Treehugger bike stories

Treehugger.com is one of the smartest sustainability websites out there, and we wanted to draw your attention to the site if you weren't already a regular reader. Appropriately, they write a lot about bikes because, in their own words, "Bicycles are, as we keep telling our readers ad nausem, the most efficient means of transport humankind has ever devised." Here are a few sample posts to get you started.

An exhaustive look at various methods of cargo carrying in Bicycle Cargo. Chapter 1. We don't know about you, but we love challenging the limits of our bikes. How much can my rack/basket/trailer hold? Here are examples of some folks pushing the limits.

Sometimes things aren't black and white. A cyclist's death from being hit by a car recently caused some stir in Toronto. It seems that both parties are at least somewhat at fault, which only muddies an already-complicated situation. Read about it here.

Stylish purses-slash-bags made for a bike? That's some fashion we can get behind! Check out Bagonia.

This photo is worth a thousand words:

Read the whole post here.

Kelli met Treehugger founder Alex Steffan many years back when he visited Detroit, and K&K heard him speak in Chicago just a couple of years ago. What we love about the site (and the book they published) is that it a meld of nerdy activism and pragmatic insight. Make it a regular interweb destination.

Labor Day Closure 09/08/09

We are taking the day off on Tuesday, September 8 for Labor Day. We will be here on the holiday, tho!

Karen's Detroit

Karen was profiled by Next American City and Model D. Awesome article!

Karen Gage says the best way to travel Detroit is by bike. The entrepreneur and community development star isn't just saying that because she started the city's first bike rental business a year ago. Karen's bike is her main mode of transportation. She says the city's flat, wide streets and sparse traffic make for great conditions for those who prefer two wheels to four.

"People ask me all the time if I feel safe, and I just want to be like, 'No. No I don't. And it sucks. That's why I ride my bike every day,'" Karen says, with an ironic deadpan.

Read the whole thing here.

New Helmets in Stock

We've become a Bell and Giro dealer, so any fancy schmancy helmets you've got your eye on can now be procured through us. The first one we've got in stock is the Giro Transfer, a nice universal helmet with a reasonable price of $35.

We have it in black, white/silver, blue/black (pictured), mint and red/black. We still have Lazer, 661 and Protech helmets in stock as well.

Detroit Agriculture Network Tour

On August 5, Kelli, Alex and Raymond rode with the Detroit Agriculture Network's annual urban farming/community garden tour as sweepers. We had a really great time and, as always, were inspired by the good work of DAN and its partners. Here are some pics that Alex snapped.

Cultural Diversity Council Bike Ride 8/22/09

Another Saturday, another chance to bike Detroit! Join the Cultural Diversity Council on Saturday, August 22 for a ride around the city. They'll pick up riders at the Towers Residential Suites entrance at 3:00 p.m. and at University Towers at 3:30 p.m. After the ride, food and drinks at Cass Cafe, around 6:30 p.m.

Contact the CDC at CDC@wayne.edu.

Beevis & Butthead

...er, Deminski & Doyle, two radio shock jocks made some stupid comments last week on-air about throwing things at cyclists. Unfortunately they've incited that lovely contingent of bike-haters that already like to yell and honk at cyclists. Several cycling organizations have contacted the radio station and its owner, Greater Media Inc., to talk about the hateful language the disc jockeys have used but have not yet elicited a satisfactory response. The League of Michigan Bicyclists have started a petition to demonstrate to the owners and their advertisers that cyclists exist, are sane and have the same rights and, lest we forget, responsibilities as motorists.

Read more and sign the letter here.

Tackle the Dream Cruise by Bike

This weekend is the Annual Dream Cruise, not really our cup of tea! But there are two group rides this Saturday, August 15,  that will give you the chance to pedal Woodward. Detroit Bikes! is hosting its inaugural Pedal Woodward Dream Cruise. It leaves from Rivard Plaza (Wheelhouse's home turf) at 9:00 a.m. and will return at 1:00 p.m.

There is also a Critical Mass ride, Crash the Cruise, that will take off from the Ferndale Public Library at 2:30 p.m. Costumes and noisemakers optional!

It's more fun than it looks!

Karen & Kelli are big about talking the FUN aspect of cycling. It's not all about calories and cadence, spandex and Slipstream. Biking is good for you and for the environment but, as far as we are concerned, it's a really good time. We are lucky enough to have a wonderful attorney, Steve Roach, who is with Miller Canfield and is also the Region 1 Rep for the League of Michigan Bicyclists. He is a great guy (with an exceedingly dry sense of humor and a penchant for spandex) who we love. He is a regular Grosse Pointe-to-Downtown bike commuter, and GrossePointeToday.com interviewed him and shot a video of him commuting.

Excerpt:

Motorists may pity the cyclists they pass, especially when it's clear the folks on the bike are not on their way to pick up ice cream. Those who choose to commute by bicycle may strike drivers as masochists, weird fitness freaks or possibly suicidal.

It probably never occurs to the people behind the wheel that the people straddling the wheels are having a good time.

A really good time: "If you get any sort of aerobic exercise, you get enough endorphins you get like a buzz," said Steven Roach, two-wheeled commuter.

Check out the full story here and, in the accompanying video, watch him talk about his helmet and components before getting down to the good stuff: riding!

Women's Night at the Hub 8/11/09

The first Women's Night at the Hub is set for August 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. It's a bike repair workshop for women and trans only.

The Hub is at 3611 Cass, just north of MLK.