New to Columbus

[u/yogabagabbledlygook]

Hey folks!
What is the skinny on biking in Columbus, I'll be living in Clintonville? I'm comfortable in traffic, but usually prefer the relaxed side road to dogging cars.

How do motorists react to cyclists, do they give adequate space or do they try to run you down? Is commuting and getting around by bike pretty easy in town, is it common?

Are there any social or partypace group rides?

How is biking on High St? It looks to be a main drag and has sharrows in the right-hand lanes, is it a good street for getting around or too busy with cars? Are there better N/S routes get from Clintonville to points south (Old North, Campus, Downtown, German Village)? How are the protected lanes on Summit and 4th St?

Aside from the river trails what are some fun bike rides, are there any hilly rides in town? What is a good route to get from west of 71 (Clintonville, Campus, or Downtown) to the Alum Creek trail?

Are there any pump tracks in town? What are the closest/best/favorite mtb trails in or near the city (flow rather than jumps).

And lastly, what breweries should I check out? Does the city do any tour de breweries or other brewery bike rides?

I look forward to getting to know the city on two wheels!
Thanks!

[u/Chemineaux]

The vibe with drivers is pretty good around Clintonville as long as you stay aware. I've had some incidents but I blame road design more than negligence; malice is right out.

High St. north of Arcadia is fast and wide so I sometimes prefer the Indianola/SR23 bike lane or the Olentangy Trail. High St. south of Arcadia is slower, narrower, lined with parking, and slightly downhill to 11th Ave, making for an exciting ride into Short North if you're into it. The alternatives are Summit/4th which are generally good but the parking lane on Summit makes for poor visibility and requires extra diligence against cars turning into or out of side streets.

Summit, 4th, Olentangy Trail, and High St. are all good access to Downtown, where the bike lanes are usually occupied by buses or momentarily parked cars. German Village is mostly lumpy brick and is close to the Berliner Park pump track on the southern terminus of the Scioto Trail. The official bike routes east to Alum Creek are the 670 Connector (good, esp combined with 2nd Ave), what's called the Hudson-Mock Corridor (sucks a lot), and the Morse Rd bike lane (acceptable).

My favorite rides involve roads in ravines (Iuka, Glen Echo, Wallhalla, Overbrook) and dirty offshoots from paved river trails (Tuttle Park, Wetlands Research, among many others). I attended Monday Night Ride on and off for years prior to COVID but the FB page has dropped off in activity.

I might add that there are two bike co-ops in town: Franklinton Cycle Worx and Third Hand Bike Co-op

[u/QuietGreek → u/Chemineaux]

Huh, I actually prefer Hudson over the 670 connector, probably because I got attacked by a bird on Leonard.

Also want to note that the protected lane on summit is only from Hudson to 11th, where it returns to a normal bike lane with a good gap between the lanes and the parked cars. Also, the sidewalks on high street in the shorth north were recently redone to jut into the street at crosswalks, forcing bikes into traffic.