FAQ: RENTAL & TOUR

What is required to rent a bike?
For two hour rentals, we require a valid ID, which we will hold onto until your return. For anything longer, we will authorize your credit card, but not charge it, when you rent the bike. The manual authorization slip will be destroyed upon your return. When you sign the waiver, you agree to reimburse us for the cost of the bicycle if it goes missing while you are renting it or for the cost of repair if it is damaged.

I'm planning on renting a bike for a few days or weeks while I am visiting town. What should I know?
We think that is a great idea! Lights, a helmet and lock will be included with your rental. A credit card authorization will be required. We recommend that you do not leave a bike outside, even if locked, overnight. Most hotels will let you bring a bike inside.

What happens if a bike is stolen while I've rented it?
You will be charged the retail value of the bicycle.

I need a bike later than your time of close or earlier than your opening. How do I go about reserving?
Normally, any rental that is kept overnight is considered a two-day rental and can be picked up anytime between open and close on the first day of the rental and returned anytime we are open on the second. But, if you have a shorter window of need, we do have a way to save you a bit of cash: if you pick up the bike within two hours of close and return it within two hours of the next day's opening, we can offer you the price of just a full day rental rate. If you're looking to do just this, please reserve your bike for the daily rental rate and request your bike pick-up two hours before business closing hours.

I’d like to rent a bike for Slow Roll, but I see you close at 8pm. How does that work?
You may come into our Riverfront shop at 1340 E. Atwater after 6pm and get any bike you'd like (depending on availability) for the 4 hour rate. You can save 10% when you reserve online in advance HERE. We require a valid ID (that we will photo copy) and a credit card deposit. We will provide you with a helmet and a lock at no additional charge. The lock can be used to secure our bike onto one of the racks we have outside of our shop after hours or you may return the bike before 11am the following day.

Tell me about your tours! Where do they start? How long are they? How fast do you ride?
All of our tours begin and end at Wheelhouse Detroit’s Riverfront location unless specifically noted.

Most tours are between 12 and 16 miles unless otherwise noted. Masters Series tours are 30 miles or longer and designed for experienced riders. The Eastern Market tour is our shortest, measuring about five miles.

We ride at a conversational pace of 10 to 12 miles per hour. Since these are tours and not rides, there are frequent informational stops. Some tours include food breaks, but those are always noted in the description. We recommend that you bring water. Learn more about our tours here.

I reserved a bicycle or a spot on a tour and it looks like it might rain. What is your weather policy?
We ride rain or shine! We only cancel our rides for safety reasons such as extremely high winds, thunderstorms, excessive heat or cold, or other severe conditions. All cancellations are at the discretion of Wheelhouse Detroit, and we reserve the right to alter tours or cancel with little or no notice. A full refund will be given only if Wheelhouse Detroit cancels the tour.

We encourage riders to dress for the weather — and since this is Michigan, be prepared for it to change. We can lend you a poncho if you think you might need one!

I reserved a spot on a tour and something came up. What is your cancellation policy? Can I change dates?
Our cancellation policy applies to both rental and tour reservations. Cancellations for a refund less a $10 service fee or requests to reschedule a reservation, with an additional $10 administrative fee due at check-in, must be made 48 hours in advance. We do not offer refunds or requests to reschedule for any reason once within 48 hours of the scheduled time.

Why do you charge a $10 service fee to refund or to reschedule my tour or bike rental reservation?
We have to cover our credit card processing and administrative costs.

Do you do private tours?
We sure do! They make a great team-building exercise, pre-wedding excursion or friend and family outing. More information is available here.

Can I bring my child on one of your tours?
In most instances, no. However, we do rent child accessories, so come on down and we will set you up with a kid's seat, trailer or tag-a-long and send you on your way for an exciting Detroit bike adventure! The Riverfront, Dequindre Cut, Belle Isle, and Eastern Market are all popular family destinations.

I can't make the tour I am interested in. Can you give me a map of the route?
We can provide you a general map and suggestions but not exact routes.

What is your helmet policy?
We require helmets on our tours and will provide them at no extra charge. For rentals, we do recommend helmets but they are not required for riders over 18 years of age. We do, however, insist that anyone under age 18 wear a helmet. We have helmets to fit all heads and we sanitize them after each use.

What do you recommend I wear while riding?
First and foremost, be comfortable! As long as you are dressed for the weather, wear whatever you want: jeans, shorts, dresses, skirts, saris, leggings, joggers, t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, chinos, slacks, dress pants, sneakers, platforms, sandals, loafers...we mean it, anything goes! 

Headed out on a tour? Our tours are casual-paced and really do not require specialty gear, ie. spandex. We do not recommend clip-ins or flip-flops on our tours.

Don't forget your sunscreen!