This article was originally published on page 6 0f the Detroit Free Press , March 8, 1896. Whatever happened to that little tin box they put in the clubhouse cornerstone? More information and photos of the Wheelman’s clubhouse:

Corner Stone is Laid: The Detroit Wheelmen gathered at their new home.

With a club yell and cheer, the little tin box containing records pertinent to the occasion was placed in the corner stone of the Detroit Wheelmen’s club house yesterday afternoon, and the band ———— [sic]. It was the red-letter occasion in the history of the organization, and now the members are feeling happy because they know they will soon have a home.

The members of the club formed at the house on Randolph street and marched to Monroe Avenue, thence to Woodward and north to Adams avenue, where the building is being erected. They were headed by the Parke, Davis & Co. band, and all wore the yellow and black of the organization. J. H. Gould, chairman of the building committee told the assembled hundreds of the hard work in marking a start, and of the progress of the fund since it was announced that there would surely be a club house. President Ed N. Hines recited the history of the club, which dates back to 1879 when the Detroit Bicycle Club was formed. Following this came the Star Club and the Ramblers and in 1890 the Detroit Wheelmen organize on Clifford street, moving to Miami Avenue [later renamed Broadway], thence into more commodious quarters on Washington avenue. From there the club made another move into the old dancing academy on Randolph street, and the next one will be into the handsome home of its own on Adams avenue, just east of the [Grand Circus] park.

In the box were the files of the Phonograph, the club’s paper, the constitution and list of members of both the Detroit Wheelmen and Unique Cycle Club, club colors and buttons and copies of the daily papers.

Behind the group of members at the front of the building was a sign in yellow and black, “D.W. 1879-1896.” After a photograph had been taken the members marched back to the club.

The Detroit Wheelmen promises to be one of the most popular clubs in Detroit and its membership will be very large by the time the club house is ready for occupancy on August 1. The spirit of good fellowship has brought many in and the acquirement of property will help more than anything else. The building committee, consisting of J. H. Gould, C. W. Lloyd, E. N. Hines, Theo. Osius, E. S. Anderson, L. Vineberg, and Harry E. Dennis, has worked long and hard for the house and the handsome structure will be a reward for the labor spent. The officers of the club at present are as follows:

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A draft of the Royal Oak Non-Motorized Transportation Plan is now on-line and available for review according to city planner Doug Hedges.

The plan is being presented to Royal Oak’s Planning Commission on Tuesday, September 13th, at 7:30 p.m. That meeting is open to the public and anyone interested is welcome to attend and offer their comments or viewpoints regarding the plan.

Here’s a link to download copies of the plan

Let us know if you have any questions, otherwise we look forward to seeing most of you on the 13th.

Planning Commission meetings are held in the council chambers on the third floor of the Royal Oak City Hall at 211 Williams Street.

Dust off your passport. Next weekend, Transportation Options has partnered with the Erie Wine Festival to present a celebration of cycling in Windsor/Essex, Ontario. The event is being held at Fort Malden in nearby Amherstberg.

Besides wine tasting and live music, there will be:

• valet bike parking
• free guided bike tours
• bike rentals
• free basic tune-ups
• cycle tourism & travel expo

There are also free guided bike tours planned for Saturday and Sunday. One is a tour of Amherstberg which visits historic sites while sampling local cuisine.

The second is of Boblo Island — very cool! *** THIS TOUR HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO A FAMILY EMERGENCY! ***

Join Canada South Eco Tours on a biking exploration of Boblo Island in Amherstberg, Ontario. This 15 – 20km adventure tourism bike tour will highlight the historic landmarks on and around Boblo Island. This is a great local expedition for the family, whether you are returning to the island after experiencing it as a kid, or if you are exploring for the first time. This free tour is presented in partership with Transportation Options, is approximately 2 hours in length, and includes ferry transportation to and from Boblo Island. The tour will return to The Shores of Erie International Wine Festival in closing. We look forward to touring this untapped island with you. Your tour guide is Chris Carvallo.

For more information, visit the Celebrate Cycling in Ontario web site.

Here’s an interesting conceptual bike design from Jose Rivera at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit.

The goal of this project was to construct an easily customizable bike from recycled parts and materials. The bolted construction allows for the frame to be built at a fraction of the time and cost of a conventional bike. It also allows the user to easily customize the frame to his/her needs, or break the bike down for storage with simple hand tools.

One commenter on the web site questioned the frame strength to which Rivera replied:

As for the strength It holds up to a commute around Detroit. But some support spacers between the two halves would probably be useful to make it stronger over time.

Larry Parker also worked with Rivera and employed the same construction principles for his flat-frame bike concept.

The Core77 site also has additional coverage.

Have you seen these bikes being ridden around Detroit?

There’s been an uptick in bike-related video in Detroit lately. Here are four from the past week.

Ballpark bicyclist makes Comerica Park stop

First is the story of Darren O’Donnell from Washington who’s riding to all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. This video interview is from Comerica Park:

Suburban Businessman Biking Streets Of Detroit

Next is a ClickonDetroit news video of a cyclist who is riding every single street in Detroit. The city owns about 2,500 miles of streets. Throw in the county and state roads and it’s clear what a commitment this is.

Detroit’s Breezee One and Bike Chase

This is a fun video to start your weekend. It looks like it was shot before all the bike lanes were installed in Southwest Detroit this summer.

BREEZEE ONE – BIKE CHASE (Directed by GAREN.) from BREEZEE ONE on Vimeo.

Detroit man’s “Car-bike”

This is real interesting video of a custom bike with an enclosed cab. It includes a radio, rear storage, lights, and a windshield wiper. One thing that’s not clear is how the rider gets inside the cab.