My Handle Bar party bike rolls into Fort Collins & Boulder, Colorado

There are some things that just go together – peanut butter and jelly, Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire and biking and beer. Now there is a Colorado company combining those last two things into a very fun outing. I first heard of My Handle Bar on Twitter, and I got rather overly excited about the whole idea.

Our connection on Twitter resulted in the Mayor of HeidiTown.com and some Town VIPs taking the inaugural Fort Collins ride on My Handle Bar. Three rides later I feel I am not only a My Handle Bar expert, but a true aficionado.

The My Handle Bar bike is a 16-seat, 2300-pound party on wheels. Riders of the My Handle Bar must pedal, while the driver, provided by the company, steers and operates the brake. At the writing of this post there are no alcoholic drinks allowed on the party bike, although that may change in the future.

Theresa, the owner of My Handle Bar, has been the driver on my rides. She shouts out directions, encouragement, and safety instructions along the way, making her part taxicab driver, part mom and part personal trainer. Quite frankly, I think she’s pretty awesome.

A true entrepreneur who owns several other Colorado businesses, Theresa launched her first My Handle Bar bike in Boulder and then several weeks later she launched the second bike in Fort Collins.

Our inaugural ride had 10 people on it; it takes a minimum of six to make the bike go. We decided to take the bike on a brewery tour, something I think a lot of riders will do in Fort Collins. As we scrambled on, our group immediately realized that this activity actually requires real work, but as we all pedaled towards downtown, from the storage lots across from New Belgium Brewery, there were smiles all around. My first observation about the party bike was that there are no frowns on My Handle Bar.

We were quite a spectacle pedaling down Linden Street. People waved and pulled out their smart phones to take video, drivers honked (in a good way) and a few even took photos from their cars. It was like being a celebrity in a parade, and our group loved it.

Our first stop was Equinox, currently my favorite brewery in Fort Collins. A bit sweaty, we went in and ordered much needed beers. After crawling back on the bike to head to our next destination I made my second discovery about My Handle Bar. It’s a lot easier to pedal once you’ve had a beer.

The rest of our ride was a success and the subsequent rides I took, a food cart tour with Feasting Fort Collins and a Tweet-up Networking tour of the breweries, were all just as fun as the first. Thus, my final observation about My Handle Bar is that it never gets old.

To book your own ride on the My Handle Bar party bike in Fort Collins or Boulder go to www.myhandlebar.com. They are also on Faceobook at www.facebook.com/MyHandleBar.

This is most definitely a Mayor Approved activity!