A party bike with seats for up to ten revellers to pedal around Manchester city centre as they enjoy a drink and a sing is causing quite the stir. The Manchester Party bike has been launched by two pals who have seen just what fun it can be in other cities across Europe.
The extraordinary looking vehicle is powered into a leisurely pace by the pedalling of up to 10 participants. It is steered around the streets by the responsible driver at the front, who has full control of the bike and the brakes to bring it safely to a halt.
You can take your own drinks onto the bike for the journey which takes around 40 minutes on a leisurely trip around the Northern Quarter. It currently only goes out on Saturdays - but has already been causing quite a stir whenever it pedals out with people taking photos and videos as it wheels by.
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Stuart Smith, 51, from Monton, and Shane Steenson, 33, from Mossley, are the men behind the MCR Party Bike. They started out on Deansgate, but finding it "surprisingly hilly" have now based themselves in the Northern Quarter instead where it's relatively flat terrain to pedal.
The pals first met when they were both running bars in Spain. But when both returned to live in their home city of Manchester came up with the idea for the party bike.
They have spent hundreds of pounds investing in the bike - which was shipped over from Spain - and are continuing to make adaptations to make it perfect for guests. It is decorated with the Manchester Bee emblem and the message "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time."
Stuart said: "There are 10 seats on there, and two seats for those who maybe aren't able to pedal, and then we steer it from the front. Shane's cousin runs something similar in Belfast so we went to see how that worked and thought this would be perfect for Manchester.
"We've only been out a few weekends and you wouldn't believe the reaction we get. It doesn't fly along, it just trundles along, and even if we've got a bus behind us, you'll see people stopping and taking photos.
"We've put a big sticker on the back saying 'smile and wave to the party bike' and people just do. They love it, it's all good fun.
"It was a good laugh this weekend, we're still buzzing about it. It's unbelievable when we drive through Stevenson Square it's like we've won the Oscars or something the amount of people taking photos and videos."
They currently run the bike on Saturdays from 1pm to around 9pm, taking bookings at hourly intervals, at a charge of £10 per person. The route is around 30 - 40 minutes starting at Hilton Street and doing a loop around the Northern Quarter.
You can book for time slots on their MCR Party Bike Facebook page, and they also accept some walk-ups on the day. It needs a minimum of six people on board to power it along.
Guests can "bring their own" beer or drinks to take on board consumed in plastic cups that they provide, although they are in talks with local businesses in the NQ to tie in for takeaway drinks that people can buy before boarding the bike.
The bike is a part time venture for the pals, and Stuart's full time job is also in driving - but as a chauffeur for a very wealthy businessman. Stuart laughs: "I'm a chauffeur in the week and my boss thinks I'm absolutely mental but I just love it - I can't be bored so this is perfect.
"I think we both miss the craic from all those years running bars in Majorca."
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