Boozing Riders Love These Goofy Party Bikes, But Are They Legal?

As night falls, a group of adults decked out in Christmas sweaters pedal through downtown Tucson, beers in hand. They aren’t on individual bikes: The group is sharing a bike built for ten, complete with blinking neon lights, a stereo system—and a bartender.

Across the world, the “party bike” goes by many names: fietscafe, pedal crawler, pedibus, cycle pub, beer bike, bierbike, megacycle, or birriciclo. Yet regardless of name, these bikes have a few similar features: they are built for groups larger than six; they are used for drinking (either on the bike itself or as transport to area bars); and they have a sober driver who steers the vehicle.