Robert Allen

Detroit Free Press

People soon will be able to drink alcohol while they pedal the streets on quadricycle bars that now are a frequent sight in downtown Detroit.

Detroit City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to allow drinks on board the so-called pedal pubs, which are like a giant, bicycle-powered bar with as many as 10 pedalers and six additional passengers.

"It's something that's become quite popular," City Attorney Melvin Butch Hollowell said of the tours. "We believe that, with the restrictions in place, that it will operate just fine in Detroit."

At least three pedal pubs had been operating in the city, including HandleBar Detroit, the Michigan Pedaler and Detroit Cycle Pub, and the owners had said they hoped the local officials would give alcohol the OK. Meanwhile, participants wanting to drink would have to wait for the tours to stop at local bars.

Spirits of Detroit: Pub-pedalers roll dry, for now

Hollowell said the business owners will need to apply for a license from the police department to help ensure the pedal pub is operated safely, so it isn't clear exactly when the businesses will start to allow alcohol on board.

The pedal pubs have attracted even more enthusiasm than expected, as people have used them to tour the downtown, Midtown and Corktown areas now amidst a substantial city revitalization.

"I was blown away, I guess you could say, by the popularity," said Mike Gill, who started the Michigan Pedaler around St. Patrick's Day this year.

To celebrate the city's decision, he's offering $83 discounts off rides through the end of the year, a dollar for each year since alcohol prohibition ended.

The Michigan Legislature passed a law in summer 2015 making it possible to bring alcohol on board, and Ann Arbor and Traverse City have previously allowed it.

The Detroit tours normally are bar-hopping adventures, with two to three stops along the way, and some bars offer drink specials for participants. People take them for birthday parties, bachelorette and bachelor parties, family reunions and corporate events. The cost usually comes out to about $20 per person for a two-hour group tour.

The state law prohibits the guides from serving alcohol to riders, so the standard is to bring your own. And the people drinking aren't steering. They provide the pedaling power, while the guide steers an actual steering wheel, complete with brakes and exterior lights. The state law mandates that the guide keep a blood-alcohol content of "0.00."

The quadricycles usually move at roughly 5 m.p.h. Car and Driver ran a test and got one up to 12 m.p.h.

Spirits of Detroit columnist Robert Allen covers craft alcohol for the Free Press. He can be reached at rallen@freepress.com or on Untappd, raDetroit; Twitter @rallenMI, Facebook robertallen.news, and Periscope rallenMI