stdlrf11

I thought this would be an interesting discussion.

The local MUP I use in a small part of my commute just had an Ice House open up. They have steps coming down the trail to their patio.

My first thought was, nice. After a bad day at the office, I could sit down and relax with a cold beer before taking the short (~1mi) ride down to the train station. I don't get drunk and rarely drink more than 1 beer at a restaurant or bar, so I didn't think of legal, moral or liability issues.

The more I thought about it, the more I could see some idiot getting plastered and getting into a bike-on-ped accident, like this one, which happened on the same trail, within a few hundred yards.

I still plan on stopping by one day to check it out, once the typical, pretentious Uptown D-bags grow tired of it and move on.

What do you think about a beer joint on an MUP?

MNBikeguy

No more or less than a tavern on a street corner.

Northwestrider

To each his own. For me even one beer would be felt, so the ride would not be enjoyable I think. However as MNBikeguy indicated, there is no difference between one on a MUP or along a road IMO.

colleen c

Nothing wrong with that as long as you are hurting no one. For me, I'll skip the beer because even one beer makes me pee a lot. If my bike had a Brook saddle, I'll literally will make it a brook saddle.

gunner65

I take no issue with that. Me personally I hate mixing beer with any physical activity (doesnt settle well). I just ride hard and fast all the way home and enjoy one of my incredible homebrews when I get there.

dspaff088

This sounds like my st patricks day ride in downtown Baltimore, but I ended up taking te train home instead of riding haha. It would be cool if other cyclists stopped in, would make for some good conversation I'm sure

audi666

People will drink and ride with or without a bar right next to a MUP. I don’t see an issue with it unless your being unsafe about it and in my opinion riding after a beer or two is safer than most of the wildness I witness daily on our MUP.

Also I don’t think many people grab a beer or two on the way home then hammer the rest of the way on the MUP. Anyways if your riding that fast get off the MUP and to the road (unless there’s no one around and in that case you cant harm anyone but yourself).

TacoPropelled

https://www.ahearnecycles.com/flask/
Cheaper than a bar, better than a beer.

vaultbrad

I call it a great idea. Don't think too much about it and ride safe.

crazyfishor

I think it's a great idea as well, no different than a pub on the street.

Jtgyk

I sometimes stop at a restaurant on the ride home on Wed evenings to have a beer with coworkers...and yes I can feel the difference (even though I'm a very big boy).
I probably would have a soda or water instead if I had more than the 1 mile further to pedal. So it's the short route home on Wednesdays for me.

fietsbob

Better than a tavern in a place where all patrons drive cars
and pickup trucks, to get there..

In Germany, I was riding on a path atop the levee on the east side of the Rhine,
north of Basel, south of Freiburg,
there was a picnic table set on the side of the levee-top-road, gravel, 1 lane,
sat there awhile,
soon i meet a few of the locals, who bought a couple drinks,
and we tried to communicate.

CliftonGK1

The RedHook brewery is just across the water when riding on the Sammamish River Trail. It's a common start/finish for lots of club rides, and they have almost as much bike parking as they do car parking. When I still drank, I'd stop on my commute home and pop into the pub for a pint or two with the rest of the gang from work on Friday.

mnemia

I've stopped in for a beer on my bike many times. I don't see any problem with it. The only thing I would caution you on, specific to riding a bike, is that if you're dehydrated, alcohol can make you even more dehydrated. So if you've already been sweating from exertion, take it easy on the beer and make sure to drink plenty of water along with it.

modernjess

Capital idea Lovie!

fuzz2050

Actually, beer is better at rehydrating you than water alone. That makes it a great recovery beverage.

ZManT

I'm thirsty right now ... . .

tarwheel 

Beer is good, but I would probably appreciate a coffee shop more. My brother and I once rode on a rails-to-trails path near Sparta, WI, that had a pie shop alongside the trail. I think it was called Pi R Squared. They had something like 30 different kinds of pie. We made several stops there during the week. Word of advice tho: Avoid the Guiness pie.

Aloe

Yeah, I suddenly want a drink.

zoltani

I stop for a beer on my way home sometimes, and I ride to the bar in the evening.

It's to early here on the west coast to have a beer thread, now I want to leave work and ride to have a beer!

Also, I don't see what the article you linked to has to do with drinking and biking. If anything it should be testament to the dangers of jogging while listening to earphones, and not looking both ways before you cross.

stdlrf11

It was a fatal accident that occurred close to the location. Later, more details were released that the cyclists were traveling dangerously fast for the conditions and may have yelled "on your right" as they passed on her left, but that's beside the point.

The point I was trying to make is they already hate cyclists and are looking for any reason to rally to ban them from the trail. A drunk cyclist crashing into joggers would not be good.

Personally, I really like the idea and hope to enjoy the ice house in the hot summer months.

MNBikeguy

I think you stopped at "Gina's Pies Are Square". It was located in Wilton WI, right on the Elroy Sparta trail.
Sadly, the place is no longer in business. I think there still is a restaurant there, but it was a sad, sad day when Gina's closed....

Andy_K 

That's the most shameless attempt to get featured in Buycycling Magazine that I've seen in quite some time.

On the other hand, it would be perfect if they served Radler.

531phile 

A Beer Joint on the MUP??? Sounds like they want to cater to DUI folks.

buzzman

When I ride in Europe stopping for a beer or a glass of wine seems so part of the experience I give little thought to a downside of the experience. Why is it such an issue in the US? Are we such mass consumers of everything we can't control ourselves? For me, personally, a nice place by the side of the bike path to have a beer and a bite of something sounds fantastic.