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Just before 7 p.m. on a cloudy evening at Levis Square in downtown Toledo, all is quiet and then, suddenly, they appear. People on bicycles. Lots of them. It’s time for the members of the B-Team Bike Club to meet up for their weekly Tuesday ride through Toledo’s streets.
One of the founders of this group is Ernest Turner. According to Turner, a few bike enthusiasts were sitting around at the now defunct Heavy Beer Company at Toledo Spirits on Summit St. talking about bike riding, not necessarily as an exercise mode, but as a method for community building. That conversation led to the formation of the B-Team Bike Club. “We’ve got all ages, all bike types. It’s a way to celebrate bicycling as a community in the city of Toledo,” explains Turner, who rides a vintage 1980s Schwinn.
By 7:04, about 20 people have assembled. All ages, all genders. Alyssa High rides an e-bike and she loves riding with her fellow bicycle enthusiasts on the B Team. “It’s a great community and you see different parts of Toledo than you might on your own because it’s a different route each time and you get to learn different options for where you can bike and how to do it safely. And the people are great,” enthuses High.
After about 10 minutes, the now 25 or so riders pull up their kickstands and ride off down Madison Avenue. Tonight’s ride will take them all over downtown and onto the East Side.
The B-Team Bike Club is not the only bicycle club in Toledo. There’s a whole subculture of bike enthusiasts who pedal their way through Toledo’s streets and beyond, just establishing their piece of the road.
B-side
It’s a big day for Quenched and Tempered on Jackson St. The brewery on the edge of Uptown is hosting the B-Team Bike Club’s Bicycle Block Party on a Saturday in June with grey skies and occasional showers. The weather does little to deter the enthusiastic bicyclists who have assembled to celebrate the special community that unites area bike riders. The block party features a live DJ playing music, a food truck and a series of competitions, scheduled throughout the afternoon. There’s a spirit of celebration in the air, but also a slight pallor, as one of the Toledo bicycle community members recently was killed by a car while riding their bike in Providence Township. On May 31, Roseann Marie Peiffer of Maumee was hit by a car and subsequently died from her injuries.
Peiffer’s death weighs heavy on the minds of many bicyclists at the event, including Deb Augustine, a B-Team member who sits behind a table selling T-shirts and merchandise. “We’re here to embrace the bike community, whether you’re casual or a racer. Everybody.” said Augustine, who is passionate about accessibility for bike riders.
“We need accessible bike lines. We’re on the right path to talking about it. (Toledo City Councilman) Nick Komives is helping us out with that. We just had a meeting with the City Council to discuss more accessibility for bikes. We need paths from the suburbs into town and to change the sidewalks into something accessible for both bikes and people. Make a bike path connecting Franklin Park Mall to Downtown, Westgate to Downtown. Monroe St. Sylvania Ave. Make them all connect to downtown Toledo with a bike path. It’s easy to ride here because there are no mountains or hills. [With the proper, dedicated bike lanes] It could be really easy to get around.”
Despite the B-Team Bike Club’s name topping this event, it’s far from the only bicycle club in Toledo. Set up under a tent across the street from Quenched and Tempered is the Oddfellas Bike Club, manned by Tim Szarlip. Oddfellas is a bike club with members in six states, originating in New Mexico about 12 years ago.
“I’m the only one in this state,” said Szarlip. “They kind of patched me in from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I’m what you call a ‘lone wolf.’ I’m in that club but I live over here in Ohio. We try to bring awareness to the community about bicycle culture. We try to get bikes for the kids and to get people riding bikes more.”
Szarlip made the trophies for the various bike races taking place today at the block party out of recycled bike parts. Like Augustine, he believes accessibility for bike riders is an important issue. “A BMX park would be nice, but more awareness from people is what it needs,” said Szarlip. “People in Toledo (seem to) just think we’re not supposed to be on the road. I think community awareness is important, especially with that woman being killed (referring to Roseann Peiffer, mentioned above). I have a right to be on the road, I have the right to take up one lane. That’s the only thing I don’t like about bicycling in this area) — people are ignorant and think we’re in the wrong. But we’re not in the wrong. We’re just doing what we are allowed to do.”
Posted at a separate tent at the event, promoting the Stray Dogs Ohio Bicycle Club, is Brandon Bernstein, who has been riding with the Club for about three years. Near Bernstein is a monster of a bike, painted all black, that looks like something Batman might ride. Bernstein introduces the bike as the Mad Caddy, built originally in Cocoa Beach, Florida at the Low Life Bikes bike shop. “It’s got 26-by-3 inch wheels with a three speed shifter on it. It’s got the old Caddy taillight, it’s got a headlight on it. And it’s 9 feet 3-and-a-half inches long,” explained Bernstein proudly.
Inside Quenched and Tempered, owner Ali Drozdowicz is having a very good day, as this annual B-Team Bicycle Club event leads to the bar’s highest revenue date of the year. “This is our record for highest sales day ever, is this event. I don’t know if that will happen today because it’s kind of chilly outside and it’s a little drizzly,” Drozdowicz explains, adding, “I describe B Team Bike Club as kids who never stopped riding their bikes when they became adults. They still ride their bikes every day, they celebrate bike riding as a normal practice. You don’t have to be a professional cyclist or own a lot of fancy equipment to love riding your bike. They ride their bikes both to get around and for enjoyment.”
Drozdowicz points out that many European countries have successfully integrated bike riding as a main source of transportation. “I think cycling as part of everyday life is what’s missing and that’s what B Team Bike Club is trying to advocate. If you look at countries in northern Europe where they ride their bikes every day, the weather is way worse than ours, they just dress for it, and individuals in those bike riding countries are happier and healthier than the average American. Riding a bike brings a lot of joy and satisfaction to your life. To get out on your bike every day is good for your soul and your life and it just needs to be a thing that we see other people doing.
I think Toledo has done a good job with adding bike lanes, promoting bike culture, and B Team Club has done a lot to get people together to do it socially.”
Sidebar: Get on your bikes and ride!
A Q&A with Toledo City Council member Nick Komives about bicycle culture in Toledo
TCP: You’ve been meeting with representatives of the B Team Bicycle Club to discuss issues related to bicycle access and safety in Toledo. Can you describe what you and the members have been discussing and the results of those discussions?
Nick Komives: We held a public hearing for Bike Month on May 7 this year to hear from our passionate members of the biking community about what they would like to see from the city to support road safety and ease of access. B Team Bike Club was there to promote their weekly rides and ongoing efforts to support the greater community. Biking access and safety is very important to me, so our Vision Zero committee has been meeting regularly to implement multimodal transportation features in all newly redesigned Toledo roads. Broadway Street is a great example of a road improvement that included new bike lanes. Forthcoming projects on Washington Street and Monroe Street will also include additional bike infrastructure to accommodate the many modes of transportation our residents utilize.
Why does Toledo not have a skate/BMX park like other local municipalities like Bowling Green? What would have to be done to establish such a park within the city of Toledo?
I am uncertain as to why Toledo has never pursued building a BMX park. If it is desired by our residents, I’d encourage them to reach out to see what can be done. I have not heard from anyone interested in a BMX park, but (I’m) willing to have the discussion.
What has the City of Toledo been doing to strengthen bicycle access and safety awareness?
We utilize the principles set forth through Vision Zero, a guideline for improving transportation safety for all modes. As we continue to make improvements to our roads, we implement bike infrastructure (see Broadway, Erie Street, Michigan, Collingwood (north of Central) where applicable. We have also been working with TMACOG, Metroparks, and other partners to connect the areas many bike/multimodal paths in existence to complete the network.
I’d also like to extend my appreciation and support to the biking community in Toledo. Their continued advocacy and commitment to maintaining bike paths shows that it truly takes a village.
Bicycling, persistence and skills
The local bike scene was dealt a blow in April when Reggie’s Bike Shop, a Secor Road (just north of Alexis Rd.) staple for decades, abruptly closed, citing online competition and high costs, according to a report from WTOL.
But at the same time Reggie’s was closing, local Navy veteran and bicycle enthusiast Tyler Monaghan was planning to open his own bike shop Skills On Wheels, now operating at 911 Jefferson St. in downtown Toledo.
The Skills on Wheels shop is still sparsely stocked but sells a wide assortment of accessories. People can take their bikes into the shop for enhancements or repairs. Monaghan says Skills On Wheels will take a while to be fully operational, but that’s part of the business plan.
“It’s going to take a while to get the place up and running. We’re doing it out of our own pocket. No loans. We do not come from wealth. We’re just blue collar workers trying to do something positive in the city,” said Monaghan, who also works as a freelance tattoo artist.
Monaghan has been riding bikes since he was 12 and, now, at 37, he wants to give back to the bicycle culture, which has given him so much. “The most important thing is, we try to help families get better quality bikes at a reasonable cost,” said Monaghan. “We offer repair, retail and consultation. People can come in and look for advice on what to ride or what parts are good or what size bikes are good for their kids.”
Monaghan would like to see a bike park with wooden ramps instead of the concrete ramps at area skate parks, such as at Highland Park, 1737 South Ave. He advocates wooden ramps as they offer better wheel grip which allows for a safer riding experience.
“There’s some outdoor wood ramps in other states for bikes that have more grip. Yeah, it might not last as long as concrete but what do you want–more safety or a skate park that lasts longer? Highland (Park) has some cool things, but it doesn’t allow for potentials to be maximized for riders,” said Monaghan.
Overall, Monaghan believes that Toledo’s bicycle culture teaches valuable life lessons that can benefit everyone. “(Bicycling) is something that can push you to grow and learn integrity and a lot of good values. You crash, you get up and try again, and for me that’s something that sometimes lacks in some younger people. They meet some resistance and they give up right away. Bicycling teaches persistence, and we all need that.”
