OK, here is the problem I am running into, for the last 25 years all I have really ridden have been road bikes and hybrids. Riding a cruiser around the neighborhood is fine but I wouldn't mind taking a longer trip.What I would like to build is a cruiser that road like those. My thought is to improve the drive train; 3 piece crank, sealed bottom bracket and better hubs. I have a Campy crankset and a Nexus 4 speed hub and I could take one of my road bike wheels and use the hubs off that. I know I will never come close to reducing the weight, but I moving in the right direction or am I missing something? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
building a better bike
- Thread starter Ken Nighplay
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so ya want a cruiser that performs more like a road bike? you allready guessed that you'll never cut the weight down to roadie levels, even if you ditch the fenders and chainguard. you can keep your 26" cruiser wheels and just put a skinnier 26 x 1.5 or 1.75 tire on there (specialized's nimbuses are good and there are alot to choose from in those sizes). that will keep you from having to relace wheels up. as for the nexus 4spd hub, thats good, but if you can find a pair of new or used mountain bike or any other 26" wheels with a freewheel out back, id convert it to a derailleur system if you wanted a wider range than an igh can offer. if ya wanna get crazy, throw on a tripple chainring up front (and the 3pc cranks are a good idea), swithch to narrow chain and do a full on conversion. just a few ideas. good luck.
I would steal the drive train, rims, shifters, and hand brakes off a mountain bike and put them on the cruiser frame. You could do the same with a hybrid but an old mountain bike will be easier to find. I'm thinking about doing more or less the same thing on a '50s era Columbia Newsboy Special. It would have a cruiser style chain ring on the front, and 5 gears and a derailleur on the back. More-or-less a Klunker style build, but with road worthy tires.
And forget about using the old mountain bike tires on the rims. For what you want, get something with high pressure and low rolling resistance. I've been a fan of Maxxis Hookworms, but that was before I got two flats in one week on those things, the second time with Slime Strips in the tires as an added defense.
And forget about using the old mountain bike tires on the rims. For what you want, get something with high pressure and low rolling resistance. I've been a fan of Maxxis Hookworms, but that was before I got two flats in one week on those things, the second time with Slime Strips in the tires as an added defense.
GodHatesCleveland, since you relocated are you going to change your user to "Godlovesmadison"? Or do you carry a grudge? I was in Cleveland once, and saw a guy get his head stomped on the sidewalk, while I was at a redlight, during the day... I'd been in town for about 15 minutes. Too nutty for me!
Thanks for the tips, I am trying to stay away from deraileurs,( I just don't like the look on a cruiser) and the problem with the Nexus is it weights as much as the bike. I guess My thought would be to build a fixie with a cruiser frame, bars, and seat. I was just looking to see if I was missing something, why do they not ride as smooth as a better built bike.
myself, i like the way cruisers ride. 
i think there the cadalac's of bikes.
i imagen riding position has alot to do with your comfort level/preformance of the bike.
with all road bike riding you do/did, i bet a boardtrack style bike without a laid back seat post might be just your thing.
if ya oversized the frame alittle, you could still keep the seat low but similar to the riding position your used to.
i think there the cadalac's of bikes.i imagen riding position has alot to do with your comfort level/preformance of the bike.
with all road bike riding you do/did, i bet a boardtrack style bike without a laid back seat post might be just your thing.
if ya oversized the frame alittle, you could still keep the seat low but similar to the riding position your used to.
I agree, derailleurs look too modern for a cruiser. Road bikes are lighter, have higher pressure tires, lots of gears for about any situation, even casual trail riding. The seating position is optimized for the most effective force transfered to the pedals, with the least amount of effort, all coming from racing. The cruiser is just that... layed back and relaxed, not really meant to get you anywhere FAST, just comfortably. 8)
Part of the cruiser comfort is the big heavy tires. Once you get some good high pressure tires the ride will suffer. Some hybrids have the same riding position as a cruiser. My Diamondback was $280 new, and rode as comfortable or better than my cruisers. It was lightweight and had suspension in the forks and seat stem.
maybe ya wanna build something like this...
forgive the bad background and dirtyness, but this is what i did with my 86' murray monteray. if you have the cross braces and holes to mount up caliper brakes, then this can work. its a 5speed with brakes, derailleur, freewheel and rims, all the cabes and shifters with a slightly lengthened chain. since i wasn't gonna go with indexed shifters and had a not to narrow spaced 5speed freewheel to work with, i kept the cruiser width chain. i don't like front derailleurs either and was able to keep the original front ring and guard on. it's 5speed range is just fine as i can get it up steep hills and go fast enough on the open road. you may wanna go with a 1.75 or 1.5 skinnier tire if you want less rolling resistance, but for me... it rides just fine.
forgive the bad background and dirtyness, but this is what i did with my 86' murray monteray. if you have the cross braces and holes to mount up caliper brakes, then this can work. its a 5speed with brakes, derailleur, freewheel and rims, all the cabes and shifters with a slightly lengthened chain. since i wasn't gonna go with indexed shifters and had a not to narrow spaced 5speed freewheel to work with, i kept the cruiser width chain. i don't like front derailleurs either and was able to keep the original front ring and guard on. it's 5speed range is just fine as i can get it up steep hills and go fast enough on the open road. you may wanna go with a 1.75 or 1.5 skinnier tire if you want less rolling resistance, but for me... it rides just fine.
I would run an 8 speed internal such as the Shimano Alfine or SA:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/shimano-nexus.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/sturmey-archer-hubs.html
They are getting a little lighter and are used on a bunch of 700c commuter bikes. They are available in coaster, roller or disk-brake models. There is also the SRAM i-motion 9 or Nuvinci continous/variable but the prices are quite high:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/sram.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/nuvinci.html
I built a Schwinn straight-bar with an older nexus 8 speed roller brake for a friend who uses it to commute every day (in Toronto winter too) and he prefers it to his more traditional hybrid bike.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/shimano-nexus.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/sturmey-archer-hubs.html
They are getting a little lighter and are used on a bunch of 700c commuter bikes. They are available in coaster, roller or disk-brake models. There is also the SRAM i-motion 9 or Nuvinci continous/variable but the prices are quite high:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/sram.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/nuvinci.html
I built a Schwinn straight-bar with an older nexus 8 speed roller brake for a friend who uses it to commute every day (in Toronto winter too) and he prefers it to his more traditional hybrid bike.
Quanah said:
I've thought about it. Despite a couple of things like having one of the best farmer's markets in the entire country (which most people outside of downtown and Ohio City never shop at) and northern Ohio's amazing heritage with the balloon tire bicycle age, things are so messed up in Cleveland it seems like The Big Guy is breaking out some Old Testament justice. I'm just glad to be out of there, and I don't think things have changed there much.
The Westside Market is a great place to shop and there are a few areas downtown that have great restaraunts, but for the most part most people don't go down town to shop like they do in places like Chicago. With the lakefront it could be much better, but that does not seem to be high on the list of civic leaders. If they don't have hotels how do they expect people to come and visit.
Masi has a line of bikes called Soulville you might check out for specs, versions with IGHs and derailleurs but running 700 rims, most you could get away with on a cruiser is maybe 650b. But they are mid 20#-30# on most of them, w/cruiser frame probably hard to get much under 30# unless you use a modern frame with lighter/stronger steel and alloy rims.
http://www.masibikes.com/tab4_subNav3.php
http://www.masibikes.com/tab4_subNav3.php
Definitely go with high pressure, low rolling resistance tires. I would also reccommend something like Tuffy tire liners or Slime tubes because it's no fun trying to replace tires on cruiser on the side of the highway, especially if you have to deal with fenders. I used to put serious road mileage on my Dyno Roadster stretch cruiser and I used IRC tires (55 PSI if I remember correctly) and both Tuffy liners and Slime tubes. One HUGE benefit that the stretch cruiser has is the ability to use it like a rowing machine. That is, you can put some serious energy into the crank by pulling back on the handlebars while you push on the pedals. However, a word of warning: I had to put some BMX clamp rings on the hand grips to keep them on.
On my wife's Roadster I installed a Shimano aluminum 7-speed internal hub with coaster brake and aluminum rims. Depending on your budget, you can replace as many components as possible with lighter weight units.
Phat Cycles used to build an aluminum cruiser called the "21" because it weighed 21 lbs. I rode one and it was awesome, especially on acceleration.
John
On my wife's Roadster I installed a Shimano aluminum 7-speed internal hub with coaster brake and aluminum rims. Depending on your budget, you can replace as many components as possible with lighter weight units.
Phat Cycles used to build an aluminum cruiser called the "21" because it weighed 21 lbs. I rode one and it was awesome, especially on acceleration.
John
socal_jack said:
Those are some nice bikes, but a little pricey. The frame reminds me of a Scwhinn camelback which is on my wish list. I guess the short of it is we all have many bikes because they each have different purposes not to mention fun to build. Like I said I do have a Nexus hub that some day I want to lace with an alloy rim, if I can find the time.
