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Checking In + Supply Chain Update + Staff Break August 3 to 10
For the time being we are going to continue on the path we’ve been on this past month, which includes:
By Appointment Only. You can make an appointment to shop, for curbside drop-off or pickup, pickup or delivery to or from your home or workplace, or to test ride a bicycle for purchase. Considering our small space, we have found this allows us to provide efficient, safe, and attentive customer service. Email us at info@wheelhousedetroit.com; same-day appointments are often available.
By Reservation Only. We are operating with a limited rental fleet. All reservations must be made by midnight prior at www.wheelhousedetroit.com/rentals. No walk-up or day-of reservations at this time.
Small Private Group Tours Only. We will be happy to book a private tour for up to four adults at this time. Yes, we are being extra cautious. More info HERE, reach out to bookings@wheelhousedetroit.com to get your small group safely rolling!
Free Pickup & Drop-off Continues. We will continue to offer complimentary bicycle pickup and drop-off service within the city limits (Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck). People have asked why we keep doing that, we should start charging. Here’s how I think about it. I’ve been averaging 32 a week (that’s both ways included). That is 32 fewer contacts at the shop for staff. When you’re out working with the public, it’s all about limiting exposure. The Riverwalk is already a busy place and our delivery service is keeping everyone a bit more apart so it’s worth it to me. Schedule at info@wheelhousedetroit.com.
Service Turn-Around Remains Pretty Great! We are currently at same or next-day for simple repairs (changing a flat &/or tires, brake or gear adjustment) and 7-8 days for most other repairs, including a tuneup. We are in decent shape with tubes, tires, cables, and brake pads but special order parts are very hard to come by. This is the year to make what you already have work and we are there for it!
Supply Chain is Still a Hot Mess. You’ve probably heard that there’s a national bicycle shortage. We’ve been operating with information that the supply chain for bikes, parts, and accessories would begin to look better in August and September. Not so, it turns out. We do have a few small pre-orders from Haro, Kona, and Brooklyn Bicycle that we will see, probably not until fall, but the reality is all our distributors are now in agreement that things are going to be very ugly well into 2021. So we are grabbing stuff when we can and rehabbing bikes to keep some used bikes for sale. Keep your eyes on www.wheelhousedetroit.com/bikes. We literally update it every night. If you see something that catches your fancy, reach out to info@wheelhousedetroit.com to schedule a test ride.
We are closing for a staff break August 3 to 10. We are working extra this week to get all bikes currently in the service pipeline completed.
We appreciate our customer’s support and kindness during this truly unimaginable time.
Thank you,
Kelli
What's Going On With Wheelhouse Tours?
As restrictions are lifting, people are gathering and more and more group rides are happening. So what’s going on with Wheelhouse bike tours? Well, to put it in just a few words, “We remain on the cautious side of things.”
We have spent a lot of time talking amongst our tour staff (all of whom are Detroiters and avid riders) and reading about how the coronavirus is spread and we just do not feel comfortable operating our public tours at this time. Basically it comes down to two things:
The safe spacing we feel to be necessary between cyclists to avoid the spread of the virus while riding would make staying together in a tight pack — something of core importance to our operations — quite difficult. The odds of being separated at lights grows, making the group less safe.
The space needed at stops in order to maintain social distancing would require us to take up a very large footprint. Anyone who has been on one of our tours before knows that we group together tightly — not just so everyone can hear, but so that we are not taking up an inordinate amount of public space. It’s really easy while on a tour to fall into the “we’re alone on this earth” bubble. And that’s not fair to the everyday person just trying to live their life. We don’t have a right to the sidewalk, the Riverwalk, or the Dequindre Cut over anyone else. If we can’t operate in a respectful manner to our fellow Detroiters, we’d rather not do it.
So with all that said, we’ve decided not to run public tours in July. (Fingers crossed for August!) For August update, please see wheelhousedetroit.com/tours.
But we will offer small private group tours for up to 6 adults. Some key considerations:
These small group tours will cost $200 on weekdays (Tues to Thurs) and $250 on weekends (Fri to Sun).
Our bikes will be used (included in cost) so that any repairs needed on the road will be easily handled and sanitation procedures can be done ahead of time.
Helmets are required; you may bring your own or make use of one of our (sanitized) helmets.
Masks will be required to be worn at all stops.
Tours will be three hours in length. Food and/or drink stops can be arranged either within the 3-hour period or, if a time extension is necessary to accommodate, for an additional fee.
Possible tours at this time include Near East, Corktown, Near West, Auto Heritage, and Riverwalk/Dequindre Cut. Special requests can be considered.
If you are interested in booking, please reach out to us at bookings@wheelhousedetroit.com. We look forward to safely riding with you!
New, Expanded Hours + Bike Availability
We will be open Tuesday through Sunday Noon through 6PM going forward.
Our existing bicycle stock stands at 9 adult bikes and 3 kids bikes. Yeah, it’s crazy. We are going to be able to get some Haros in July, and everything else we will be grabbing when we are able. Kona’s supply chain looks like it won’t see any more bikes until fall; everyone else (Giant, Brooklyn, Del Sol) sometime late summer.
In the coming weeks, we will start to have a few used bikes for sale. This isn’t going to be a bonanza by any stretch of the imagination, just a few bikes here and there that we’ve dug up. We work really hard to keep wheelhousedetroit.com/bikes up to date — we are literally editing it every evening — so keep checking there if you remain in the market for a bike.
The same supply chain issues are impacting components and accessories as well. We encourage you to shop within our inventory if you are able. Special orders are taking forever, sometimes become unavailable even after an order is placed due to a lag time in fulfillment, and shipping and handling fees have become quite high. Translation: you find a helmet that fits ya but not in love with the color? Snag it!
We really appreciate our customers that are adapting to this “new normal” with flexibility and kindness. It really makes a difference.
Thank you - Kelli
Another Covid-19 Update
Here’s the latest on the Wheelhouse Rules of Engagement these days.
We are going to continue to operate "By Appointment Only." It truly allows for us to provide the best customer service under these circumstances. Info@wheelhousedetroit.com to schedule.
For the time being, we will continue to offer complimentary service pickup and delivery within city limits. This takes foot traffic out of the store and also takes some of the time it takes to write service tickets out of the hands of the shop staff. Info@wheelhousedetroit.com to schedule.
Our service turn-around is about a week. Tubes/tires same or next day.
Test ride appointments are required for bike sales. Current available stock is at www.wheelhousedetroit.com/bikes.
All rental reservations must continue to be made in advance at wheelhousedetroit.com/rentals.
Masks are required. Period.
Thank you for your cooperation, patience, and respect for the health and well-being of our staff.
Latest COVID-19 Update
Hello from my office, er kitchen table!
Just wanted to check in with everyone and share some thoughts about the bike shop during this period of quarantine that certainly allows for lots of reflection. I made the tough decision to abide by a firm closure during the initial stay-at-home period. That means we have not been accepting new bike shipments or service requests. Yes, I am aware that other shops have been doing this and I do not fault them. Economic fear is a powerful and real motivator. It is not that I do not share these fears — I own a low-margin seasonal business, I live on these fears even when there is not a pandemic! — but I believe that the uncertainty and level of contagiousness of this still-not-understood virus is more frightening and more important at this time. I don’t want to facilitate any non-essential contact and, realistically, a new bike or minor repair is not essential right now.
The latest state mandate (4/24) says that bicycle repair shops can begin to operate. We have decided that we will not...yet. Our high traffic area; small, open floor plan; and high level of personal contact workplace doesn’t engender a safe environment for me and my staff. Furthermore, we are not convinced that this decision will not result in a spike in infections, and are deciding to “stay-at-home” so as to not contribute to that possibility.
This is certainly not an easy decision to make and I hope that our customers can understand and respect our caution.
We are working behind the scenes to develop safe protocols for rentals, service, and retail for when we do reopen. Business will not be “as-usual.” Our tours are cancelled for the near-term future (at least through May) until this virus is better under control and we can feel safe in small groups.
Trust me, each and every time I turn away business it breaks my heart a little bit. But I have to do what I think is right — and right isn’t always perfect, it’s just the best we can do.
Thanks for understanding and when we do feel safe to reopen, trust me, I will be shouting it from the hilltops!
Two quick notes:
If you are jonesing for a ride and your bike is down for the count, make use of Mogo. They are currently providing monthly passes free! More info HERE.
We have a 2-week online merch sale going on through May 5 that includes some cool cotton face masks (strange times indeed). Check it out HERE!
In good health,
Kelli
Merch Sale Done Safe
Hello, everyone! It’s nice to have some positive news to share.
We are partnering with our long-time printers, Eastern Market-based ESP, for a merchandise sale that will be mutually beneficial and handled extremely safely.
Our online store will be open for two weeks (4/22 to 5/5) HERE. There are Wheelhouse-branded t-shirts, pullover and zip sweatshirts, and cotton face masks. The t-shirts are available in both adult and youth sizes.
Once the two weeks is over, ESP will print the order in full and ship each of them out. This minimizes their risk in terms of both the cash outlay to buy the gear and in customer contact. The proceeds will benefit both Wheelhouse and ESP.
This is such a wonderful example of two small businesses working together and we are excited and grateful to be the pilot store in this program. Kelli and Scott have worked together since 2005, when she had him print some shirts for that year’s Tour de Troit. It’s been many years and lots of changes along the way, but Detroiters stick together!
Wheelhouse in the Time of COVID-19
Wow. To say the world right now is a different place than anyone could have ever imagined is an understatement.
Obviously, Wheelhouse will not be opening for the season until things look a lot different. We will keep you informed.
Like for all other small businesses this is beyond tough, financially and personally. As a seasonal business, our winter “store" of money has dwindled, and this is the time of year we typically see people start booking tours and group outings, which helps with some cash flow. Obviously this is not happening. We are diligently working with all of our partners to find some relief, but it's a tough road to hoe.
There are a few ways to support Wheelhouse and ensure our reopening.
You can book a tour. Please know that any needed cancellations or changes will be treated very flexibly. Question? Reach out to Kelli at kelli@wheelhousedetroit.com.
You can book a group outing. We are offering $50 off any group rental or tour booked until we reopen. All it takes is a $50 deposit and, again, any needed change in date will be handled very flexibly. Reach out to Linda, she's the best and would love to get things rolling for your group in better times!
You can buy a Gift Card. We can mail you one when the shutdown is lifted or, even better, can set you up a house account for you at the shop. Baller status awaits! Questions? Tatiana's got you.
Remember, when you ride, do so solo or with others from within your immediate household. See you on the other side.
In good health and with hope,
Kelli
Tour Development Time!
We are deep into planning our 2020 tour season, so we thought we’d put it out there: Is there a tour you think we should be doing?
Here’s a list of the tours we currently have developed:
Architecture
Auto Heritage
Bikes & Booze
Cigars in Detroit
Corktown
Detroit Riverwalk + Dequindre Cut
Eastern Market
Galleries
Grandmont-Rosedale
Hamtramck
Haunted Detroit
Historic Churches
Historic Eastside Cemeteries
Indie Boutiques
Jefferson-Chalmers
Midtown/Woodbridge
Music Heritage
Look Up! Architectural Detail
Near Eastside
Near Westside
New Center
Palmer Park
Poletown
Public Art
Southwest Detroit
Sports Heritage
Techno
The Villages
Underground Railroad
Urban Agriculture
Feel free to comment here on our blog or email us at info@wheelhousedetroit.com with your idea!
Book Your Group Tour in February and SAVE!
It’s February, which means we are getting started on planning our 2020 tour season. To celebrate, we are offering a HUGE DISCOUNT on group tour bookings throughout the month: 50 BUCKS OFF!
Our group tours typically start at $200 for 1 to 6 riders on weekdays (Monday through Thursday) and $250 on weekends (Friday to Sunday). However, if you get us your tour deposit by February 29th, you will pay only $150 (weekdays) or $200 (weekends). Additional riders cost $35 (or $45 with bike rental) a person for up to 20 riders.
So if you are planning a wedding, bachelor/ette party, work outing, scouting activity, family excursion, or hosting guests from out of town this spring/summer/fall, this is a great way to get ahead of the curve and save some serious cash!
The best part is, our calendar is wide open at the moment, so you preferred date is pretty much guaranteed available!
More info about our group bookings can be found HERE. You can get started with the process by emailing bookings@wheelhousedetroit.com. We look forward to riding with you this season!
Holiday Shopping and Savings at Wheelhouse Hamtramck
Due to the closure of the Hamtramck shop, we are offering 25% off everything in the store. That includes bikes (Giant, Kona, Del Sol, Haro, Brooklyn Bicycle Co.), wheels, tires, tubes, lights, winter gear (hats, gloves, socks, balaclavas, bar end warmers, and boot covers), racks (both bike and vehicle), saddles, panniers and bags, pedals, tools and pumps, grips and tape, locks, helmets, kids seats…everything.
This deal will run through our last day of operation, December 21.