How much would you pay for a new cruiser of acceptable quality?

[order99]

Honestly, i'm currently having way too much fun cutting up $5-$10 frames and teaching myself to salvage and derust components to purchase a new anything...if I absolutely needed a decent cruiser this very minute I have a choice of several thrift stores offering 26" bikes in 'ready to ride' condition for $45-$60 range...

Now if I were pricing a decent cruiser-I may not like Wal-mart quality components as the Quality Control seems spotty on the Chinese end of things (and somebody MUST teach Wal-mart employees basic Bike Assembly and give them the time to do it right) BUT those cheap mild steel frames ought to last for decades of normal use and are easy to braze or weld if the owner decides to pretend his cruiser is a mountainbike...also, the cranks appear to be sturdy enough for Cruiser use too.

As far as components go...i'd want upgrades to the base bearing sets, high end steel if not ceramic, wheelsets comparable to Worksman, a zinc-plated chain for rust resistance, and possibly an inexpensive front caliper brake and a three speed internal hub wheel available for upgrades. Now if I were actually putting together a custom design to sell to others, i'd include a tiny needle-fitted grease gun and instructions on how to reach the top and bottom headset bearings and bottom bracket bearings without disassembly...i'm thinking maybe $250 for base model, $350 for the 3-speed and run a line of 'universal' add-ons (lights, baskets etc) for a little side line...

My main concern of course is that the folk who would spend decent money on a high quality Cruiser are often more interested in multi-geared road bikes, and the low end Wallyworld cruisers will do fine for casual riders IF they know what to look for at purchase and do a little pre-ride wrenching and upgrade later with decent rims when the time comes...

 

[honestherman]

I want to thank a few others here for pointing something out to me. Some riders are Overweight. Although I feel a functional bike is just fine for most bike riders. A low to medium cost bike will have a flat tire and break down just the same as a high end bike. But there is something that I did not consider. To me these are all Toys or play things. I ride my bikes every day and have very few mechanical problems, mostly adjust the brakes or change a tire, maybe the seat comes loose. I have one bike that I have had the pleasure to ride ( a bike I paid twenty dollars for) over 10,000 miles so far. But I am slender to average weight and size or what WAS average weight. Doctor now calls it healthy weight. But I was looking at this question thru my eyes.
There are Riders who are Overweight. We are talking bicycles here. Not Industrial purpose bikes. Just bicycles.
If you are Overweight... Then you do need a High End Special Bike.

 

[roadwarrior]

If I buy a used bike for $100 and fix it up I'll end up spending a couple hundred just fixing it up. New tires and tubes are almost always needed, a more comfortable seat, hand grips, paint. So, if I end up spending $300-$400 on a bike I build, that is more satisfying to me than plopping down the same amount of money for a new bike in the same price range. I am not to impressed with the bikes that are being mass produced at this time.

 

[ZygoteLittle]

How much would you pay for a new cruiser of acceptable quality?

The FMV (Fair Market Value) dictate is: It’s worth what you are willing to pay for it.

Having said that, $600 is at the higher end of what I would pay for a cruiser; the reason being that I would get a greater level of enjoyment chopping, customizing and accessorizing a secondhand $40 dollar bike then riding a new $600 store bought.

It would be better use of $600 to buy a $40 secondhand bike and spend the remaining $540 customizing it - this way, it'll be your own.

 

[Hoek]

New bikes are generally of little interest to me. However I have been toying with the idea of a Worksmen, I know i can find one used here but I think I might want to bite the bullet and get a new one. These guys are doing great work in the USA so the extra money is well spent. My issue is I won't be able to leave it stock so the $400 plus would just be the beginning. Do they just sell a frameset? I've been selling a few bikes on CL lately so my bike fund is bulking up.

 

[Bicycle808]

Do they just sell a frameset?

Yep. $185 plus shipping, according to their most recent pricelist. http://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_...2012/2013 Factory Direct parts price list.PDF
Scroll down to item #7200

Buying just the frame is a good move, as i'm pretty sure that's the only part of the entire bike that's still being made in Brooklyn...

Also, FWIW, the factory paint on a Worksman is pretty low-quality; it might really make more sense to get a frame from ind-chuckz and spend the savings on a good powdercoat job. Especially if you're gonna change the fork; that way, you can get both frame and fork powdered to match.

 

[1oldbikelover]

It all depends to how your going to use your bike......artwork, work bike or exercise. I don't spend a lot of money on my real vintage bikes and leave them like I find them....on the other hand, I have no problem sinking good money on my mtn bike since mtn biking is my drug and I have to satisfy that good habit!