:05pm; the gates open at 11:30am.

The first 200 to arrive by bike are guaranteed free secure bike valet parking, plus a free bike safety inspection!

There are two special ticket options available:


  • $20 option -  for lower reserved seats, plus you get $5 loaded value for use at concessions and a Cleveland Indians Drawstring bag. Get tickets at ClevelandIndians.com. Use promo code BICYCLE.
  • $40 option - lower reserved seats plus pre-game picnic, $7 loaded value for use at concessions and a drawstring bag. Get tickets by contacting Ashley Madison at 216-420-4181 or at amadison@indians.com.


Tuesday, May 6, 2014

2014 Bicycle Touring Season unofficially begins!

The bicycle touring season is upon us, and these two visitors in Peninsula have kicked it off in a big way!

Eric and Astrid are from the Netherlands. They started their around-the-world bicycle trip in April of 2013, and spent eight months pedaling around Europe. After tour of a few Central American countries, they flew to Miami, and headed north from there. They've been traveling the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, which they'll follow to Toronto, then head across Canada to Vancouver, then head south to Los Angeles, then catch a place to either Australia or Asia.

They are riding to raise awareness for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. You can read more about them on their web site at: http://weerkommen.webklik.nl

You can see more photos of touring cyclists who have visited all three of our stores at the Century Cycles Bicycle Touring Photo Gallery.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Bike Night at The Burntwood Tavern of Rocky River!

Ride your bicycle to The Burntwood Tavern of Rocky River on Wednesday nights, May 7 through August 13, 2014, and enjoy 15% off your bill! All participants may enter for a chance to win a Raleigh Misceo bike (valued at $600)! Join us for the closing party and prize drawing on Wednesday, August 13, 2014.

The Burntwood Tavern is located in the Beachcliff Market Square at 19304 Detroit Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116.
2014 Raleigh Misceo 2.0 Bicycle

Friday, May 2, 2014

New Product: Bont Riot Road Cycling Shoes

Having pain or numbness in your feet on long rides? Just can't find a road cycling shoe that fits right?

New and now in stock at Century Cycles are the Bont Riot, the world's first carbon composite heat-moldable entry-level road cycling shoe.

At $149.99 per pair, they offer pro race-ready performance at a beginner's price. Heat-moldable means you customize them to fit YOUR feet. Plus, your feet change over time, so you can re-mold them AGAIN and AGAIN!

The Bont Riot's wide toe box doesn't squeeze your metatarsal bones like typical cycling shoes, which helps eliminate numbness and hot spots.

The medial arch support promotes proper tracking of your knees. Improper knee tracking is a leading cause of knee pain and lower back pain!

UK-based magazine Outdoor Fitness recently review several road cycling shoes in similar price ranges to the Bont Riot, including models from Bontrager, Giro, Mavic, Shimano, and Specialized. The Bont Riot came out on TOP against all the others! They said:
Cookable shoes. Yes, you read that right -- just pop them in the oven to make the chassis mouldable, then put your foot in to create a custom fit. The result is something else. Arch support is noteworthy, too, and while these are stiff, no-frills race biased shoes, we found no comfort issues on three-hour rides. Mesh in the uppers provides venting, the single velcro strap is simple to use, and the ratchet is child's play. A clear winner.
We have a selection sizes of the Bont Riot Road Cycling Shoes in stock in our Medina store. Stop in to try them on! Closer to another store? Call us, and we can send your size to Peninsula or Rocky River.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

It's National Bike Month!

May is National Bike Month, and Century Cycles, in conjunction with Bike Cleveland and the League of American Bicyclists have a full schedule of events to celebrate and help get more people on bikes!

May 1 - The National Bike Challenge officially begins! This friendly competition awards points for every mile and every day that you ride. Your points are tallied and compared against others in your region, your workplace, plus you can also create or join your own team! Don't have a team of your own? You can join the Century Cycles team! And, every time you ride helps us claim the Rust Crown, which pits Cleveland against Pittsburgh to see who can ride the most from now through the end of September! It's not too late to sign up, just go to www.nationalbikechallenge.org!

May 4 - Century Cycles Sunday Services Group Road Bike Ride in Peninsula, a beginner-friendly no-drop 18-mile loop around the Cuyahoga Valley.

May 5 - The Century Cycles Bike To School Challenge begins at Bay Middle School, Rocky River Middle School, A.I Root Middle School in Medina, and Claggett Middle School in Medina.

May 7 - National Bike To School Day

May 7 - Bike Night at Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River

May 10-11 - Tour of the Scioto River Valley, the original multi-day supported bike tour returns for its 53rd edition! Look for the Century Cycles support van, plus our table at the bike expo in Columbus on May 9!

May 11 - Century Cycles Sunday Services Group Road Bike Ride in Rocky River.

May 14 - Bike Night at Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River

May 16 - National Bike To Work Day

May 17 - Night Ride on the Towpath Trail in Peninsula

May 18 - Century Cycles Sunday Services Group Road Bike Ride in Medina.

May 18 - Bike Night at Herb's Tavern in Rocky River

May 18 - First Annual Bike to the Ballpark. Ride your bike to Progressive Field to see the Cleveland Indians take on the Oakland A's!

May 21 - Bike Night at Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River

May 25 - Bike Night at Herb's Tavern in Rocky River

May 28 - Bike Night at Burntwood Tavern in Rocky River

Check out the Bike Cleveland Events Page for many more cycling events in your area and more!
100% of the staff at the Rocky River store bikes
to work on National Bike To Work Day 2013