A public party at the Old Miami bar in Detroit on Friday offered more than free snacks and music. So will a Windsor sequel Saturday night.
Guests could be the first to buy $550 commuter bicycles made by Detroit Bikes, host of the rollout events. Eleven people did so during the bash on Cass Avenue, according to a local dealer's social media post. The next event is Wednesday at a Toronto tavern.
"This bike is an effort at simplifying what a bike is and how people approach cycling," the manufacturer says.
The west Detroit company, founded in March 2011 by Zak Pashak, competes with manufacturers in China, Taiwan and a few small newcomers who're much closer, as Frank Witsil reports in the Free Press.
The bicycle business has gained traction in metro Detroit in the past year.
The trend has been driven in part by people looking for American-made products and a sense that the Detroit label is hip. Other metro Detroit bike makers include Detroit Bicycle, AutoBike and Shinola, which opened a retail shop in Detroit this year.
But Detroit Bikes is the only one that is also mass-producing the frames.
Its black steel "city bikes" have three gears, hand and foot brakes, fenders and a rack. They're aimed at buyers who want a bike for commuting, errands and urban recreation. The website says:
Whether you’re commuting five miles between home and work every day, darting down to the store to grab some groceries or cruising by the river on a warm summer night, this is a durable bike that is fun to ride.
Using a mountain bike or fancy racing cycle for those purposes "is like taking a tank to the grocery store -- not a good fit," the Detroit Bikes Facebook profile says. "This bike is an effort at simplifying what a bike is and how people approach cycling."
Frame-welding, painting, assembly and packaging are done at a 50,000-square-foot building on Elmira Street in the Grandmont area, near Schoolcraft and Grand River.
Pashak, 33, moved here from Canada and bought a 50,000-square-foot building on Elmira Street in the Grandmont area, near Schoolcraft and Grand River. He has about two dozen employees and plans nationwide sales through bike retailers.
Locally, they're available at Wheelhouse Detroit, Continental Bike Shop in Hazel Park (24436 John R) and Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop.
In his article, Witsil sketches the founder's background:
Pashak, a drummer who made his money promoting music venues in Canada, said he is capitalizing on urban biking and environmental trends nationally, and a need for reasonably priced mass-production bikes. . . .
He aims to make and sell 5,000 bicycles by the end of the year.
The firm's mission statement is: "To encourage cycling by making an accessible, enjoyable bicycle while continuing Detroit's legacy of quality manufacturing and design."
