After spending many of my underage years watching groups of people riding around on a giant bar on wheels in downtown Indy, taking my first ride on the Handlebar was a long-anticipated event. I desperately wanted to do it for my 21st birthday, and once I got that chance, it did not disappoint. After researching which of these bike bars I wanted to use, I went with the Handlebar over the Pickle Pedaler or other services, because it held up to 16 people and my friends under 21 could come along for the ride (drinking soda, of course).
The Handlebar is set up as a rectangle bar and each seat is equipped with a bike seat, pedals and a driver at the front to steer. Guests can opt for a pedal assist so they don’t have to pedal as hard or even at all, so my group took that option. Guests are allowed to bring pre-packaged drinks in aluminum containers such as beer, but no premade mixed drinks or hard alcohol is allowed. At first, I was slightly annoyed by this, but after spending two hours on the pedaler, I was thankful that restraint was in place.
When we first arrived, everyone hopped onto their bike seat and I was able to take the AUX cord with no protest from the driver and play whatever music I chose. During rides, the driver will stop at two bars of choice. For our party, he suggested St. Joe’s Brewery and Bakersfield, and being newly legal and not knowing much about the bar scene, I went with it, and I ultimately enjoyed having the breaks to relax and have a drink. At the end of the ride, the driver was even nice enough to drop us off at Brothers to end our afternoon.
After paying for the ride itself, drinks for the ride, at the bar and Ubers there and back, it ended up being a very expensive day. It would be much less expensive, though, if everyone paid for their own seat on the ride and shared the cost.
Overall, I had an amazing time on the Handlebar and I cannot wait to go back for another ride.
