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All bike tours are 2 hours and you pick the type of tour and where you want it to go. We encourage everyone to book direct with us over the phone to save you from having to pay a 6% commission to our booking software and we can answer any questions you have and let you know what comes next. Look at the blogs on the top scroll bar they are write ups about packing, decorating, routes, pro tips. Quick reads that help make a fun tour even better
Rochester Pedal Tours offers a unique one of a kind way to experience Rochester in a safe and enjoyable way with us serving as your tour guide and DD. We have 4 “beer bikes” two 13 person pedal tours and two fit 15 (minimums of just 6 and 8 respectively). Bikes can be rented simultaneously Please call us if you are interested and we can see if we are able to accommodate your group. We offer something for everyone from architecture/history tours to food tours (a different course and cocktail at 2 restaurants), to bar crawls and brewery tours. We offer tours for groups of all sizes from groups of 1,2,3 people (non covid times) to private tours for 6-13/8-15 people depending on which bike you rent. Check out our FAQ section below to find the answers to any questions you may have.
When the time comes to book click on the book a tour now button on the top scroll bar and select the private pub crawl unless you are looking for an architecture or progressive dinner tour. You simply pick from the available dates and times and enter your contact information and your credit card/venmo/cash app and the date and time is yours. How payment works is that half is due when you book and the other half gets automatically collected 14 days before your tour from your card on file. That means if the date you are booking on is within 14 days of your tour it will all be due which is why we always say get the confirmations then book. Cancellation/Rescheduling policy is a subsection below
Looking for your route options? Click here to see what they are Route Option List Here is the waivers that must be completed by your group before your tour starts.
We cant stress this enough because 1 it will make it much easier for your group to pay you back. 2 it will prevent your group getting delayed because you had to wait for someone to close out there tab. You will only be in the bar long enough to have 1 drink and many bars have $10 minimums on credit card purchases so avoid opening up tabs in the first place. 3 to tip your driver at the end. You will find that they do a whole lot more then just drive your group from Point A to B, one of the big things they do is to take all the group photos on the organizers phone. Many people ask us what do you tip a pedal tour driver and $5 is pretty standard with some tipping more for great service. Please let the ladies in your group know to bring a wristlet versus a large purse because they only need cash and an ID.
People think “my sandals have backs to them” I am fine but exposed toes are dangerous because when the bike is moving the pedals are moving and when your feet inevitably slip off the pedal we do not want for the pedal to come around and hit you on your foot. If someone shows up in flip flops/sandals we have to let them on but there is a reason we tell people to not wear flip flops every step of the way.
Bring a hoodie/jacket. We have plenty of space to store everything and don’t want our guests to be cold. The awning will keep you dry, & we drop you off right in front of the bars, and cover your seat so you don’t come back to wet seats. We have gone out in every type of weather imaginable and never had any problems. In fact the fall and spring can be the perfect time to do a pedal tour while the weather is cooler.
Winter Weather Policy during the winter we have a special weather policy to prevent any pedal tours from going out when there is snow/salt/slush in the roads because the salt will eat up the bottom of the bike. High winds are another reason for a pedal tour to get cancelled (25+ mph) You simply get a “snow check” to use at some other point over the winter or applied to the summer tour rate.
Play whatever you want from your cell phone to our speakers via Bluetooth. Pandora, Spotify, a playlist, it all works. No need to bring a aux cord because of the bluetooth system. Find out who has Pandora or Spotify premium so you do not have to listen to commercials or sign up for the 1 week free trial before your tour.
Yes you can! You are allowed to bring two 12 oz cans of beer, seltzers, hard lemonade and iced teas or canned cocktails liked high noons. For wine drinkers it comes in small plastic bottles, cans and juice boxes. NO Glass, No Liquor, Mystery water bottles or jello shots. If you want to potentially bring any type of alcohol not mentioned you must run it by us before the tour
Your tour will begin and at end at our garage space at the back of 182 Monroe Avenue. The area features several different bars and restaurants including Park Ave Panniteca, Marshall Street Bar and Grill, Strangebird, Owl House, Rocco and Bug Jar
We have several different options for groups parking during the tour
The length of everyones legs vary but if you are 5’2 or shorter we will want you to go on the seat and pedal backwards before the tour to see if you will be able to pedal or not. If you are not able to pedal enjoy any of the 5 non pedaling seats on each bike. We do have weight restrictions on who can pedal and that means anyone over 275 lbs can not sit on a pedaling station because with the angle of the seat it will bend under their weight. They can ride on the back bench
For the pedal bikes we consider this on a case by case basis, minors can come on family tours and we also do architecture tours for high school students. 21st birthdays when the family is not present is a different story. You must get written permission from the Rochester Pedal Tours Team when you book your tour. On the boat it is different, minors are allowed. We have 3 life jackets for children. Because we can keep an eye on our guests to make sure the minors are not drinking it is different then on the bike when the groups go into the bar and out of the drivers sight. With the boat you should also make mention ahead of time if children so we can have the childrens life jackets ready.
We do bike tours year round. The boat goes from May 1st-October 17th. Colder weather tours are just as fun as summer tours as long as you dress right because between the pedaling and drinking you will be more than warm enough. Just make sure you wear gloves because holding a cold beer will make you cold real fast and to wear something that covers your ears where all the heat escapes. Our weather guarantee in the winter has to do with snow/slush because the salt would eat up the bottom of the bike and you get a “snow check” to be used towards another tour.
Absolutely! Bring all types of food, snacks, appetizers and candy that you want on board. We have plenty of room for you to store your food. We strongly encourage you to bring some food and snacks to munch on & some water to hydrate with. Don’t forget to bring the paper towels and plates. For drinks bring all the water you want but no more than 2 alcoholic beverages per person (12oz cans of beer, seltzers, hard lemonade and iced teas, canned cocktails like High Noons and Neutrals) NO glass, liquor which includes jello shots and mix drinks in water bottles. These rules are strictly enforced which is why we tell them to the organizer and put them all over the website so please abide by them. Keep in mind certain foods are easier to serve on the bike such as cupcakes vs bringing a birthday cake (and the knife, plates, utensils). Each route has one stop where the bar does not have a kitchen so you can bring your own food and snacks in.
This is determined by the number of peddlers you have because not everyone can pedal and we need 6 people at minimum to go out on a tour & smaller groups should do our East End route which is our shortest route. We set the limit at 6 so that the tour wouldn’t be too physically exhausting. The maximum is 13 people with room for 8 peddlers and 5 riders. For the 15 seat bike the minimum is 8 and again you must do the East End route. We offer mixers for smaller groups, these take place on weekdays when no private tours are booked. To find out when they are taking place take a look at our Facebook page. Private tours are for groups of between 6-13/15.
Our drivers do way more than just get you from Point A to Point B. They will help you decorate the bike, clean, stay with your belongings on the bike while you are in the bar, put up with everyone’s drunken shenanigans and most importantly take all the group photos on the organizers phone. We kindly ask the organizer to pre collect the tip ahead of time because you are the person who gets the pre tour phone call and the photos so you know more than everyone else everything we do to make it a successful tour.
The answer is NO. With a large awning overhead it helps keep everyone dry, combined with dropping you as close to the entrance as possible so rain will not ruin your tour. Do not worry about thunder or lightning it is the same as you being in your car. While wish every day was 70 and sunny do not let the rain get you down, you will have an amazing time regardless of rain or shine. The only things that can cancel tours is wind of 35+ mph, snow and ice. The cold doesn’t affect anyone because between the pedaling and drinking you will be more then warm enough. You just need to dress appropriately which means to make sure you wear gloves and something covering your ears. We have plenty of storage space on the bike for extra clothing, food and snacks, decorations etc.
Cycle Boat Tours are different because of Coast Guard regulations due to waves and lightning. No one watches the weather forecast harder then we do (we pay for a special weather service app) and we are in constant communication with the organizer to let you know what the plan is. If a lightning storm is in the area when your tour is about to start and it looks like it will pass shortly we will have the group wait it out in the bar then when it stops we will start your tour and you will get the full 100 minutes on the tour. If the tour before you gets delayed due to a storm we will be sure to contact the organizer of the later groups to let them know what time to arrive. If your tour does get cancelled by a storm we will offer you a pedal bike tour and refund the difference or you can get a raincheck that is valid for 1 year
The renter- the person who paid, calls all the shots. They organized the group, collected the money, and did all the hard work to get your group out so we answer to them. It is their job to let us know ahead of time what route the group wants to do.
We have never had anyone fall, get hurt, had an accident or the bike tip over (for some reason people always ask us this). Do what we say and you have nothing to worry about. The waiver is a precautionary measure that if you follow and respect will lead to a safe and fun trip. Your driver will go over all the basics before your tour and check your id’s to make sure everyone is 21. We take safety seriously and plan on keeping our safety streak intact Passenger Release of Liability Waiver
We offer 6 different routes; East End, Park Ave, South Wedge, St Paul Corridor, Hybrid Route, Beer Route When organizing your group and deciding on what route to do with your friends they will most likely tell you “the funnest route”. We are in a referral based business and all of our routes are awesome. Each route entails different amounts of pedaling. Please read the blog about routes or on the private pub crawl page under the book a tour button on the top scroll bar to see a detailed list of all your options and the drink specials.
Please read the blog entries which are detailed write ups about every facet of a pedal tour. Your driver will call you a few days before your tour to walk you through the day of your tour and to find out what bars your group wants to visit. This is important because with 4 bikes we make sure they are not all at the same bars at the same time. (we dont want to have our groups fighting for attention) Do not hesitate to reach out to us via call/text or email at anytime (we don’t have bankers hours) If you reach out to us via email or leave a voicemail you can expect a timely response. Feel free to text our number as well and as soon as we see it we will respond. Our website features an up to the minute calendar of all the dates and times you have to pick between and when the time comes that is where you will book.
Our refund/cancellation policy (see above) depends on how many days before your tour it is. The more notice you give us then the more we can do for you. Please note the cancellation policy listed is different than guest count changes. For trying to cancel your tour
30+ days from your tour. Groups make a deposit of half at booking and the other half is collected 14 days before the tour. You can get half of your deposit back or pick another date that year. You do not have to pick the new date at that time.
Between 30 and 15 days before your tour – you have still only paid your deposit of half the tours cost. At this time you have 30 days from the day of your pick a new date/time to use the tour if you do not want to cancel. If you want to cancel you get a 30% refund.
When it 15 days or less from your tour the date and time is yours. People book tours between 1.5 months to 2 months before the tour so we do not get many last minute bookings which is why we have our policy.
When groups book we try and keep them at 10 guests which the base rate covers and tell you to add extra guests when your driver calls you a few days before your tour. If you increase your guest count from the base rate please know
+48 Hours from your tour then you will be issued a store credit for any guests unable to attend. It is not usable towards the drivers tip. If you have to add guests then you can at the base rate
Less than 48 hours – It costs the base rate plus $5 for each additional guest coming. If someone is unable to come no refund or credit will be issued
There are many airbnbs in the area in addition to hotels such as the East Ave Inn which is at the corner of East and Alexander and the new Hampton Inn at the Strong Museum (which is right where our tours begin/end) You can leave your car overnight for free in the Wadsworth Square Parking Lot at 40 Marshall Street. If your group is planning on ubering or lyft then we will have you pre order the ride home when we are leaving the last bar to prevent groups waiting around at the end of tours
Experience Rochester as you never have before on our pedal powered bikes and motorized party boat.