How Detroit Bikes Builds Rides for the Nation's Urban Jungle

After buying a 50,000-square-foot factory on the West Side of Detroit, Zak Pashak began making bicycles in 2013. It was a risk, as most bike making had moved outside the U.S. beginning more than a generation ago. Yet Detroit Bikes’ contract with Motivate, the company that runs bike-sharing programs in 12 metro areas, including New York Citi Bike, has helped put Pashak’s company on pace to churn out 10,000 bikes this year. In doing so he’ll employ 50 people in a city with 10 percent unemployment, about double the national rate. Detroit Bikes also makes bicycles that are sold under its own label. The A-Type model, a utilitarian, matte-black frame, three speeds, and a rear rack with the Detroit Bikes logo, costs $700. A women’s version, the B-Type, comes in white and mint. The company plans to start selling a new design, the racing-oriented C-Type, later this summer. The A-Type and B-Type will soon get more gears and colors. Read more in Businessweek.