BLOG
2023 Opening Day + Service Special
Wheelhouse will open our doors for Season #16 on March 25, 2023. We’ll be open the 25th and 26th from 11am to 7pm then roll into four days a week for Spring.
We will be offering complimentary service pick-ups and deliveries for tune-ups from April 1 to 14 within the city limits (Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck). More info HERE. Please email kelli@wheelhousedetroit.com to schedule.
Wheelhouse Detroit Private Bicycle Tour Options (2023)
Near East Side — 8 to 16 miles, 2 to 3 hours: This tour showcases several of Detroit’s unique attractions. Depending on group choice, weather, and/or day of the week, stops may include the Dequindre Cut, Heidelberg Project, Earthworks Urban Farm, Eastern Market, Lafayette Park, Elmwood Cemetery, the Detroit Riverwalk, Belle Isle, and West/Indian Village. A beverage stop can be included upon request. This tour is highly customizable to the length of ride-slash-number of stops the group desires.
Near West Side — 8 to 16 miles, 2 to 3 hours: Explore the Riverwalk, Downtown, Corktown, and Mexicantown on this tour. Depending on group choice, weather, and/or day of the week, stops may include the Underground Railroad Monument, Campus Martius, Capitol Park, Most Holy Trinity, the site of Tiger Stadium, Michigan Central Station, Ste. Anne’s Church, and Clark Park. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Detroit RiverWalk/Dequindre Cut — 5 to 8 miles, 2 hours (This tour is $200 on weekdays for up to 6 riders, $250 on weekends.): Ideal for families, this tour is almost entirely on greenways, separated from auto traffic. Short and sweet, it focuses on the beautifully renewed RiverWalk and the Dequindre Cut rail-to-trail.
Booze* & Bikes — Approx. 10 miles, 3 hours: Detroit has an amazing craft beer, cocktail, and wine culture. Stops will vary depending on interest, time, and date. Options include Atwater Brewery, Motor City Brewing Works, Batch Brewery, Motor City Wine, Two James Distillery, Detroit Distillery, Brix Wine, and more. *If booze ain’t your thing, we can take you to cafes or shops instead!
Corktown — Approx. 8 miles, 3 hours: Get inside info on Detroit's oldest neighborhood, including charming Victorian homes, historic churches and buildings, and vibrant and dynamic businesses. Stops include Most Holy Trinity Church, Michigan Central Station, North Corktown, and the site of Tiger Stadium. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Eastern Market — Approx. 5 miles, 2 to 3 hours: This tour takes in the Dequindre Cut, Lafayette Park, and the historic market, with an emphasis on history, current development, shopping opportunities, and vibrant murals.
Belle Isle — Approx. 15 miles, 3 hours: Explore the architecture and ecology of Detroit's island gem, including the Flynn Pavilion, Aquarium and Conservatory, Oudolf Garden, the Iron Belle Trail, the Boat and Yacht Clubs, the Casino, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and Livingstone Lighthouse. Depending on the day of the week, the tour can include stops at one or more of the listed attractions.
Music Heritage — Approx. 12 miles, 3 hours: Music originating from Detroit has been innovative and impactful, spanning many genres that include techno, rock, gospel, hip hop, soul, punk, and, of course, Motown. This tour will take in many relevant sites, including the Masonic Temple, Michigan Theater, St. Andrews Hall, Detroit Opera House, Music Hall, Chin Tiki, the site of the Gold Dollar, United Sound Systems Recording Studio, and the Motown Museum. A stop at the Old Miami, Motor City Brewing Works, or Third Man Records can be included.
Urban Agriculture — Approx. 15 Miles, 3 hours: Detroit has a deep history of urban agriculture; presently there are more than 1,400 farms and community gardens across the city. On this tour, learn the impetus of this movement and how it is impacting the lives of Detroiters. The tour will visit a variety of different farms and market gardens and discuss the movement's history as well as its challenges and opportunities. Throughout, Detroit's unique food system will be explored from all angles. Neighborhoods visited include North Corktown, Core City, North End, Eastern Market, and Poletown.
Books & Bikes – Approx. 13 Miles, 3 hours: Check out some of Detroit’s independent book shops. Stops can include John K. King Books, Detroit Specials, 27th Letter Books, Source Booksellers, Vault of Midnight, and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Haunted Detroit — Approx. 13 miles, 3 hours: This tour combines some ghostly anecdotes with factual historic info about Harry Houdini, Elmwood Cemetery, Capitol Park, and the St. Aubin Street Massacre. We also visit a few spots rumored to be haunted, including the Fort-Shelby and Leland Hotels, The Whitney, and the Masonic Temple and talk about the legendary Nain Rouge. The route includes Rivertown, Elmwood Park, Poletown, Midtown/Cass Corridor, and Downtown. A beverage stop is included.
The 11 tours described above all have at least one guide with flexible availability. We also have a couple of tours with guides that have more limited availability. If one of them is your preference, we are happy to reach out, we just want you to be aware that it’s not always possible.
Auto Heritage — Approx. 12 miles, 3 hours: Discover how Detroit became the center of the automotive industry with stops at the Globe Building, Dequindre Cut, Packard Plant, the GM Detroit-Hamtramck (Poletown) Assembly Plant, Fisher Body 21, New Center (former GM Headquarters and Fisher Building), TechTown, and the site of Ford’s Bagley Garage. Midway, we will enjoy an extended stop at and brief tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant (dependent on date/time). This tour is conducted in partnership with the Motorcities National Heritage Area. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Architecture — Approx. 15 miles, 3 hours: This informative overview of significant architecture in and around Downtown Detroit is one of our most popular tours. Led by architect Chris Gongora, the discussion centers on architecture in relation to urban planning, past and future developments, and the social implications of architectural design, good and bad, in Detroit. Sites include Hart Plaza, the Financial District, Cass Corridor, Brush Park, Eastern Market, and the Dequindre Cut. As a private tour, Architecture is only available on weekdays. For an additional fee, Chris can customize a tour for your group that focuses on a specific neighborhood, era, or building type.
Last edited 08/03/23
Ideas for Giving Tuesday
Even though Wheelhouse is (technically) a for-profit business, we aren’t one living comfortably in our culture of buy-buy-buy. Anyone who’s been our customer probably knows that. We often come up with creative repair ideas that keep a bike rolling rather than suggesting a new one. We consistently come up with repair-rather-than-replace solutions in our service department. It’s, as we say, just how we roll.
To us, the whole greedy “BUY SOMETHING SPEND MONEY” week that follows Thanksgiving is, frankly, gross. It kinda feels like Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday are honorable mention ribbons given out to ameliorate the crassness of all the other days surrounding them.
But here we are, living in our current reality.
In the “spirit” of that, here’s a list of some charities to consider giving to today — or any day. They’re not all bike-related, but they’re all things we believe in.
Of course we gotta start with local bike organizations:
Sign up to volunteer or donate a bike that’s gathering dust to Free Bikes 4 Kidz, who’s donated almost 8,000 refurbished bikes to kids in Detroit in just 4 years.
Back Alley Bikes focuses on youth cycling education. They take bike stuff and of course, cash is always appreciated.
Detroit Greenways Coalition advocates for bike infrastructure — and comprehensively documents it.
The League of Michigan Bicyclists focuses on statewide legislation that benefits safer cycling — like the “3 Foot Safe Passing” rule that recently became state law.
Onto a few of our favorite things: Detroit Parks! The Detroit Parks Coalition is an umbrella organization working to expand resources for city parks. Give to DPC or drill down to one of their member organizations, which include People for Palmer Park, Friends of Rouge Park, Chandler Park Conservancy, Clark Park Coalition, and Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.
Other local outside initiatives to consider are Detroit Outdoors, who works to connect more youth of color to activities such as camping, and the Detroit Audubon Society who of course, is all about our birds.
For the children: Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM tees are the best!) are youth activists fighting for justice in our communities — for example, clean drinking water in schools. We also admire and support the efforts of Girls Rock Detroit, InsideOut Literary Arts, Downtown Boxing Gym, and Mosaic Youth Theater — all empowering Detroit kids in their own way.
Bridging Communities does everything from elder support to running a neighborhood pantry and fridge to a resident-supported Time Bank.
There are so many amazing organizations working in the realm of animal rescue. We’re picking Rebel Dogs Detroit to shout out due to a personal interaction Kelli had with them this year.
Preservation Detroit, because we’re still over here losing our architectural heritage.
For their herculean efforts to bring Proposal 3 to victory: ACLU of Michigan and Planned Parenthood of Michigan.
And last but not least, Detroit Justice Center, because if the justice system doesn’t work for everyone, it doesn’t work period.
Note From The Owner
As we close out Wheelhouse’s 15th year of operation, I wanted to write up a quick wrap up. First of all, thank you to our amazing customers! We had overwhelmingly positive patron interactions this season, which was very appreciated after a couple of rough let’s-blame-it-on-the-COVID ones. We genuinely appreciate your kindness, gratitude, and continued support.
In good 2022 news, it’s amazing to witness the continued investment in cycling infrastructure in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck — led by the exciting and far-reaching Joe Louis Greenway. When we opened on the Riverfront in 2008, people asked us all the time: “Biking in Detroit? Really?” Now biking in Detroit is dare I say, mainstream, and I am here for it!
We were recognized with a Bicycle Retail Excellence Award for the 8th year running. To me, the component of this award that is most meaningful is the Secret Shopper that visits, emails, and calls then rates those interactions. This year we scored 91% in that category! We really do make a massive effort to offer professional and quality customer and repair service, so being seen in that regard by our trade association, the National Bicycle Dealers association, is super gratifying.
Like most small businesses, we are doing more with less people. The core team we had in place this year — led by the inimitable Tatiana — was effective, efficient, knowledgable, and friendly. It felt like family in the best possible way at the shop this year and customer feedback was at an all-time high. Thank you, thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart to the Wheelhouse Crew. I’m a lucky lady.
Of course, it wasn’t all great. We’re still struggling to dig ourselves out of the Hamtramck hole. We closed that shop at the end of 2019 — what a blessing in disguise was that timing! — but then came COVID. We missed part of our short 2020 season, are still dealing with supply chain issues (they’re better for sure, but repercussions to the industry as a whole are still being felt), and haven’t recouped corporate outings that were quite a significant revenue stream pre-pandemic.
Also, the landscape has changed significantly over the years, giving us a ton more competition. That’s not a complaint, but a realistic observation. We definitely have to hustle harder for our li’l piece of the pie!
This off-season Tatiana and I will be working on marketing and operations and gearing up for an even stronger 2023. Don’t forget, we are here for you by appintment all winter long for any of your cycling needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out — we’ll get back to you with the quickness.
In closing, we have a couple of exciting holiday shopping opportunities: a limited online apparel sale and Gift Card Bonus Bucks. Shop Wheelhouse this season! We would really value your support.
Appreciatively,
Kelli
Holiday Gift Card Bonus Bucks
This holiday, give the bike-lover on your list the perfect present: a Wheelhouse gift card! They can use it towards a new bike, some accessories, or a tune up — it’s good towards any retail or service purchase. We will mail you or your giftee the card or set up a house account. A hand-written personal note can be added at no additional cost and we don’t charge to ship.
HOLIDAY 2022 SPECIAL: Spend $50 on gift cards, earn a bonus $5! Spend $100 on gift cards, earn a bonus $10! Bonus bucks can be applied to the existing gift card(s), a new one can be created, or they can be added to a customer account (yes, yours if you’d like!). Purchase by December 15 to ensure receipt by Christmas via USPS. Local? We can arrange to meet at the shop for pickup or deliver for a fee based on location.
If you are looking to gift a guided tour or bicycle rental, click here. Your giftee will receive an email with a special code that they may use to reserve online at their convenience.
Holiday Apparel Sale!
We are running an online holiday apparel sale in partnership with ESP. Just 5 items to choose from featuring our city map logo: a crewneck sweatshirt, long- and short-sleeved tees, wool cap, and winter beanie.
Orders must be placed by December 5 for shipping the week of the 12th. One minor thing: the hats are being embroidered so there is a small chance they won’t be done in time to ship in time for Christmas. If that were to happen, we will get you a fancy PDF card you can print out for or email to the giftee.
Our logo is a simplified map of the city, showing the Detroit River and our spoke streets: E. Jefferson, Fort, Michigan Avenue, Grand River, Woodward, and Gratiot. It was inspired by our mentor Colin Hubbell, who was a Detroit booster and developer before it was cool to be one.
We sat down over breakfast and showed him some preliminary logos – we were stuck in this very literal place: there were wheels and houses in all of them. (Obvious much?) He threw the paper on the table and pronounced, “These logos suck!”
He told us to play with a map of the city, to look at the spokes of Detroit’s streets as the spokes of a wheel. We looked at each other, mouths agape, and exclaimed in unison, “That’s an awesome idea!
Read more about Colin HERE.
Even though it’s been 15 years, the logo endures. We think it’s timeless!
We're Here For You By Appointment All Winter Long!
Just a quick note to let you all know that when we say, “Available By Appointment,” we mean it! All you gotta do is shoot us a quick email with a couple of available windows and we’ll arrange to meet you at the shop. Usually we need just a day’s notice but sometimes can do same day. Obviously, the more heads up and more options you give us make things even easier.
In case you think it’s too much of a hassle…Not at all! Maybe 2 quick emails back and forth and we’ll be available at your convenience.
We’re happy to meet you for any cycling need, whether it’s to grab a tube or lock, place a special order, drop off or pick up a bike for service, or snag a rental or two. Or if you’d like to book a cold weather tour, no problem! Just email us at info@wheelhousedetroit.com and someone will get back to you quickly.
We will resume open hours of operation in March 2023 for Season 16.
Bonus Weekend Days 11/5 & 11/6
It’s too dang nice to be closed this weekend so we’re getting off the couch and opening up for Wheelhouse Bonus Days! We’ll be open Noon to 4pm Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6.
Here’s what we got cookin’:
BOGO Rentals: Buy-One-Get-One Free Rentals!
We’ll fix your flat on-the-spot. Most flat fixes cost about $20 depending on tube size.
For larger service needs, drop your bike off and we’ll schedule pickup for next week.
Come by and say hey! Enjoy these golden bonus days of pleasant riding.
SALE: BROOKLYN BICYCLE CO. 20% OFF
All in-stock Brooklyn Bicycle Co. bikes are marked down 20% October 8-30, 2022. We have just 6 that are looking for their happy homes; here are the deets:
Lorimer (18”/L | 14”/S Matte Denim Was $680, NOW $544): 9-speed hybrid; lightweight. Psst: The small frame is IDEAL for a lil shortie!
Bedford (SM | LG Matte Black Was $580, NOW $464): 3-speed; relaxed gearing and geometry.
Wythe (L Matte Black Was $605, NOW $484): Single speed; flip-flop hub.
Roebling (Matte Black Was $680, NOW $544): 9-speed commuter hybrid.
This sale will go through the end of the season, October 30. Come down for a test ride!
All new bikes purchased from the Wheelhouse receive a water bottle + cage and complimentary service (excluding tube replacements) for one year from date of purchase.
10 BUCKS OFF SELECTED FALL TOURS
Fall — and the best riding weather of the year — is firmly upon us. As our season winds down, we hope you can join us on one of our remaining outings. You can use Promo Code 10FALL22 to save 10 bucks on the following tours:
Saturday, October 1: Public Art
Saturday, October 8: Belle Isle
Saturday, October 15: Architecture
Our knowledgable guides will help you see our city in a new light. Our tours are limited to small groups and we work to find safe and interesting routes to ride. Join us for a unique, high-quality experience.