Riverdays Logistics

Riverdays kicks off this Friday, and there is already a lot of activity near Rivard Plaza. Tuesday through Thursday, if you are coming to the shop and get stopped at the gate, let them know you are coming to the bike shop and they will let you in. We will update this post with more information about how to navigate Riverdays itself as we learn it.

Kelli's bike is famous!

...well, not famous, but it is featured at OldTenSpeedGallery! OTSG is a cool blog that, with a mix of love and tongue-in-cheekiness, lets tried-but-true bikes (by their very nature that are not eligible for such glory as promised to those at FixedGearGallery) have their day in the sun. Isn't Erie pretty?

Gas Prices Mean...

Riding a bike makes sense to more people. This Detroit News article talks about how more cyclists are adding fenders and racks and stuff to their bikes. We have certainly seen that to be true. If you are considering evolving your recreational ride to a commuter one, stop by the Wheelhouse. We have everything you need on hand!

On-line reservations

Our website is now able to accept on-line reservations. Not only can you ensure that a bike will be available for you when you want it, but on-line reservations receive a 10% discount! What are you waiting for? Reserve one today!

Good read

Check out a cool article about the history of bicycling in Detroit here. This paragraph is great:

The early wheelmen not given to worship breezed past the churches, racks or no, for the nearest saloon. There they chatted about "the proper gear of a bike, the cushioned saddles, and whether handlebars should have wooden, cork or leather grips, and whether the bars should be over- or underslung, and the advantages of chainless models over those chaindriven, which required clamps on the trousers, and what buildings and shops provided parking for bicycles, and the best routes for country driving, and whether Barney Oldfield could beat Earl Kiser or Ollie Schrein in a bicycle race at the fairgrounds."

Sounds like a night at the pub some of these days, too! Although, the whole chain argument is pretty much over.

Tours June 7 and 8

Wheelhouse Detroit, in partnership with Inside Detroit, has 2 great tours this weekend. Saturday's will take in Downtown highlights and Sunday's adds in Midtown (perfect for Festival of the Arts!). Call 313-656-BIKE (2453) to reserve a slot. Sunday's is already filling up! Read more about our tours here. Look for an announcement about nighttime tours in the next couple of weeks.

Another bike tour scheduled for this weekend will be led by Detroit Bikes! It meets at 10 a.m. at The Thinker in front of the DIA. The 4-hour tour will focus on art around town. More info here.

Ontario Winery Tour

Kelli took the weekend off to head across the stream to Ontario for a winery tour. Yes, our southern provincial neighbor has good grapes, and cycling is the perfect form of transport for such an adventure! Read more about the similar trip she took last fall here. (One small difference: we watched the Wings, not the Tigers...) Bikes and wine...life can't get much better.

Red Bull Weekend

Wheelhouse will be open this weekend only to people with tickets for the Red Bull Air Races. Which kinda blows, but the good news is that all of our bikes are rented out for the weekend -- some by Red Bull for their staff to get around and some to a Metro Detroit company that will be hosting a party near Tricenntennial State Park. Our hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. No tours this weekend.

Great news! Our tandem has arrived! Call us to reserve a slot, we have a hunch it will be quite popular! The prom king and queen at Cliff Bell's "Enchantment Under the D" party on Sunday night win a half-day rental -- good times.

Have a great weekend!

Oh what a weekend

Wow. Um, kind of glad it is over. We have been busy, busy, busy -- especially on Sunday! We wrapped up lots of service, rented bunches of bikes and sold some fun stuff like baskets and racks and horns and lights. Speaking of lights, have you seen the Knog Frog? It is very stylish and Karen attests that it is bright!

They come in 12 colors and have red or white LED lights. You can wrap them around your handlebars, seat post or helmet. We sell 'em for $14.95 each.

One of our customers this past weekend hails from a town in Italy where Abici bikes are hand-made. We only mention this because, um, they are gorgeous. And it was cool to rent a road bike to a visitor from across the pond.

We also rented to some girls from the UP and a guy from Idaho, who probably expect to be able to rent a bike when they are visiting a city. But the families from Detroit that we rented to were thrilled to have a recreational amenity in their own back yard. And we are thrilled to be able to provide it!

Lastly, we were name-checked in an interesting blog, Google Maps 'Bike There' -- an Austin-based effort to encourage Google to add an option when giving directions for how to bike to your destination. We love the concept and hope Google takes the advice!

WheelHouse was mentioned in a post about broader cycling advocacy, that bike-sharing and rental are good ways to get non-cyclers back onto a bike. We think so too. Some of the people we have rented to haven't been on a bike in decades. And it reminds them how much fun it is and what a good workout it is. We reckon some of those people might be more inclined to buy a bike.

So, yeah, we signed his petition.

We are closed tomorrow for our Memorial Day, but will re-open on Wednesday at 10 a.m. See you at the Wheelhouse!

What better way?

...to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend then by riding a bike? Some suggested rides: Rivard Plaza to Belle Isle with a picnic lunch... Cemetery tour: Elmwood, Mt. Elliott then head over to Woodmere. On Saturday, shoot up to Eastern Market for lunch then head east to West and Indian Villages. Ride along the RiverWalk then cut up to Corktown -- grab dinner and at Slow's, or a bit further west for some Mexican. The patio at Los Galanes is very pleasant indeed.

Tour Reminder: Check out our Saturday and Sunday tours at 1 p.m. The Saturday one is 2 hours and shows you downtown highlights. Sunday's is 3 hours and adds in Midtown sites. Bring your own bike or, for $10 extra you can get one of ours for a full 4 hours.