Monday, July 26, 2010
At $32,000, it’s the most expensive bike in Lawrence.
But it’s also the biggest.
The new Pedal Hopper seats 16 people. Ten of those people have to pedal, but all of them can experience the newest local transportation for bar crawls, tailgating, or even just a ride through Lawrence’s historical hot spots.
Owner Luke Stone opened his business last week in Lawrence because he said the city’s culture was perfect for it.
“Lawrence is full of a bunch of fun characters that would like this kind of activity,” he said. “It has an eclectic group of all sorts of people.”
Lawrence is the fifth town in the country to have a Pedal Hopper. Stone got the idea for the business from his uncle’s son-in-law who owns six of the bikes in Minneapolis. There are only 14 in the entire country.
“My uncle gave me a brochure last year during dinner at Christmas,” he said. “I realized it was the perfect thing for Lawrence, so I proposed the idea of running one here, and all five commissioners said aye.”
City Commissioner Robert Chestnut said he appreciated the entrepreneurial spirit of the Pedal Hopper and that anything that created flavor for downtown was a good thing.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “I hope he’s successful.”
Stone had the bike shipped from Holland to New Jersey and then delivered to his house by a semi truck.
He said he already had many routes down, including a historical tour and bar crawls to west Lawrence and downtown, although at the moment he wasn’t allowed to ride down Massachusetts Street. He said the city was concerned he would hold up traffic because the bike only goes five miles per hour uphill and 15 miles per hour downhill. Stone said he would look at changing that condition soon.
The Pedal Hopper is rented hourly, and at least four people are needed to ride it. Right now, no alcohol can be consumed while riding the bike. Stone said he would like to be able to offer beer and wine eventually, but that he would wait a year to show the city that he could abide by driving laws and that his business was not solely dependent on alcohol.
Stone said his main market was college students, and he expected the fall and spring semesters to be busy for him.
While some people might be hesitant to ride a bike during a bar crawl, Stone said it wasn’t that bad.
“You got a whole team of people helping you pedal,” he said. “You can sit and free-wheel and let your friends pedal and wait for them to yell at you.”
Stone has been taking the bike for a spin often in the past week because that’s the best way he can promote it — it’s pretty difficult to explain to someone, he said.
“I’ve had literally hundreds of people running after it, asking me for brochures,” he said.
Andrew Mitchell, a former KU student, has already been on a cruise around Lawrence on the Pedal Hopper.
He said he and his friends went wherever they wanted to go and that it was a completely unique experience.
“It was a lot more fun than I was expecting,” he said. “Even though you can’t drink on it, it’s a good way to get your friends together.”
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16-person bike cruises Lawrence
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