When I arrived at Wheelhouse Detroit to rent a bicycle, I explained to the people there that I like to tour any new city I visit by bike.
Ironically, I was in town for the TU-Detroit auto-technology show, but bikes are by far the best way to quickly and enjoyably get a sense of the place. And even with its historic reputation for car-centrism in all aspects, Detroit proved itself a highly bike-friendly environment for this visitor.
The author at Wheelhouse bike rental.
I mentioned to the workers at Wheelhouse that I had recently done a similar ride in Cleveland, which resulted in some kind-hearted trash talk about how I would enjoy Detroit much more.
While Detroit doesn’t yet have a bikeshare system like Cleveland’s UHBikes, Wheelhouse is roundly ranked as the best place to rent a bike in Detroit, and the central location can’t be beat. The shop is right downtown on the extensive RiverWalk trail along the Detroit River, which is about the only place in the U.S. one can look south into Canada (the city of Windsor, to be exact).
I even received a lunch tip, to make my first stop about 20 minutes away in the Mexicantown neighborhood at a favorite taco truck.
To get there, I leisurely cycled southwest past the iconic General Motors towers that distinguish the city skyline and provide an excellent place for people to commune and relax. I then continued along the beautifully-done riverfront path, bustling with people even on a weekday afternoon.
The RiverWalk abruptly cuts off at Joe Louis Arena, home to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. The trail ending there is not a big deal, though, because, like in Cleveland, the streets are so wide and carry so few cars that it feels like bicycling in the Sahara Desert compared to the car gridlock I’m used to throughout the Washington, D.C., region. In the last 10 years, Detroit has added 170 miles of painted bike lanes, and is currently extending a Copenhagen-inspired protected bike lane towards downtown.
Before reaching the food truck, I stopped at the U.S.-Canadian border; however, I was informed there’s no crossing allowed by bicycle, so stepping into Canada was off the list of great things to do for bicyclists in Detroit. (Bicyclists are awesome and should therefore get some kind of waiver for this.)
Continuing southwest, I rode across the five year-old Bagley pedestrian bridge, which connects downtown and Mexicantown. It crosses so many highways that I couldn’t even take a picture wide enough to capture the massive number of traffic lanes passing underneath.
Continuing on, Tacos El Rodeo appeared not far into the neighborhood. After lunch, I made my way back down Michigan Avenue to downtown. I had thought Joe Lewis Arena would be the best-looking sports arena in town, but Detroit’s other stadiums – Comerica Park for the Tigers and Ford Field for the Lions – don’t disappoint either.
A bike is also the best way to get great photos. As I glided along the sidewalks near Ford Field, I almost got in trouble for taking a picture when a stadium employee came out and claimed that, ever since the Paris terrorist attacks, the NFL had enacted a rule forbidding pictures on NFL stadium property. I still got this nice shot (see the employee walking towards me).
Detroit’s downtown has plenty of sights to see and they’re all pretty close together, making it an excellent city for those who like to bike and walk to discover places – and improved by access to the automated Detroit People Mover train that circles above downtown on a three-mile track.
After exploring downtown, I still had enough time to go back past the Wheelhouse and head northeast along the water, where the RiverWalk picks up again on and off for quite a distance.
My last stop of the day was Belle Isle State Park – a three-mile by one-mile-wide island in the Detroit River. I was unable to see it all because workers were tearing down all the gear from a recent IndyCar racing event, but it’s a pretty amazing amenity for locals and tourists alike.
Even if you only have a window of about three hours – like I did – you can see a lot of the Motor City on a bicycle.
Photos by the author.