TIFFIN, Ohio — A growing industry is taking off in Tiffin, as a sheet metal manufacturer has found a niche in building pedal bars.
It’s a case of good timing, as pedal bars have been popping up in more and more cities around the country.
A few years ago, Dan Perry brought his Tiffin Pedal Bar bike to Sarka Sheet Metal for some bike modifications.
Then, Dan came back a year later to have Sarka build him an entirely new bike as his business was expanding into Upper Sandusky.
So now, Sarka, a traditional sheet metal fabricator, has decided to keep the momentum going by building party bar pedal bikes for a growing clientele.
They just finished up their 4th bike which will be shipped to Anchorage, Alaska later this week.
“This is the latest iteration. We've got a few design changes we're going to make. But we have a lot of interest, we're not even really pushing, or advertising, or peddling ,so to speak, the business. But, it's starting to grow real quick and we're really looking to capitalize on it,” said Joe Steinmetz, Vice President of Operations at Sarka.
Joe says with each iteration, they make improvements, like adding rounded edges to the body, improved sound and lighting systems, and an ever improving driving system for the driver.
Sarka may end up having to create a separate division for these bikes, as their engineers have gotten to the point where they can fully manufacture a party bar pedal bike in 10 to 12 weeks.
"So yeah, we're able to turn them around pretty quick. We're going to start building some stock parts so we can get them a little bit quicker,” said Steinmetz. “That way when a person comes and says ‘Hey, I'd like to have a bike in 4 - 6 weeks,’ we'll hopefully be able to turn it for them."
Sarka says that they already have Party Bar Pedal bikes clients already set up for this coming summer.
Pedal bars have become quite popular in recent years – including in Toledo.
They provide a great way to tour a city, and enjoy a few drinks without having to get behind the wheel.
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