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07-07-2006, 12:00
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Juggling on wheels
Dewey Beach Bikes shuttles bar patrons in various states: amorous, antagonistic or just plain inebriated
By RYAN CORMIER
The News Journal
07/07/2006
DEWEY BEACH -- They are the unsung heroes of Dewey Beach.
When you're too drunk to walk home or even stand, they are there.
They are the men of Dewey Beach Bikes, a company that offers bicycle rides, rickshaw-style, to Dewey's revelers.
The pedicabs bring people from bar to bar throughout the night, and home to their beach houses after last call.
The nine men riding for Dewey Beach Bikes, all of whom are in their teens and early 20s, work purely for tips, riding from 8 p.m. until around 2 a.m., hoping for at least $5 a head on short rides.
The company was founded about 10 years ago, and its current owners, a pair of friends in their early 20s who went to Milford High, bought it in 2003.
Nothing throws the men of Dewey Beach Bikes. As long as they get paid, they don't ask a lot of questions.
We asked what it's like on the not-so-mean streets of Dewey Beach.
Matt Bailey, 22, of Milford. Bailey is co-owner of the company. Almost all of his riders are high-school friends.
Is the biggest challenge dealing with people who have been drinking?
You just try to be personable because you're working for tips. We're trying to work for the most money we can. You see everything and hear everything. It's a crazy job when everyone around you is drunk and you're the sober kid trying to be safe. And plus, you're pedaling people around, and they're not always the smallest people in the world. And if it's a hot summer night, it's not the easiest job.
Shea Lindale, 19, of Milford. It's his third summer riding in Dewey.
Is it a race to get your customers home before they pass out?
Yeah, sometimes. And sometimes they're already passed out, and you have to help them in the house.
Do they ever try to fight with you?
They don't usually try to fight with us, but they might say something to another drunk person on the street and try to go at it.
So are you their getaway car?
Yeah, more than anything. You try to keep it moving so it doesn't escalate.
Do any of the women try to get with the drivers?
Yeah. They'll be pinching your butt or smacking your butt on the ride home.
Are there any ground rules about accepting these offers, or can you do whatever you want?
As long as they pay and they don't break the bike, that's the only ground rules.
Josh Sharp, 23, of Milton. It's his fifth season, the longest of all the guys currently on staff.
So is it a good job for the summer? You're able to make good money?
It saves me a lot of money. Instead of going out to the bars and spending money, I'm making money. And we still have fun. It's a good time.
It gets challenging around last call?
Yeah, it's constant riding. Sometimes people get on and want us to race each other.
Do you do it?
It depends. If we think they are going to tip us well for racing, we'll at least make it look good. If one of them offers another bike $100 to win the race, I'll slow down and let him win and we split it.
Do you mind when girls get frisky?
One time, there was a girl. She asked me if I'm single. I said, "That's the only way to be in Dewey Beach." So she started making out with me while I was pedaling the bike and I couldn't really see anything. I ran through a red light. A cop pulled me over a block later. He gave me a hard time, but he ended up letting me go. That was a girl I ended up dating. That was a neat story to tell people how we met.
Are there fights on the bike?
One time at the end of the night, a Red Bull representative gave me a case of Red Bull for a tip. Some guy took it. I went up to him and he was belligerent, and we ended up getting in a fist fight. I was sober and he was pretty drunk, so he didn't really hit me, but he was all bloody.
So the message is don't mess with Josh's Red Bull.
[Laughs.] All I wanted to do was get it back, but he wanted to fight me over it. He was 35 years old and I was 19 or 20.
Are you still with the woman you met on the bike?
No, I'm with a different girl now.
How does she feel about you being out there riding all these drunk women around?
She's not too happy about that, but she likes the money. She keeps her eyes on me. This is Dewey Beach, you can't do anything without everyone knowing about it.
Ryan Smith, 19, of Milford. Smith is in his second season.
Are people generally in good spirits when they're riding drunk, or are there a lot of fights?
Sometimes you get arguments between a girl and a guy because the guy got too drunk and started messing with another girl. That's the only argument I ever see.
Do they ever try to involve you in their debate?
Yeah, they'll ask, "What do you think about this?" I say, "I don't care. Just give me some money."
Have you ever had to throw someone off the bike for acting up?
Yeah. Earlier this year, some kid punched me in the back. If I was bigger I would have knocked him out, but I don't have any size on me. So I just told him to get off the bike and leave me alone.
What happened?
There were three guys on the bike, and they wanted me to go faster. It was the end of the night, and I was going steady. He just decided to hit me.
Jason Adkins, 21, of Milford. Adkins is co-owner of the company.
Do you have any weight limits?
No, I just tell them no more than four.
What if it's a real huge guy?
It happens and you can definitely tell when you're riding, but fat girls ride them more than anyone. They're always making me stop to get them pizza. I'm like, "Are you sure you want to do that?" And then you have tiny girls who get in and they're like, "Are we heavy? I know I'm fat."
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Juggling on wheels
Dewey Beach Bikes shuttles bar patrons in various states: amorous, antagonistic or just plain inebriated
By RYAN CORMIER
The News Journal
07/07/2006
DEWEY BEACH -- They are the unsung heroes of Dewey Beach.
When you're too drunk to walk home or even stand, they are there.
They are the men of Dewey Beach Bikes, a company that offers bicycle rides, rickshaw-style, to Dewey's revelers.
The pedicabs bring people from bar to bar throughout the night, and home to their beach houses after last call.
The nine men riding for Dewey Beach Bikes, all of whom are in their teens and early 20s, work purely for tips, riding from 8 p.m. until around 2 a.m., hoping for at least $5 a head on short rides.
The company was founded about 10 years ago, and its current owners, a pair of friends in their early 20s who went to Milford High, bought it in 2003.
Nothing throws the men of Dewey Beach Bikes. As long as they get paid, they don't ask a lot of questions.
We asked what it's like on the not-so-mean streets of Dewey Beach.
Matt Bailey, 22, of Milford. Bailey is co-owner of the company. Almost all of his riders are high-school friends.
Is the biggest challenge dealing with people who have been drinking?
You just try to be personable because you're working for tips. We're trying to work for the most money we can. You see everything and hear everything. It's a crazy job when everyone around you is drunk and you're the sober kid trying to be safe. And plus, you're pedaling people around, and they're not always the smallest people in the world. And if it's a hot summer night, it's not the easiest job.
Shea Lindale, 19, of Milford. It's his third summer riding in Dewey.
Is it a race to get your customers home before they pass out?
Yeah, sometimes. And sometimes they're already passed out, and you have to help them in the house.
Do they ever try to fight with you?
They don't usually try to fight with us, but they might say something to another drunk person on the street and try to go at it.
So are you their getaway car?
Yeah, more than anything. You try to keep it moving so it doesn't escalate.
Do any of the women try to get with the drivers?
Yeah. They'll be pinching your butt or smacking your butt on the ride home.
Are there any ground rules about accepting these offers, or can you do whatever you want?
As long as they pay and they don't break the bike, that's the only ground rules.
Josh Sharp, 23, of Milton. It's his fifth season, the longest of all the guys currently on staff.
So is it a good job for the summer? You're able to make good money?
It saves me a lot of money. Instead of going out to the bars and spending money, I'm making money. And we still have fun. It's a good time.
It gets challenging around last call?
Yeah, it's constant riding. Sometimes people get on and want us to race each other.
Do you do it?
It depends. If we think they are going to tip us well for racing, we'll at least make it look good. If one of them offers another bike $100 to win the race, I'll slow down and let him win and we split it.
Do you mind when girls get frisky?
One time, there was a girl. She asked me if I'm single. I said, "That's the only way to be in Dewey Beach." So she started making out with me while I was pedaling the bike and I couldn't really see anything. I ran through a red light. A cop pulled me over a block later. He gave me a hard time, but he ended up letting me go. That was a girl I ended up dating. That was a neat story to tell people how we met.
Are there fights on the bike?
One time at the end of the night, a Red Bull representative gave me a case of Red Bull for a tip. Some guy took it. I went up to him and he was belligerent, and we ended up getting in a fist fight. I was sober and he was pretty drunk, so he didn't really hit me, but he was all bloody.
So the message is don't mess with Josh's Red Bull.
[Laughs.] All I wanted to do was get it back, but he wanted to fight me over it. He was 35 years old and I was 19 or 20.
Are you still with the woman you met on the bike?
No, I'm with a different girl now.
How does she feel about you being out there riding all these drunk women around?
She's not too happy about that, but she likes the money. She keeps her eyes on me. This is Dewey Beach, you can't do anything without everyone knowing about it.
Ryan Smith, 19, of Milford. Smith is in his second season.
Are people generally in good spirits when they're riding drunk, or are there a lot of fights?
Sometimes you get arguments between a girl and a guy because the guy got too drunk and started messing with another girl. That's the only argument I ever see.
Do they ever try to involve you in their debate?
Yeah, they'll ask, "What do you think about this?" I say, "I don't care. Just give me some money."
Have you ever had to throw someone off the bike for acting up?
Yeah. Earlier this year, some kid punched me in the back. If I was bigger I would have knocked him out, but I don't have any size on me. So I just told him to get off the bike and leave me alone.
What happened?
There were three guys on the bike, and they wanted me to go faster. It was the end of the night, and I was going steady. He just decided to hit me.
Jason Adkins, 21, of Milford. Adkins is co-owner of the company.
Do you have any weight limits?
No, I just tell them no more than four.
What if it's a real huge guy?
It happens and you can definitely tell when you're riding, but fat girls ride them more than anyone. They're always making me stop to get them pizza. I'm like, "Are you sure you want to do that?" And then you have tiny girls who get in and they're like, "Are we heavy? I know I'm fat."
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