Open City

Tonight is the kick-off meeting for the 2009-10 season of Open City, a group that encourages small business in Detroit. It certainly provided us with the connections -- such as the Detroit MicroEnterprise Loan Fund and SCORE -- that helped Wheelhouse open its doors. Many of the small business owners that are the people we turn to for advice and inspiration attend these meetings.

Details are at opencitydetroit.com, but the meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell's.

Tour de Troit

Register by tomorrow to ensure you pay only $30 ($25 for students) -- starting Saturday, the price jumps! Head to tourdetroit.eventbrite.com to do so!

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!