Just hours after writing about the growing list of bike events in Detroit, we stumbled on some others.

From Detroit Synergy:

August 20th at 9 AM: Pedal Cruise

It’s almost time for that annual north Woodward Avenue pagan festival, the Woodward Dream Cruise! That means it’s also time for the Third Annual Detroit Bikes! Pedal Cruise Bicycle Ride! We’re not anti-car; we’re just pro-bicycles! Many of us firmly believe that the best way to experience our City is on a self-propelled vehicle!

The primary aim of the Pedal Cruise is to bike from our City’s birthplace, the Detroit Riverfront, to the world-famous (thanks to Eminem) 8 Mile Rd. (why isn’t it called 8 Miles Road?) and back. We will parallel as well as cross Woodward Avenue, though only a modest part of the ride will take place on Woodward itself.

More details

From the Hub/Back Alley Bikes:

August 20th at Noon: 3rd Annual Safe Streets Youth Ride

Hey everyone! It is time to get energized for our big annual ride. There are many more people riding in Detroit now than have in recent memory. There are also many more groups doing rides together. On August 20th we will be gathering in our back alley at noon for our big annual ride. What makes our ride different? Well, the primary focus is our youth. We are inviting all our Youth that have completed the Earn-a-Bike program in the past year to bring those bikes out and ride with us. We hope they bring their families with them so they can all ride together. This will be a slow ride so people of all ages can keep up. Afterwards we will have a parent appreciation BBQ.

So what if you didn’t participate in Earn-a-Bike? Well, that is the other part that makes our ride unique – it is a fund-raiser to continue the programming that we provide here in the Cass Corridor. If you would like to ride with our youth, please register at our Wepay.com site. Registration is $25, but if you register before August 13th – registration is only $10. Again, Youth Earn-a-Bike participants and their families ride free.

More details and registration

From the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan:

August 21st at 8 AM: J-Cycle

Hop on! The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and the Reconstructionist Synagogue of Detroit are leading the way through the streets of Detroit for a fun-filled morning of cycling, learning and bonding. Our tour travels from the beautiful, new Milliken State Park on the Detroit River, along the Riverwalk and through the Dequindre Cut, a landscaped bike path once the Grand Trunk Railroad line and through the city to see such sites as the Hank Greenberg statue at Comerica Park, numerous former synagogues and buildings built between 1902 and the 1920s such as the United Hebrew School building built in 1922 and the new Moishe House on Ferry Street and the Oakland Avenue Schvitz. Don’t miss this first-time event!

More details and registration

From Bike Tech:

August 28th:Third Annual Bicycle Show & Swap Meet

BIKE TECH (@ Balduck Park) 18401 E.Warren, Detroit, Michigan 48236
From 8am – 2pm

Bring out those Vintage, Classics, Road & Track Bicycles and Parts.
Food & Refreshments Available.
Vendor Space Available

$25. – Early Registration
$30. – Day of Show
Table Rental $5.00 additional

For Additional Information…313-884-2453

1. There are two Wheelhouse bicycle tours this weekend in UK which are both fundraisers for MTGA.

The first is Saturday, July 9th at 1pm and its theme is the early cycling history.

Automotive history was made possible by its deep roots in the world of bicycles! Visit the home of Horatio “Good Roads” Earle, the site of both Wheelmen clubhouses, the Metzger bicycle shop, the Morgan & Wright tire company, the Bicycle Pavilion on Belle Isle and the home of Fords Quadricycle you can now buy with the help from this used quad bike finance program. Tour will be led by Todd Scott, the Greenways Coordinator for the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. Community Partner: Trails and Greenways Alliance.

The second is on Sunday, July 10th at 1pm and will tour Underground Railroad historic sites.

It was an important station on the Underground Railroad, and the final American stop prior to freedom across the River in Canada for many escaped slaves. We will visit the Underground Railroad memorial sculpture on the River Walk, historic Second Baptist Church, and the Underground Railroad Living Museum at the First Congregational Church.

Dodge Brother's bicycle ball bearing patent of 1896

At 4pm on June 3rd, I will be presenting at TechTown’s First Friday networking event on the connection between entrepreneurs, greenways, and bicycling. The event will be held at NextEnergy, 461 Burroughs in Detroit.

As currently planned, the presentation will begin by recognizing Detroit’s early bicycle entrepreneurs such as William Metzger, Henry Ford, Horatio Earle, and the Dodge Brothers .Though not from Detroit, the Wright Brothers will get mentioned as well.

The bicycle is to be given credit, not only as the pioneer of the good roads movement but also as the parent of the automobile; for whoever heard of ball bearings and pneumatic tires until they were used in bicycles? Where did the expert mechanics come from, if not the bicycle industry? So, this is the rightful order of the origin of modern means of transportation: first, the young American; second, bicycles; third, good roads; fourth, automobiles; fifth, airplanes.

While early bicycle entrepreneurs were integral to Detroit becoming the Motor City, there are many examples today of entrepreneurs lessening Detroit’s car dependence and making it more green — the primary focus of this presentation.

There is a $5 fee payable at the door.

So often m-bike has focused on Detroit bike history prior to 1900.  However, much history was made after that, especially through the Wolverine Sports Club.

Last year the Wolverines’ Clair Young passed. He was a ten time Michigan State Champion during the 1940s and 1950s. That’s dominant.

His daughter Sheila Young went on to a very distinguished racing career in both cycling and speed skating — winning some Olympic medals along the way.

Endless Road Media produced this excellent mini-documentary on Clair Young.

Of course Detroit has a strong automotive history. The first gasoline-powered car was driven in Detroit 115 years ago today — with Henry Ford biking behind it.

But we also have a strong beer brewing heritage, which is perhaps largely a result of Detroit, especially the eastside, being a major destination for German immigrants.

In fact by 1880, 28% of all Detroit households were headed by a German immigrant. At the same time, 62% of the workers in Detroit’s bars and saloons were German immigrants, which proves you don’t need to speak English to pour beers.

Last Fall as part of Detroit Beer Week,  Bil Lusa led a bike tour called BIKE-toberfest – Detroit Brewing, Past & Present. It included Detroit’s current breweries along with the historical sites such as Stroh’s, Pfeiffer, E & B, and Goebel.

Now the Motor City Bike and Brew Tours are offering something similar once a month from April through October.

Learn about Detroit’s brewing history from your own two wheels. Motor City Bike and Brew Tours presents a guided bike tour of Detroit breweries. Discover why the Motor City is a great bike and beer city!

There is a $24.99 fee but the tour includes lunch and drink vouchers.

As always, bike safely.