On a warm Tuesday evening, the Oak Park E-Z Roll riders make their way through the city getting exercise and making new friends.

E-Z Roll

Oak Parkers get to know their city and their neighbors by bicycle.

Barbara Lewis

Contributing Writer

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n any warm Tuesday evening,
Oak Park residents are likely
to see a long stream of two-
wheeled, human-powered vehicles cours-
ing down their streets. It's the weekly Oak
Park E-Z Roll, a community-building
exercise that's the brainchild of Aaron
Tobin.
"Some friends and neighbors had been
talking for years about getting a group
together to ride our bikes, get some exer-
cise and meet our neighbors in Oak Park,"
said Tobin, 54, who retired after selling
his automotive remanufacturing business
two years ago and now teaches gun safety
classes.
In early June, Tobin, a member of
Congregation Shomer Yisrael in Oak
Park, decided there'd been enough talk
and organized the ride. He modeled it
after the popular Detroit Slow Roll and
even called it the Oak Park Slow Roll until
he got a phone call from a lawyer repre-
senting the Detroit group who said he was
violating their copyright.
He started a Facebook group, originally
called Oak Park Slow Roll Bike Rides,
now renamed Oak Park E-Z Roll Bike
Rides, invited his friends and posted an
announcement about the first ride on
other local Facebook pages.
He now has a contact list of about 400
people, more than 300 of them in the
Facebook group. Most weeks, close to 100

28 September 17 • 2015

cyclists show up to ride together. Even on
a day when a rainstorm threatened, more
than 70 turned out.

On The Roll

The cyclists meet behind the Oak Park
Library on Oak Park Boulevard, west of
Coolidge, at 6:30 p.m. and start riding at
7. The ride takes about an hour and a half
and covers 7-10 miles.
Paul Levine, an Oak Park City Council
member and mayor pro tern, plans the
route, which is different every week.
"People enjoy winding through the
neighborhoods:' Levine said. "We've
been in every part of the city, including
the industrial area [in the city's south-
east corner]. In August, we crossed into
Huntington Woods for part of the route
for the first time:'
Tobin posts the route on Facebook
every week so riders who live along the
way can join in.
"We even have live route tracking
thanks to Bill Berlin, who has a GPS that
allows people to follow us live on Facebook
as we ride Tobin said. "I think we are the
first group in Michigan to do this"
Hershel Gardin, a retired healthcare
executive and college dean, said he joined
the E-Z Ride because it's more fun to
exercise with a group.
"When you ride with a group, it is
much easier to spend more time at it
without beginning to get borer he said.
"Sometimes when I ride alone I keep
checking my watch to see if I have my half

hour in. With the group, I don't
watch the watch"
Gardin participated in almost
every ride until he broke his wrist
in an unrelated bike accident in
July.
"It is also great fun to see all
the different types of bikes and
hear the pride of their owners:'
he said. "And where else can you
see folks from 8 months to 80
years old all having fun doing the
same thing?"
Lana Sherman and Aaron Tobin sport the bright
Many participants agree with
shirts that make identifying the group easy as
Gardin that the E-Z Roll is a great they roll through town.
place to meet other Oak Parkers.
The ride attracts people of all
best things that's happened in Oak Park in
ages, shapes, colors and faiths.
recent years.
While most live in Oak Park, some
About a third of the riders now wear
come from neighboring cities like
neon chartreuse T-shirts with the image
Ferndale, Berkley, Southfield and Royal
of a bike and the words "Oak Park is
Where I Roll:' Before each ride, Tobin
Oak. One man on a recent ride was from
India; he was visiting his daughter in Oak
sells the shirts, which he designed, for
Park, learned about the ride and bor-
$15 apiece from the back of his van.
rowed a bike so he could join in.
He said he's sold more than 60 since
"I love it:' said Fred Schwartz of Oak
early August. After he posted a photo of
Park, who is looking for work in sales.
the shirt on Facebook, he received orders
from former Oak Parkers all over the
"It's slow enough so that people of any
age can do it. It's just fun to hang out and
country and in Israel.
"People have been thanking me for
meet the neighbors"
Lana Sherman, who arrived at a recent
getting them off the couch" Tobin said.
E-Z Roll with a flat bike tire that was
"They love that they are actually meeting
their neighbors and making new friends"
promptly fixed by another rider, said,
"Oak Park is the best community"
Tobin said the group will meet on
Sandy Klegman, who works for a medi-
Thursdays through Oct. 8, when the
cal supply company and usually acts as a
Jewish holidays end; they will continue
ride leader, said the E-Z Roll is one of the
until it's too cold to ride.

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