Party bikes have been a mainstay in areas like Nashville, Austin, Texas and even Savannah. The unique touring experience inspired one local family to bring the pastime to the Garden City.
“We were very excited about it,” said Charity Jones, who, with her husband Anthony Jones and sister Syderist Manuel, launched Pedal Pub Augusta at the beginning of last November, several months after going on a party bike tour. “While everybody else was on the bike partying and having a good time, I was sitting there thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we had something like this in Augusta?’ ”
Pedal Pub was founded by Eric Olson and Al Boyce in Minneapolis, Minn. in 2007, based on the multi-person-bicycle invented in the Netherlands 10 years prior. The amusement company now has more than 45 franchises throughout the U.S. and Canada. Before Pedal Pub Augusta, the closest location was in Columbia, and there also locations Columbus and Savannah.
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The Augusta iteration offers three tours, with the top seller being the Ultimate Bar Crawl. Partiers aged 21 or older, for $40 a seat, can ride about downtown for 90 minutes, stopping for discounted drinks at certain Broad Street bars and clubs.
There is also Picture Perfect, at 90-minute sight-seeing tour for ages 12 and over; and the Pedal Pub Challenge, also for ages 12 and over, in which the ride is driven entirely by the pedaling of the participants.
“You’re going to burn anywhere from 1,100 to 1,300 calories per ride with that one,” said Manuel about the Pedal Pub Challenge. “And it’s great for team building corporate events or school activities.”
Riders sit out in the open on what is effectively a brightly-lit, mobilized bar, securing their place on the handrails, the sound system blaring music of their choice while they pedal along to support the driver—called “pilots”—often cheering and interacting with crowds on the street as they pass, speeding along at a whopping five miles per hour with food and beverages in tow (though no alcoholic beverages can be served on the bike itself, due to Augusta’s open container ordinances).
The bikes can seat up to 17 people, and customers can rent by the seat ($40 for the Pub Crawl, $35 for sightseeing and $25 for the Pedal Pub Challenge) or rent a whole bike for $500.
“When you get individual seats, I may not know you at the beginning of the tour,” said Anthony Jones about how the party bike experience often turns into a unique bonding activity for strangers as well as friends. “It promotes socializing.”
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Charity Jones recalls a tour the family went on in Nashville, when she noted the diversity of her fellow riders, ranging from college students to baby boomers.
“When we finished, we were like a big family,” she said. “They want to get together and hang out afterwards.”
While Pedal Pub Augusta has done well enough to attract a following since opening last fall, the trio said the coming months will give the business its time to shine as spring and summer approach.
“We have definitely seen everyone is embracing [us], but the main thing that Augustans say to us is ‘Hey, we’ve got to wait till it warms up,’” said Charity Jones.
Augusta Pedal Pub is gearing up for more business in the meantime, booking events—including the Mardi Gras Family Friendly Festival in Lincolnton on March 4; and making plans to open a bar at its location at 305 Twelfth St.
The business is also hiring for all positions, including pilots, cooks and bartenders. For more information about Pedal Pub Augusta, visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PedalPubAugustaGA, or call 706-364-0039.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
