Detroit group rides

[Altema]

I found that there are weekly PEV group rides in Detroit every Thursday evening. I went this past week, and most of the riders were on Onewheels, but there were also five e-bikes and one monowheel. The pace was nice and comfortable, about 10 to 12mph most of the time, and the lead riders were on Tern cargo bikes (GSD S10, I believe).

The ride itself was good, and it was surprising how many people on the streets cheered and waved as we passed. I was also surprised at how much bike infrastructure has been expanded, and how "chill" drivers were with our presence.  We looped through the heart of downtown, went through Corktown and Mexican Village, then stopping at a taco stand for a quick bite. The ride was about 15 miles, so the range is fine for most e-bikes, though some of the Onewheelers were getting a bit low 😉. It was fun and I'll be back, and I may even come downtown on my own just to explore and ride the Dequindre Cut and Riverwalk.

[Altema]

I went for the second time this Thursday (9-2-2021), and it was a more well-rounded group with about 10 e-bikes, 5 ECU's and maybe 20 OneWheels. The other bikes there we mostly Treks, with 2 Terns and a Gazelle. Interestingly, the other bikes were 3 to 4 thousand dollars US each, with the Gazelle being almost 5 thousand dollars. The great thing is that it didn't matter what they rode, every one was friendly and we had a great time.

This time I put my GoPro on the front frame mount of my RadMini, and got some nice stills and video. One thing stood out when reviewing the videos is how clean the streets of Detroit are. It was almost strange, like they had all been swept, but I knew that was impossible. We rode through the heart of downtown, along the Riverwalk, visited Belle Isle which is now a state park, and rode the Dequindre Cut (a former below street level railway) on the way back. Total trip this time was 14.7 miles.

If anyone is interested, the ride takes place every Thursday (meetup @ 6:30pm, departure at 7:00pm). The location is Electric Ave. Bikes, 3613 Woodward Ave. Detroit MI. 48201. Like mentioned, everyone is friendly, but it may not be suitable for kids because of occasional language or smoking.