Something Nostalgic about Beach Cruisers
There's something Nostalgic about beach cruiser bikes. Where else can someone enjoy the comforts of an oversized seat, extended handlebars and the old time comfort of a leisurely bike ride?
When bicycling alone I personally ride an extended fork Beach Cruiser sometimes called a stretch cruiser. This monstrosity is all chrome and one of the most uncomfortable bikes built. But it turns heads. However, when cycling with the kids and family my choice is a Urban Firmstrong Model which I bought at
JustBicycles and paid the extra to have fenders installed and a bicycle shipped. It doesn’t turn many heads but the comfort of this bike is phenomenal. It has extra large padded seat, upgraded spokes and hub and white wall tires that are those large knobby tires built for comfort. It is not unusual to see me clock 4-5 miles going up and down the Galveston Beach Line on my Firmstrong Beach Cruiser.
Just would probably appreciate me throwing in a word about their own line of Beach Cruisers that they are introducing in 2007. I expect them to be every bit as cool and trendy as everything else Just produces.
Beach Cruisers come in a variety of colors nowadays including Yellow Beach Cruisers, Pink Beach Cruisers, Red Beach Cruisers, Green Beach Cruisers, Black Beach Cruisers, White Beach Cruisers, Blue Beach Cruisers and some with those Banana Seat looks (although I personally don’t consider this a Beach Cruiser).
If you own a beach cruiser you know that accessorizing it is every bit as important as the bicycle purchase itself. Baskets, tire fenders, back racks, horns, bells, decals and spoke lights make it all the craze. I have personally tried both the Glow Lights which are fluorescent lights that hook to the bottom of the bike and the spoke lights which clip onto the spokes and can be programmed to spell out phrases or names. For me the spoke lights are the best and I use them to spell out my name or, when single, give out my phone number. I purchased them from
Bicycle Accessories Shop.
Beach Cruisers are ideally made for flat areas, near a lake or river, but recently manufactures have started adding beach cruiser features to both three and seven speed bicycles. When done properly these Beach Cruisers give you all the upward lift necessary to enjoy a comfortable ride on beach inclines which can be found on many of the North Carolina Beaches and some of the Texas Beaches. My personal favorite is the three speed Beach Cruisers with internal hubs.
In addition, Beach Cruisers are ideal for hooking up bicycle trailers to the back or adding the tow-a-bike feature which allows small children to be brought along. If your children are a little older there are Triplet Beach Cruisers which accommodate three Beach Cruiser riders at the same time on the same frame. In fact, I’m expecting the introduction of a quad Beach Cruiser which will allow four riders at the same time. (There is already a double Tandem Beach Cruiser which amounts to two Tandem Beach Cruisers being welded in with a t-bar so as to allow side by side riding along with a pivot action when turns are taken).
Beach cruisers have large comfortable seats and large handlebars to navigate and be at ease. Handlebars come in what is called ape hanger handlebars or extended handlebars where they arc upwards at an angle. The day of having to lean over to pedal a Beach Cruiser are gone. Remember that Beach Cruisers are one of the oldest and most enjoyable bicycle on the road. Enjoy and I’ll see you at the beach.
