We hopped on a Pedal Tavern this weekend for a leisurely ride through Milwaukee. So many things about our jaunt through the city turned out to be exactly as I’d pictured them — the laughter, the view, the downtime with friends — that we all highly recommend booking a ride.
But, a few things I didn’t know struck me as important to share. So, here for your pedaling pleasure are five things you need to know before you jump on:
- Those peddles are real. Perhaps you assumed as much. I did not. I even brought a jacket along because it’s usually a little cooler by the lake. Rookie mistake. The only way to move a Pedal Tavern is by passenger pedal power. We had to Fred Flintstone that bad boy for two hours (including three sweet pit stops). I worked up a sweat and a pretty healthy thirst, which I quenched on board because…
- …It’s a BYOB party on board. You can bring coolers and snacks (Understandably, no glass or hard liquor). To get to your on-board party, though, you may need a bartender. It’s a BYO-Bartender party, too. So, you have to choose from your own ranks, which is not difficult due to…
- …height restrictions. You have to be at least 5-3 to reach the peddles. Our friend missed by an inch or two, so she had to confine herself to the back bench, or the center. She proved to be an accomplished barkeep, though, and had fun peddling potions instead.
- You can supply a playlist from your own smart phone, which provides a nice pick-me-up for the pedalers and distraction from the occasional honker.
- You’ll probably enjoy cool (but potentially hot) stops at places you’d have missed had you taken a more conventional route. We stopped at George’s, which had no air conditioning and a single sink near the bar for post- privy hand washing. But, the bartender at George’s offered generous, Chicago-style raffle prizes to our eager little group and the DJ didn’t seem to mind at all when I temporarily short circuited his equipment…twice.
I took a couple of pictures as we pedaled along, and a quick little video too. If you’ve been thinking about hopping on a Pedal Tavern, we highly recommend you give it whirl.
Here’s a little taste of the fun…
We had a great time! I’m 5′ 5″ and I was stretching to reach the pedals especially on the down hill stretches when we picked up speed. Big thanks to our onboard bartenders and DJs.