Need ideas for the Electra Cruiser.

[Porkwagon]

I bought a Electra Cruiser 1 in hopes to lose weight. I haven't ridden it that much due to it not having that "fun factor" when riding it. I was hoping to make myself a cool Urban assault type bike with that ratty flair, but I just don't know where to start. I am a BIG dude, and even with the goofy huge seat it has the thing still SUCKS to ride on. The big huge bull bars are kind of lame (to me! I know alot of people love them) and I think a more forward position would make it a little more fun to ride. I come to you guys hoping you can throw me some ideas to make this into a fun bike that looks rad. I dont know where to start Shoot me some ideas!

http://www.rei.com/zoom/zz/ddf7ff32-528 ... 58.jpg/440

 

[CCR]

Apes make any bike seem a bit more "fun" to me though I don't know if that's the "forward" part you need or not. Fast corners with apes put a smile on my face anyway :mrgreen:

Cool bike !!! BTW

 

[Rooski]

Apes make any bike seem a bit more "fun" to me though I don't know if that's the "forward" part you need or not. Fast corners with apes put a smile on my face anyway :mrgreen:

Cool bike !!! BTW

Yes, ape hanger bars, or even just the Electra mini apes should "fun it up", quite a bit.

 

[spie one]

I bought a Electra Cruiser 1 in hopes to lose weight. I haven't ridden it that much due to it not having that "fun factor" when riding it. I was hoping to make myself a cool Urban assault type bike with that ratty flair, but I just don't know where to start. I am a BIG dude, and even with the goofy huge seat it has the thing still SUCKS to ride on. The big huge bull bars are kind of lame (to me! I know alot of people love them) and I think a more forward position would make it a little more fun to ride. I come to you guys hoping you can throw me some ideas to make this into a fun bike that looks rad. I dont know where to start Shoot me some ideas!

http://www.rei.com/zoom/zz/ddf7ff32-528 ... 58.jpg/440

How about a diffrent set of wheels, 100 spokes or wider. Yea ape hanggers with old school head light.

 

[Willg]

triple tree forks, headlight, decals, mirrors....

 

[socal_jack]

Sounds like you've run into the problem with the "feet forward technology" (can't believe they were issued a patent) which puts you in a horrible riding position for hills and a big disadvantage for an athletic ride for the purpose of exercise.

I also find the big cushy seats also uncomfortable for anything more than a short cruise, maybe try something more along the lines of an MTB seat, the WTB Pure V is a fave of mine. Brroks can be comfortable after break-in.

Perhaps you can put a layback seatpost on backwards to move the seat position forward, then get a set of wide cruiser bars more in the moto style to get you hands in a better leverage position. Other than that, start shopping a new frame and transfer the parts, a 29er might be a better choice but that kills any transferring of parts.

I bought a Electra Cruiser 1 in hopes to lose weight. I haven't ridden it that much due to it not having that "fun factor" when riding it. I was hoping to make myself a cool Urban assault type bike with that ratty flair, but I just don't know where to start. I am a BIG dude, and even with the goofy huge seat it has the thing still SUCKS to ride on. The big huge bull bars are kind of lame (to me! I know alot of people love them) and I think a more forward position would make it a little more fun to ride. I come to you guys hoping you can throw me some ideas to make this into a fun bike that looks rad. I dont know where to start Shoot me some ideas!

http://www.rei.com/zoom/zz/ddf7ff32-528 ... 58.jpg/440

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

If you're looking to add some 'attitude' and make it fit you better, go with some black apes, maybe a long streetsweeper type rear fender w/some pinstriping on it (maybe get the frame striped too) and DEFINITELY add an Ichi Bikes seat (so cool that they're made from old skateboards AND a fellow RRB member)

http://ichibike.com/ichi-seats/

Keep everything 'murdered out' in all black. If you have some hills or need a little more of a workout add a Nexus 3 speed coaster or a Sturmey Archer 2 speed kickback (no cables that way :wink: )

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[Homebrew]

I wanted a ride for my work commutes, have a roadie and mtn bike with slicks, but wanted a something with style. Took a cruiser frame, neck and bars from an old Diamond Back BMX, SE seat and 3 spd Nexus. Fun to ride with forward style and taking me back with the BMX riding feel.

 

[Henry morgan]

you just have to find a seat you like.... I put the biggest apes I could find on mine ... I have the rally sport
and use mine for a cool down ride... they are geared to be an easy pedal ... I got on my bike went 3 miles and about died.
but went right back out the next night and did it again went 3.5 .. and everynight I go out and ride I go a bit farther each
time... sometimes its all fun . other times.. its just work... good luck .. was clocking in a 297 when I started .. only down
to 270 ... but not working that hard at it...

 

[jackdaw]

This may be way off base but for efficient riding, on a standard bike, (not recumbent) your seat needs to be high enough that your leg is almost straight at the bottom of the stroke. Keep riding !

 

[honestherman]

So Basicly most of you are telling this guy that he got the wrong bike because of the position of the crank compared to the seat. Even though he paints it and changes things a little. The Forward Pedals are a problem for him, Right? That is what I get out of most of this Thread.

 

[Tychevelle]

So Basicly most of you are telling this guy that he got the wrong bike because of the position of the crank compared to the seat. Even though he paints it and changes things a little. The Forward Pedals are a problem for him, Right? That is what I get out of most of this Thread.

I think most people are giving him there opinions on making it more fun to ride as he asked. Only the one poster was trash talking the foot forward design. I have 5 Electras now one of them being a cruiser 1 it's a great bike I love it I customized mine put a Springer and some different wheels on it but it's still a single speed. You have to keep in mind it's a single speed cruiser not a 10 pound road bike for climbing hills and doing mach 10. There a blast to ride and cruise.

But to the original question just look at other members bikes and take the ideas you like and out them all together to make it your own but if your finding it hard to pedal I'd go with a nexus only reason I didn't is I have my 4 other Electra are 3 speeds also Check out the gallery under the Electra there's pages and pages of em to give you ideas
Ty

 

[GameBent]

I agree with Tychevelle. I own four Electras, and they all have pedal-forward. I only buy Electras with pedal-forward because they are extremely comfortable, and I don't find them hard to pedal up hills or on long rides. In fact, I belong to a forum with hundreds of Electra-owners, and every single one of them prefers pedal-forward. Socal_jack is the first person I've heard of that doesn't like it, and I'm surprised that he dislikes it so much that he's decided to rally against Electra as a company!
You can find lots of inspiration for modding your Electra in the Gallery, Mods, and Build Diary sections here: http://electrabikeforums.websitetoolbox.com/

 

[socal_jack]

For relatively flat riding with perhaps some moderate hills and especially if equipped with an internal geared hub, the pedal forward geometry can be comfortable. The ultimate pedal forward, a recumbent has back support to push against, a normal geometry bike allows you to use your weight and hand position for power, but with pedal froward like Electra(I have an Elgin Oriole 37ish with essentially the same geometry) you end up pulling on bars while pushing which is rough on the lower back. Just the kinematics of the situation nothing against Electra per se. I jad to really play around with gearing on my before it became comfortable for normal cruising, but it still doesn't cover a wide variety of riding conditions.

For the style of riding the OP was describing "urban assault type bike" with the goal of losing weight I donlt think that's what he needs/wants, especially being a 1-speed. Maybe something more along the lines of a big BMX bike like a Big Ripper.

 

[jackdaw]

Or a littler chainring.