On a Roll in Downtown Hartford, The ‘Pedal Pub’ Makes Debut

This article was originally published on May 16, 2025, on Fox61.

HARTFORD, Conn. — The city of Hartford has jumped on the bandwagon – or, at least, jumped on the growing trend of the party bike.

aHusband and wife team Brenden and Janet Floyd have launched “Pedal Pub,” featuring two passenger party bikes available for booking around the downtown area.

“It’s a 15-person passenger party bike. We get on and pedal around the city of Hartford, and we have four different routes,” Brenden Floyd said. “We celebrate birthday parties, bachelorette parties, corporate events, and everybody seems to be excited about it.”

The Floyds noted that the Pedal Pub makes stops at three to four different downtown bars where passengers can enter establishments for drink specials before returning to the bike for their next destination.

Janet Floyd, a Hartford native, described the experience as a chance to “ride the streets and have fun and enjoy life and let everything loose for a couple of hours.”

Some downtown restaurant owners already support the concept of a party bike bringing potential customers to their businesses. Gina Luari, who owns “RAW*” and “The Place 2 Be” in downtown Hartford, sees potential benefits.

“Especially for us businesses downtown, you see a lot of new places popping up and this is going to genuinely support them and their growth,” Luari said.

Brenden Floyd views his new business as community-focused.

“It’s a way of giving back,” he said. “We are hiring drivers, so we’re helping with jobs, we’re helping with local businesses and bringing revenue in and just bringing people in.”

Pedal Pub sessions typically last two hours, operating Tuesday through Sunday. Individual seats cost $35 during weekdays and $40 on weekends. The entire Pedal Pub is also available for private rental.

For more information, visit the Pedal Pub Hartford website.