Bloomington is known for cycling, from the casual bike riders around town to the Little 500.
Recently, though, a different type of bike has been pedaling around: the Pedal Pub.
Pedal Pub is a two-hour excursion where up to 16 riders can pedal a bike with a bar on it around to local bars and drink from a tap attached to the bike while pedaling to the next stop.
Owner Kimberly Wischmeier said her son encouraged her to franchise Pedal Pub in Bloomington four years ago, and they finally decided to do it in January.
“My son went to IU and he had told me for quite some time that this is something we needed, that they needed,” Wischmeier said.
But, Pedal Pub Bloomington can’t serve alcohol on the bike.
“We’re still in discussions with the city, that ultimately we would love to be able to allow more beverages on our bikes, but we’re not in the business of being a bar,” Ashton Wischmeier said. “When we set out to do this, we had this mission connecting business to business.”
Ashton Wischmeier said he first saw the Pedal Pub when he traveled to other cities and was very interested in the company because of his love of cycling.
Pedal Pub Bloomington was approved in September and is already available to book, even in the winter months. It will have its official launch in the spring.
Ashton Wischmeier said customers haven’t had problems with the no-alcohol policy so far. He said he’s led about six groups and Kimberly Wischmeier said she’s led about 10.
It took quite a few months to get approval from the city because Pedal Pub is so unconventional, Kimberly Wischmeier said. They weren’t a taxi service or a bar, so it was hard to classify the business.
“We kind of created a new industry in Bloomington that we hope continues to grow and encourages people to get outside,” Ashton Wischmeier said.
Right now, Pedal Pub Bloomington has two bikes and keeps them in a storage area on 11th Street. All of the regular tours depart from there.
The experience takes about two hours. Ashton Wischmeier said it’s usually a 15-minute ride to the first location and then people are given about 20 to 30 minutes at each stop.
One is a brewery tour that stops at Upland Brewing Co., the Tap and Switchyard Brewing Company. The other is a bar tour that goes to Kilroys on Kirkwood, Nick’s English Hut and Brothers Bar and Grill.
Ashton Wischmeier said he is thinking about adding a campus tour route.
To book the Pedal Pub, people can go online.
Ashton Wischmeier said most people book about two weeks in advance, but the minimum is two days.
There are both private tours and individual seats available. For the private tour, the renter gathers a group of at least eight people.
During the week, it costs $25 per seat and $30 on the weekend.
In addition to these sort of tours, they are available to be rented for corporate and private events.
They both said they love running the tours.
“I just enjoy meeting people,” Kimberly Wischmeier said.
She said she likes how most people start out nervous and timid about riding the bike, but once they get started, they all seem to relax and have fun.
“It’s actually a blast,” Ashton Wischmeier said. “For me, it's a stress reliever. When you're out there with a group of 16 friends, helping them have a great time it puts a smile on your face.”
