Three13 · Community & Culture Feature
Jason HallDetroit onTwo Wheels
How a Detroit-born bike advocate turned a Monday night ride into an international movement — and then built the infrastructure to keep the city rolling.
Jason Hall believes biking is more than exercise. "It's equitable transportation, entertainment, and a way for people to be introduced to Detroit and what the city has to offer," he told Detroit PBS. That conviction has shaped a career that reads like a blueprint for community-building: a friendly Monday ride that became an international phenomenon, a pandemic-era ebike shop, and a global bicycle retailer planted in the middle of Midtown. Hall didn't just advocate for a more bikeable Detroit — he built the businesses to make it real.
Slow Roll: A Monday That Changed the City
Many people know Jason Hall as the co-founder and former president of Slow Roll Detroit. What began as a local bike ride with a few friends turned into a weekly ritual drawing thousands of riders every Monday — a moving cross-section of the city, rolling through neighborhoods most visitors never see. Whether biking the Grand Prix track or spotlighting organizations like Focus: HOPE, Slow Roll showed people a side of Detroit they hadn't experienced yet.
Then came the Apple commercial. After Hall and Slow Roll were featured in Apple's iconic Super Bowl spot, the concept caught fire: Slow Roll rides began in cities around the country and around the world. What started on a Detroit Monday became a global template for community cycling.
"What's even more special to me is that we've sparked a movement and a culture change that gets people excited about biking in their city." — Jason Hall
Building the Infrastructure
Hall founded RiDetroit in 2018 when he discovered electric bikes and saw their potential. He partnered with American Cycle & Fitness — at the time the largest Trek bike retailer in the United States — to open Electric Avenue Bikes, the only ebike-only bike shop in the city of Detroit. He opened it during the pandemic, betting that the moment called for new ways to move through the city.
In 2022, Trek Bicycle bought American Cycle & Fitness, and Hall now manages the Trek Bicycle Midtown Detroit store at the same location — bringing the global bicycle retailer to the Motor City. The arc is unmistakable: from a community ride to a community business, all in service of a more connected Detroit.
A Voice Beyond Detroit
Hall is a bike advocate who has spoken before crowds around the world about building community through cycling. He has been a TEDx speaker in Detroit and other cities, filmed videos for Pure Michigan, and earned Metro Times' Best of Detroit recognition. As he has heightened the popularity of biking around Detroit and across the nation, the question he keeps returning to is how biking can play a role in the city's recovery — not as a hobby, but as infrastructure, equity, and invitation.
A Career in Motion
2010s
Co-founds Slow Roll Detroit, a friendly Monday bike ride that grows into thousands of riders and an international phenomenon.
2014
Slow Roll is featured in an iconic Apple Super Bowl commercial, sparking Slow Roll rides in cities across the country and around the world.
2018
Founds RiDetroit, an ebike tour company, after discovering electric bikes and seeing their potential for the city.
2020
Opens Electric Avenue Bikes during the pandemic — Detroit's first and only ebike-only shop.
2022
Partners with Trek Bicycles (which acquired American Cycle & Fitness), converting Electric Avenue to Trek Bicycle Midtown Detroit and bringing the global retailer to the Motor City.
Learn More
Frequently Asked
Who is Jason Hall?+
Jason Hall is a Detroit-born community leader, activist, and bike advocate. He is the co-founder and former president of Slow Roll Detroit, the founder of RiDetroit, and the owner and operator of Trek Bicycle Midtown Detroit. He has spoken before crowds around the world about building community through cycling.
What is Slow Roll Detroit?+
Slow Roll Detroit is a friendly community bike ride that Jason Hall co-founded, which grew into a weekly event drawing thousands of riders each Monday. After Hall and Slow Roll were featured in an Apple Super Bowl commercial, the concept spread to cities across the country and around the world.
What is RiDetroit?+
RiDetroit is an ebike tour and advocacy company Jason Hall founded in 2018 after discovering the potential of electric bikes. It grew alongside his bike shop, Electric Avenue Bikes, which later became Trek Bicycle Midtown Detroit.
How has Jason Hall influenced Detroit?+
Hall has played a key role in transforming biking culture in Detroit — from founding Slow Roll and RiDetroit to opening Detroit's first ebike-only shop and bringing Trek Bicycles to Midtown. He frames biking as equitable transportation, entertainment, and a way to introduce people to the city.
About This Feature
This Three13 feature draws on verified public sources including RiDetroit, Detroit PBS, Rebrand Detroit, and Trek Bicycles. All factual claims — the founding of Slow Roll and RiDetroit, the Apple Super Bowl commercial, and the Trek Bicycle Midtown partnership — are drawn from the cited sources above. The portrait is sourced from RiDetroit and used editorially.