Stephen and I (Brian) are brothers that are proud to have started the first company to introduce Detroit to The Pedal Pub® concept. We’re not a franchise; just 2 brothers who started with 1 Pedal Pub® in 2012 after seeing how popular they were in Europe to now owning a whole fleet of them across 4 cities and 2 continents; we couldn’t be more proud to offer a service that gives people a way to see how awesome Detroit is.
Aside from being the HandleBar Pedal Pub® Owners; Both of our parents grew up in Detroit and this is our home. We used to both work as mechanical engineers: Brian in the automotive industry and Stephen in aerospace, BUT WE QUIT OUR JOBS! We’re loving life and starting The HandleBar was just a way to combine our love of being outdoors with socializing / having a good time in the city that we both love.
It was an interesting process trying to introduce the Pedal Pub® concept to the various branches of the city of Detroit government before most knew what it was. That said, we’re very proud to have blazed the path that allowed us to introduce it to Detroit; which is why we call ourselves, “The Detroit Original” 🙂
(Picture was taken from a story that “CAR AND DRIVER” did on us in their publication)
Interested in the history of the pedal pub ?
The history of the pedal pub dates back to the world headquarters of the bicycle – in The Netherlands. 20 years ago the bike that you see in Detroit, Michigan today was invented by Brothers Henk and Zwier Van Laar. They were asked by a friend who owned a bar to make a float for the Queen’s Day Parade – the request was to make a float combining 2 favorites of the Dutch: Beer and biking. Henk and Zwier went to work and what you see is the result! After the parade it was such a hit they started renting it and the rest is history.
We’re honored to offer tours of Detroit with the world’s first bicycle bar. Look close and you’ll see dutch wording “Het Fietscafe” on the bike, which is a word that Henk and Zwier made up of existing words (Het = the, Fiets = bicycle, cafe = bar) Pictured above are Henk and Zwier with their HandleBar t-shirts and 2 of our bikes before they were shipped from Amsterdam! Something else The HandleBar is proud of is that we’ve made design improvement suggestions to the clutch system and they have already been implemented to the bikes that are shipping worldwide 
2 Brothers make the bikes in Amsterdam and ship them to 2 brothers in the USA to show you guys Detroit. Sometimes simple can be a great thing 🙂
Focusing on New Ventures in Detroit!
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy did a story on the HandleBar Pedal Pub® Owners that you can see below. It’s a quick video that shows what it’s like to do a tour on The HandleBar. The focus was also to highlight how The HandleBar has paved the way in Detroit to work with the city to allow new ventures by entrepreneurs. If you have time check it out!
What Our Riders Are Saying
"So much fun! Can't wait to do it again! Our out of town guests loved it. Great way to entertain at a reasonable cost."
"My friend's and I had a great time! The driver was awesome and joked around with us! I highly suggest it for any group that wants to have a drink and see downtown Detroit."
"Very satisfied with my Handle Bar experience! A light exercise while socializing with all of downtown is a must! Great before a Lions game."
See What It’s Like
Curious about what The HandleBar experience is really like? Check out these photos of riders having a great time with friends, family, and coworkers while biking and checking out bars downtown.
Ready to get in the action and get the most unique tour of downtown Detroit? The bikes are waiting, the beer is flowing, and we’re ready to guide you through the streets.
Still Have Questions?
We are more than happy to help you better understand what The HandleBar experience is all about, how to book your tour, and to let you know what to expect during your ride through our amazing city’s streets.