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Blessing of Bikes
This Sunday, Spirit of Hope Church in N. Corktown is hosting the first annual blessing of the bikes (well, and motorcycles) at their 11 a.m. service. It's located at 1519 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. at the intersection of Grand River and Trumbull.
Movement Fest Discount + Closed Memorial Day
Take a break from the breaks! This weekend, anyone with a Movement wristband gets a $5 break off a 2-hour rental. It'll run you just $10. And we are closed Memorial Day -- that's Monday, May 25. Sunday & Tuesday pick-up & drop-offs of bikes can be arranged.
That's all!
Ride of Silence Recap
It was a wonderful Ride of Silence last night from Belle Isle to Downtown and back. About 225 cyclists turned out to celebrate cycling, draw attention to "Sharing the Road" and honor cyclists that have been injured or killed by motorists when cycling. Many thanks to event chair Steve Roach of the League of Michigan Bicyclists and to Macomb Cycle & Fitness for the post-ride bar-b-que.
Architecture Tour Pics
Curious about our tours?
Wheelhouse was featured in Sunday's Detroit Free Press. The article talks about our tours and there is an accompanying video of our Creekside tour.
From the article, City cycling is a challenge and a treat:
Throughout the spring and fall, and occasionally in the summer, the store -- run by Detroiters Karen Gage and Kelli Kavanaugh -- hosts bike tours that range from about 10 miles to 30 miles or more.
"We have so much fun biking around the city, just going out and experiencing it and seeing new things," said Gage, 33. "Detroit has a lot of cool neighborhoods and interesting people and great architecture. These bike tours are allowing us to present that."
You can watch the video at the Freep site or via the column on the right-hand side of this page!
Hamtown Bike Challenge
Next Sunday, May 24, all the cool kids will be at the Hamtramck Bike Challenge. Meet at Atlas Bar at 10 a.m. -- and prepare to cover every single block of Hamtramck's streets by bike!
The Atlas Bar is at 2363 Yemans -- corner of Yemans and Brombeck.
Dequindre Cut Re-Cap
The opening of the Dequindre Cut was truly lovely. Can't say much about the speechifying, because we were too busy transporting (where was Jason Statham when we needed him?) 10 bikes from the shop over to the Cut! Two of our cruisers were used to string the ribbon across the Cut for the grand snip. After the ceremony, there was a parade down the Cut with marching bands, walkers, roller bladers and, yes, bikers! Then we offered free 1/2-hour rentals so folks could ride to the end and back. We estimate we did about 35 or so -- and between that and the wind knocking our bikes over, Alex and Kelli were busting butt the whole time! But well worth it -- it seems like good times were had by all.
Read more about it at the Metro Times or watch this video!
The Last Word
Kelli & Karen had "The Last Word" in this week's Real Detroit.
Here's a sample:
What was the most exciting thing about being down here finally and what was the biggest challenge that you faced?
KK: The challenge was to get the word out, get people to come down here and see biking as a feasible entertainment option — not just for people who ride regularly. One of the most exciting things is when we rent to people from other places. You go to most major cities and renting a bike is not abnormal. They come here and expect to rent a bike and have Detroit deliver for them — it’s not a radical experience for them. Getting to see a city by bike is awesome, and allows a fair view of this town that not many visitors get to see. KG: On the flipside, I love it when Detroiters and residents and local people come in and are like, “Whoa! That’s whats up.”
Check the whole thing out here!
Also, remember to come out tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the grand opening of the Dequindre Cut! We'll be at the Woodbridge (south) entrance with free bike rentals, coupons and of course, info about tours, group rides and all that kind of fun stuff.
All in the family
In the spirit of Mother's Day...This family rocked the trailer and bike seat.
Yeah, pretty adorable. You can see more pics and read about their Wheelhouse adventure here.