Felt chief & friends...

[ratrod_pt]

Hello Everybody!

I'm writing from Portugal, and I'm a newbie in terms of cruisers & choppers.... Nevertheless I'm a huge fan of those kind of bicycles!

I would like to congratulate all of the participants in the forum, because you share lot of informations, tips and ideas for bike construction, wich is very helful for the people tha doesn't live in the USA.

Unfortunately in my country it's very hard to find cruisers or choppers, so we need to buy a bicycle from the US. The main problem is that you "buy without a try", and in some cases the return it's simply impossible.

So, I'm writing in order to ask your opinion about 5 bikes:

1-electra ghostrider
It's absolutly beautiful, but is it a confortable bike to take a 20-30 km ride?
Is it possible to install a disk brake in the front wheel - the coaster brake makes me nervous

2 - electra straight 8 3i
Considering the riding position, probabily it's a confortable bike, What's your opinion?
Is it possible to install a disk brake in the front wheel - the coaster brake makes me nervous

3- felt shelby
A beautiful bike, with a beatiful suspension.
Is it a confortable bike, What's your opinion?
The riding position it's "straight back", or a more curved psition when you ride?
Is it possible to install a disk brake in the front wheel - the coaster brake makes me nervous

4-felt chief
It's absolutly marvelous!
Is it a confortable bike, What's your opinion?
The riding position it's "straight back", or a more curved psition when you ride?
Is it possible to install a disk brake in the front wheel - the coaster brake makes me nervous
I would love to install a FELT Abraham Linkage fork in chrome finish, but I found that it doesnt exists (any suggestion for a repaint? The black finish in my opinion will be ugly...)

5- felt troy lee spray
An aggressive bike. Is it possible to buy it brand new?

As you may understand, I want a confortable bike, with a confortable riding position and with lots of style
My preferences go to electra ghostrider and felt chief (but in the case of the chief I cannot understand if the ridding position is "straight back)

Your patience and advices will be the success in my purchase!
As you may understand, it's difficult to cross the atlantic in my bike to return it to the store, so please feel free to advice....

Thank you

 

[GameBent]

Greetings from the US!
I'm a huge fan of Electra bikes, so I know a bit about them even though I don't own a Ghostrider or Straight 8 (Ghostrider is my dream bike).
I have heard several friends repeatedly say that they love riding their Electra RatFink, which is exact same bike as the Ghostrider with only cosmetic differences. They love the laid-back riding position and consider it to be the most comfortable bike they've ever ridden. They told me they felt guilty because they stopped riding their other bikes after getting the RatFink. I don't think it would be a problem to take 20-30 km rides on the Ghostrider.
The Electra Straight 8 has a similar frame that is around four to six inches shorter than the Ghostrider/RatFink. This means the rider sits slightly higher and closer to the handlebars. I have heard friends say they love their Straight 8/Boney Finger (same frames), so either of these would be a good choice. I would suggest the Straight 8 if you are less than 5 feet 8 inches tall only because the Ghostrider is so stretched out that it would be uncomfortable.
I'm not sure if there is a bracket to hold a hand brake on the triple tree forks on the Ghostrider, but the new Straight 8s don't have triple tree forks (lame) and should accommodate a front hand brake. Of course, you would have to get a new rear hub if you want a free wheel. I have several bikes, and they all have pedal brakes and I've never had a problem with any of them.
As for Felt bikes, I have a Troy Lee Spray and love it. However, Felt frames are kind of short for adult riders and would be very uncomfortable if ape hangars or boardtrack-style handlebars aren't used. Boardtrack handlebars force the rider to bend towards their handlebars while ape hangars let riders sit straight over their seat. Felt bikes are also very expensive, so if you're buying a new bike, I think you get more for your money with an Electra. Also, just an FYI that the Felt Abraham Linkage can be professionally repainted or chromed, but it isn't cheap! They are also usually out of stock, which is another of my complaints about Felt. Their customer support really sucks for their cruiser line. Electra is the complete opposite.
I hope that helps your decision. Feel free to pm me or respond to this thread if you have any more questions.

 

[federer]

I have a felt cheif and electra rockabilly. Both bikes are amazing but the electra with a set medium ape hangers like riding on your favorite chair.