Hartford Pedal Pub Pushes a New, Entertaining Mode of Transport Downtown

This article was originally published on May 28, 2025, on the CT Insider.

HARTFORD — There’s a new mode of transportation downtown, and while it might not get you to Point A to Point B in a timely fashion, the owners of the Hartford Pedal Pub say that’s exactly the point.

The pedal pub, the brainchild of Brenden Floyd and his wife Janet, is a party bike that can take up to 15 people — with 10 able to pedal at their seats — on one of four sightseeing tours downtown.

“We go all the way by the Colt Park Brewery; we go all the way over to Bartholomew Avenue,” Floyd said.

Each tour, which lasts about two hours, requires at least six people, along with a pilot. With music coming from the pilot’s cellphone, the pedal pub is essentially the neighborhood bar on wheels.

And though the pilot guides and controls the bike, this pub runs on people power, with patrons pedaling as the bike makes its way down the street.

The Floyds have also teamed up with several bars and restaurants, including The Brownstone, Urban Lodge Brewing, RAW*, Vaughan’s Public House and Plan b, to allow for stops for food and drinks that can be brought onto the bike.

For now, only seltzers and beer cans are allowed on the pedal pub and patrons are not allowed to bring their own from home, Floyd said, though he is waiting on an ordinance amendment from the city that would allow for that.

It was seeing a pedal pub in use during an anniversary trip to Nashville that gave the Floyds the idea to bring the concept to Hartford.

“We were like, ‘Oh my goodness, this looks like so much fun,'” Floyd said. “We like putting smiles on people’s faces. We also thought about bringing in more revenue for businesses — the restaurants. We’re looking to increase jobs and we like fun. Every bar we talked with was like, ‘it’s a no-brainer.'”

In a city that boasts a number of bars and restaurants, the Floyds felt a pedal pub was a natural fit. And with the summer events coming up in Hartford, like the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz and the Riverfront Food Truck Festival, Floyd said he plans on adding some special event routes.

Floyd said they also have a collaboration with the Hartford Yard Goats, which allows people to get dropped off at Dunkin’ Park before games during the Downtown Delight Tour, with pick-up locations at RAW* on Trumbull Street or Plan b on Front Street, and a drop-off location on Asylum Avenue.

For pilot Jordan Carter, safety is just as important as fun. As he’s making his way down Hartford’s streets, it’s his job to watch out for distracted and aggressive drivers, and keep his patrons safe from mishaps.

“If something falls out of your pocket, say ‘fumble,'” Jordan Carter said. “Say ‘stranger danger’ if someone who is not part of the party tries to hop on the bike.”

He also gives the pedalers instructions, like when to coast and slow down.

“You’re riding with me, you’re family now,” Carter said. “Pay attention to your surroundings. Your safety is my concern.”

Fellow pilot Liz Santiago said since the pedal pub’s inaugural run Friday, they’ve gotten positive feedback from customers.

“People are excited about it,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot of bookings online. It’s looking like it’s going to be a good summer.”

Pedal Pub bike tours are held rain or shine, with the earliest tour beginning at 11 a.m., and the last tour going from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The pedal pub is closed Mondays but will be open on certain holidays. The cost is $35 per person for a public weekday tour and $40 for a weekend public tour. For a private tour, the cost is $449 on weekdays and $499 on weekends.