Okay, should I do this?

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I'm a person

I'm a person

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Hello! I'm a 12 year old cruiser rider. I love riding around town daily to commute, go to places, etc.

So, recently, I've been in need of a new bike. And I mean a custom bike. This is my plan for what I'm going to do.

I have a local walmart near me. I'm going to buy a huffy cranbrook from there. (Yes, walmart is the worst place for bikes. I have known that forever.)

But, what I plan to do is actually upgrade almost all of the main parts.

I'm going to install
-new stem, replace quill stem and put on threadless stem with adapter
-replaces inner tubes + tires
-replace handlebars
-replace seat
-maybe replace front sprocket
-replace chain

That's my main plan. Now, I've seen the "show me your finished huffy cranbrook" Thread. I see that the bike has a lot of potential. I take care of my bikes and don't use them for the wrong reasons. I can't afford expensive bikes. But, should I do this, or should I just wait?

Thanks.

This is the bike, by the way.
 
The bike didn't show up, but I know what it is.

If you have your heart set on customizing a Walmart bike, get the Hyper cruiser for a few bucks more, about 99 bucks.
shopping

But I think your best bet would be to go to craigslist and find an old cruiser, maybe an old American made Schwinn or Murray, anything 26" that all your parts would go on. Probably for 50 bucks or so. That would be a much better bike than the Cranbrook. I can go to almost any town's bike page on CL and find a good old cruiser. Type in vintage in the search on the bike pages and see the older ones, but they usually want a little too much, but I've found some great deals on American made bikes from the past. I picked up this 1947 Roadmaster for around 50 bucks and added wheels and tires. Everything else was redone or fixed up cheaply by me.

154frkn - Copy.jpg
 
First off, welcome to the forum. :)
At 12 years old, you've got the right spirit! Jump in and make your ideas a reality!


I'm a person said:
...what I plan to do is actually upgrade almost all of the main parts.

I'm going to install
-new stem, replace quill stem and put on threadless stem with adapter
-replaces inner tubes + tires
-replace handlebars
-replace seat
-maybe replace front sprocket
-replace chain

I can't afford expensive bikes. But, should I do this, or should I just wait?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
While I like the plan, have you priced all of the parts that you are planning to upgrade? I'm not sure what 'expensive bikes' means to you, but you might need to add all of the cost together and see if it is more than you can spend. If it is not more, there still might be other options using the same dollar amount considering that you 'have known forever that walmart is the worst place for bikes'.

Either way, I still say go for it if it is what you want and be sure to post your project in the 'builds section'. You will get plenty of support and encouragement here. Have fun!!!
 
Welcome young man! I can attest to the fact that upgrades on any bike can produce a money pit. It’s your bike but use due diligence in keeping track of what you are spending so you won’t be disappointed with the end budget and result. I have some money pits in my collection. I’d never get a decent return on what I’ve invested in them but they make me smile.
Do what you like, like what you do. It’s a hobby after all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
I started around 10 on BMX bikes and hopefully you won't forget about bikes when you meet a dancer who hates riding like I did and lose a lot of years.

If you really want a cruiser and can't find any around, you're probably stuck with what you're planning, but I do echo some of the other advice that your best bet is to pay a little more for a better base bike. That said, with cruisers, it's not as important. The most frustrating thing about bikes is the different standards and a lot of the big box store bikes have weird part measurements that make replacing parts a lot more aggravation for what's ultimately a frame that's not worth it. I don't know the Huffy Cranbrook specifically, so that's just general advice. Thankfully, there's the internet for help.

You've picked a good bike type to start with though—simple and not too demanding (I fixed up an old 12 speed mixte bike for my sister and ended up spending as much as a good new bike would have cost since changing wheels to a smaller size meant changing brakes and levers and the new wide range cassette of the new wheels needed a new derailleur). You shouldn't have to replace the tubes even if you go to a slightly wider tire as the rubber stretches. If you look on the packaging, tubes will list a range of sizes they fit. That said, it never hurts to have a spare, but it's a bit unfortunate that I find modern tubes are hit or miss in quality no matter who makes them, so don't fix it until it breaks.

Most important thing is to have fun and I'm sure you'll spend more than you should on mistakes—we've all done it (and still do), but learning costs money whether you teach yourself or learn in school. They're not mistakes, they're lessons (or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm done cursing).
 
Also, If I ever get the bike, i'll upload it to this thread to show you. although, it would probably be a couple months from now.
 
The Renaissance Man said:
First off, welcome to the forum. :)
At 12 yars old, you've got the right spirit! Jump in and make your ideas a reality!



While I like the plan, have you priced all of the parts that you are planning to upgrade? I'm not sure what 'expensive bikes' means to you, but you might need to add all of the cost together and see if it is more than you can spend. If it is not more, there still might be other options using the same dollar amount considering that you 'have known forever that walmart is the worst place for bikes'.

Either way, I still say go for it if it is what you want and be sure to post your project in the 'builds section'. You will get plenty of support and encouragement here. Have fun!!!
Click to expand...

Yep, I've put it at around 100 dollars. I usually save up my money shovelling snow or just waiting. Although, I don't plan to upgrade the bike immediately. I used to have a really cheap supercycle newport for 6 months. Best bike i've ever owned.
 
Is there a retail bike shop in your city?
If so, you could go talk to them and tell them that you're looking for a fixer-upper cruiser bike to work on. Depending on the shop, there is a good possibility that they take in trades that they have no intention of keeping around. Some shops do this and give the old bikes away to scrap metal guys. Who knows, they might be able to hook you up with a free bike and possibly some other free used parts from time to time.
If you play it right, you should be able to stretch that $100 a long way!
 
Nice. I don't think there is though. There are 2 in which I know of. One that sells road bikes, and another one which is a sports shop (they take in old bikes and sell them for a price.)
 
I'd certainly echo many of the things the others have said. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is possibly investigating a local bike co-op. If you don't know what a co-op is, it's an organization of like-minded members who are passionate about bikes. The group sometimes charge a very modest fee or accept volunteer help in exchange for using their shop space and some of the more exotic tools, which are shared by the members. Often, gently used parts can purchased from the group at extremely discounted prices, and they perform just as well or better than new. It's a great environment to learn hands-on about bikes.
 
RustySprockets said:
I'd certainly echo many of the things the others have said. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is possibly investigating a local bike co-op. If you don't know what a co-op is, it's an organization of like-minded members who are passionate about bikes. The group sometimes charge a very modest fee or accept volunteer help in exchange for using their shop space and some of the more exotic tools, which are shared by the members. Often, gently used parts can purchased from the group at extremely discounted prices, and they perform just as well or better than new. It's a great environment to learn hands-on about bikes.
Click to expand...

Ah! I see. I might try your suggeston.
 
Welcome young man. I would suggest patience, patience and more of it. You have come to a good place for help. We older cycle enthusiasts have learned the hard lessons from years of making mistakes of buying cheap stuff. Better quality older cruiser bikes and frames will turn up around you if you keep your eyes open and ask everyone you know in your area. Put some time into looking for an older, better quality bike that needs work. Cheap Walmart bikes are NOT going to give you as much satisfaction as the older, steel framed and well-made older cruiser style bikes. If you spend your time working on cheaply made stuff, it may be time wasted in the end. Very good suggestions above. Go back and look at these tips from the experienced people that have made the mistakes you can avoid...skpc
 
Another thing about a good frame is that the ride makes it worth changing it up if you grow tired of what you've done with it (of course, that's up in the air wether or not that's good or bad!). Keep in mind, too, that you can always do things a little bit at a time and sometimes, that just happens naturally, anyway. My regular rider evolved over about 3 years and now it's about a perfect all around bike for me. It started out as just an MC Hammer pants purple Giant hybrid, but the strong chromoly frame made it worth keeping at it.
 
Alright, so, I've added up the total price for the items. It's going to cost about 109 CAD. Or somewhere in that price range.

I do get its a bit over the huffy cranbrook, but like I said, I'd rather upgrade it than wait and get a better one. Remember, my local walmart only has these. I can't find them on walmart.ca either.

I may look on other canadian sites, but for now, I'm going with this plan.

If you'd like to see all of the things I'm going to add, heres the list.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B072ZNLWKX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1PLK8N613GXJK&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06XHHD57F/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A28H1T1RM3KZ58&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06XHHD57F/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A28H1T1RM3KZ58&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01N1YZR75/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=AS0271I2J9Y8Q&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B010U5CDZ4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A2TE9IQP68MWQU&psc=1
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01H8N9G2Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=A3QW2D9FMU4CQQ&psc=1

I've always tooken care of my bikes. This one, I can make sure I will.
 

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