CR Biker: In Which We Rate CR Biker Bars

Sunday, June 19, 2016

In Which We Rate CR Biker Bars

At the Kickstand.

Father’s Day 2016—my own daughter leads me astray.

For some reason, we planned a bar pedal. This morning about 11, my second-oldest daughter and I pedaled out of the driveway with the express goal of checking, and rating, three bars: the Kickstands, the Sag Wagon and the Broken Spoke.

It was all part of a warm mid-day Father’s Day bike ride.

First stop: The Kickstand. A new bike bar near New Bo, it was one block off of the Cedar River trail.

The bar was cute, with some bike decorations and a wide open feel. Beer was dispensed with a new system that fills glasses, via a magnetic plug, from below. There were 5 beers on tap, my daughter and I both chose New Amsterdam brews—Slow Ride for me, Fat Tire for her.

The bar was OK. It didn’t seem to offer any food. It was a bike friendly atmosphere, but lost a point for being a distance from the trail. There were also too many TVs inside. A biker bar should not feature many TVs.

On our loose 10-speed scale, we ranked it an 8. It was good, but not a 10.

Sag Wagon selfie.

Next stop: The Sag Wagon. The most familiar of the three, it was hard not to already be in love with the Sag Wagon. It’s a deli and bar, with a large, attractive outdoor seating area on Cedar Lake. The bar is right on the trail and on the lake—full credit for location.

Sipping cider beside Cedar Lake.

We love the Sag Wagon, including the old bike décor. 10 speeds.

Finally, the Broken Spoke. Now, we had been at two bars by the time we got there, so I’m not sure how accurate our final ratings are.

But it turned out to be pretty fantastic. I had the most beers on tap, an extensive menu (although we didn’t eat), a bike friendly atmosphere and a very pleasant back deck.