Easy riders: Cycling group Slow Roll Cleveland to close out touring season with Halloween ride


Slow Roll Cleveland, a community-centered weekly bike ride that brings together cyclists of all ages and skill levels for a leisurely-paced 10-mile tour throughout the city, will end its 2024 season with a special Halloween-themed ride on Monday, October 28.

“We’ll gather between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Market Square Park [in Ohio City], and the ride leaves at 7 p.m.,” says Kevin Jones, board president of Slow Roll Cleveland. “It’s going to be a fun end to the season with costumes, music, and a big community feel.”

Riders are encouraged to show up in costume and decorate their bikes, with a contest offering prizes for the most creative outfits. This year’s theme is “Music is What Moves Us.”

“I’ve got my costume,” Jones teases. “I’m not going to say who I am. I thought about being Michael Jackson with a Jheri curl on fire, like the Pepsi commercial, but I couldn’t find the Jheri curl. So maybe someone else will do that.”

Participants are welcome to play their own tracks from portable speakers or headphones while they ride, or they can listen to a dedicated Halloween-themed playlist curated by members of the Slow Roll community.

A community on wheels

Started in Detroit in 2010 and adopted by Cleveland in 2013, Slow Roll is a bike ride designed to connect people and neighborhoods. Jones joined in those early days when there were “just 15 of us riding around the city,” he recalls.

Since then, Slow Roll Cleveland has grown significantly, attracting participants from all corners of Cleveland and beyond—including riders from Akron, Columbus, Erie, and even Pittsburgh.

“Now we’re getting hundreds [of riders] each week—sometimes 200 or 300 people,” Jones boasts. “For bigger rides, we’ve had up to 800 riders show up.”

Jones, who joined an early ride in 2013 when a friend invited him, was drawn into the group immediately.

“I’ve ridden bikes for years, but mostly solo,” he says. “Slow Roll was one of the first group rides I did, and once you go, you get hooked. It’s like Lays—you can’t just go to one.”

Over time, he became more involved, first as a volunteer and later stepping into the role of board president after the group became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The ride is designed to be relaxed and inclusive, welcoming people of all backgrounds and skill levels. Riders move at an easy pace of around eight miles per hour, covering about 10 miles each Monday evening from May through October.

“We get kids, avid cyclists, even grandparents,” explains Jones. “One of our youngest riders, Bryson—he does the ride, the full eight to ten miles, and he’s at the front just really hammering at it. He’s keeping up with us on this little bike with tiny tires, no training wheels, and he’s only four years old.”

To ensure rider safety, a team of volunteers known as the SQUAD helps keep each Slow Roll ride running smoothly. They handle everything from traffic control to fixing blown tires during the ride, and they scout routes in advance to check for obstacles like construction or downed power lines.

“Our SQUAD members are the heroes of Slow Roll,” notes Jones.

One of the core elements of Slow Roll, he says, is the connections formed between riders.

“I’ve seen friendships develop on Slow Roll Cleveland over the years—just people who you always see ride together, but they didn’t know each other beforehand,” Jones says. “They’ll tell you, ‘Yeah, I didn’t know Mary, but me and Mary are good friends now. We’re making pies together on Tuesday.’”

Slow Roll SQUAD volunteers lead a ride in ClevelandSlow Roll SQUAD volunteers lead a ride in ClevelandBridging communities

For the Slow Roll team, the goal is to extend the sense of community beyond one-on-one connections formed during the rides and into Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Each week, the group rides through a different part of the city, alternating between the east and west sides to ensure a variety of communities are represented.

“We plan our routes carefully before the season starts,” Jones explains. “Our goal is to bridge communities by getting people out of their neighborhoods and into parts of the city they might not otherwise visit.”

Ohio City, Tremont, The Flats, Kamm’s Corners, Clark-Fulton, Edgewater, Asiatown, Slavic Village, Collinwood, Hough, Midtown, and Glenville, are all neighborhoods that have been part of Slow Roll’s routes.

“It’s like a form of tourism in your own city,” Jones says.

Jones says he has noticed Slow Roll’s visible impact on the communities the riders pass through. He notes that people often come out of their homes to wave or high-five the riders, and many join the rides after seeing them in action.

“We’ve had people stop us and ask how they can get involved,” he shares. “It’s about bringing joy to the neighborhoods and showing people that Cleveland is a great place to explore.”

Slow Roll Cleveland is free and open to everyone. Riders are encouraged to just show up at the starting point with their bikes and enjoy the community ride—they can register on-site or in advance on Slow Roll’s website. For those without a bike, Jones suggests looking into bike rentals from Ohio City Bicycle Co-op or using bike-share services around the city.

For details and schedule, visit the Slow Roll Cleveland website or Instagram page.

Rebecca Cahill
Rebecca Cahill

About the Author: Rebecca Cahill

Rebecca Cahill is a freelance writer who is thrilled to contribute to FreshWater Cleveland, sharing the stories of the people and places that make our fine Forest City flourish and grow.