Tired of Cruisers?

[Bettleguise]

I think I've come full circle. Three years of riding a cruiser, now I'm back to a modern machine. It's not just about saving my knees, I was having trouble riding with the slack cruiser frame geometry. Every time I'd ride hard my legs would just seize up. I can't explain the difference but riding this Trek now, my legs feel way better, I don't get off the bike and feel wobbly.

The Columbia Firebolt experiment didn't work out. The nexus gears just generally kinda suck, and the stretch of the frame is just too long. It's going back to the drawing board with this. The nicer parts have been donated to the Trek.

So it's been fun, but in the end I like restoring these bikes, but I'm sick of riding them. I felt safer on the cruiser, less aggressive, less road rage, but it's time to go fast now, see you guys later.
I'm only kidding, sorta.

 

[Tailwinds]

Tell more about the Nexus hub. I was just starting to consider using one, but have never ridden one. I thought they were supposed to be the bee's knee's for no-see-umm gears.

 

[scrumblero]

Every time I'd ride hard my legs would just seize up.

theres your problem man.. its in the name see.. C-R-U-I-S-E-R

if your gonna get all road raging, you might wanna don their skin tight motif. that way the other ragers will know who to direct their aggression at.. :lol: :lol:

 

[Rat Rod]

I've got a 7 speed Nexus with roller brake and love it. :wink:

 

[snydur]

i was thinking about this just the other day, the bikes i usually ride weigh about 50 pounds or more, the seats are on the frame, and usually the handlebars are just down right stupid. ive been collecting parts for a lightweight jc higgins i have sitting in my room, and even that one feels kinda uncomfortable and cramped. my knees still are at my chin, and its heavy as well. i know its still better than riding a bmx bike, but sometimes it just gets old (by sometimes i mean hills)

 

[danreid27]

I just got an Electra Townie..21 speed..Oh for joy, for joy! :wink:

 

[hewey]

Some of the hybrid bikes can have some cool frames that respond really well to some retro touches, and are much more ‘rideable’ than an old cruiser.

 

[scrumblero]

you just need more bikes!! :roll: I always keep a fast bike around ... it aint stylin but its fun when you wanna go fast or gotta cover a lot of ground..

 

[Bettleguise]

Tell more about the Nexus hub. I was just starting to consider using one, but have never ridden one. I thought they were supposed to be the bee's knee's for no-see-umm gears.

Shifting on the nexus is a lot of fun. It's the opposite to a derailleur, you shift in the other direction and while you are coasting not pedaling. The gears themselves don't feel good except for 5th gear. It feels like you have sand in you drive train. Compared to a regular gear cluster it's pretty terrible. Maintenance free isn't a great selling point for me, I just liked the look and the fact you can use it on any frame. Overall for the cost I don't think it was worth the 180 bucks, better off saving your money for something else and just running a single speed.
And no I don't need spandex to have road rage.

 

[socal_jack]

The Nexus 7s definitely have some quirky habits regarding shifting and the pedal feel, don't think they are very robust either in terms of taking any sort of abuse and longevity. I've got 2 and the one that was close to mint on a 95 Schwinn Cruiser 7 locked up, tore the brake strap off and wrapped the shifter cable around the axle while I was crossing a busy street. Having all that shifter gear exposed doesn't do them any good either. When they work right they're alright, but nothing to get excited about. Some of the newer Alfine stuff is supposed to be more up to the task.

Tell more about the Nexus hub. I was just starting to consider using one, but have never ridden one. I thought they were supposed to be the bee's knee's for no-see-umm gears.

Shifting on the nexus is a lot of fun. It's the opposite to a derailleur, you shift in the other direction and while you are coasting not pedaling. The gears themselves don't feel good except for 5th gear. It feels like you have sand in you drive train. Compared to a regular gear cluster it's pretty terrible. Maintenance free isn't a great selling point for me, I just liked the look and the fact you can use it on any frame. Overall for the cost I don't think it was worth the 180 bucks, better off saving your money for something else and just running a single speed.
And no I don't need spandex to have road rage.

 

[Tailwinds]

Wow, that's interesting feedback. I didn't know they were that finicky. That's kind of a bummer.

Guess I'll stick with the Kickbacks...

 

[Rat Rod]

Here's the deal...

Cruiser bikes are mainly for leisurely rides. Sure, there are some folks who get hardcore and commute with them or do a lot of off roading, but the reality is, they are best suited for....um....cruising. Take a look at Randy (aka_locojoe). He and his wife are on a riding trip in Wyoming right now...they didn't take cruisers with them. Same with Clancy...probably one of our most committed commuters on the forum. His daily workhorse isn't an old cruiser. Both of these guys do have cruisers though for the low key rides and for having fun.

Most of the older cruiser frames were meant for kids back in the day so the frame geometry isn't always going to be the best thing for an adult...especially someone over 5'10" tall. Most of the newer cruiser bikes like Electra and Felt have considerably larger frames with geometry that makes riding much more comfortable.

If what you are saying is that you only want to have one bike and that bike needs to meet all of your riding needs then maybe a cruiser isn't the best bike for you. If you're saying you just don't like riding old cruisers, but enjoy fixing them up and looking at them....well, you may be a part of a bigger majority than you think. :wink:

Oh...and as far as the Nexus hubs go....I've had just about every configuration that they make and since I don't beat on stuff or ride them every single day, they have all work flawlessly for me and I have enjoyed the instant shifting and maintenance free aspect.

 

[bmxerpete]

"...i know its still better than riding a bmx bike"


Blasphemy!!!

:mrgreen:

 

[user 135]

Take a look at Randy (aka_locojoe). He and his wife are on a riding trip in Wyoming right now...they didn't take cruisers with them. Same with Clancy...probably one of our most committed commuters on the forum. His daily workhorse isn't an old cruiser. Both of these guys do have cruisers though for the low key rides and for having fun.

I fully agree with what Steve wrote about me. :wink: I have an Old Faithful bike sticker on my Xtracycle because it is the one that meets all my needs- commuter, all weather , kid hauler, bike hauler. But this summer I have been riding my road bike.

Last night though my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a cruiser ride to dinner, then onto dessert, then onto listen to a band.

 

[StepChld]

Betelguise ...I know what you mean. I have the same Trek as you (mine is on the right)

And I too have a problem w/ some of the cruisers that I have. All of my Cranbrooks, no matter how I configure them, are to small in the cockpit area. After a mile or so, my knees really hurt. Also, taking one of them out to the dirt to play becomes a chore when compared to the lightweight aluminum Trek. I have an older model single speed Huffy "Good Vibrations" that I can raise the seat tall enough to stretch my legs out on and ride on pavement for a good long way w/o any discomfort. I recently changed some things about it that makes me really enjoy cruising with it but w/ my seat raised, it's probably not to everyone's liking as far as style goes. However that doesn't mean beans to me...I ride whatever bike feels the most comfortable for that day. :wink:
The only thing I would change for the Trek is that god-awful seat...but finding the perfect seat alludes me, or at least for that bike :roll:

 

[XC204]

I do a 4 to 1 ratio 4 days on one of my MTB's commuting and Friday is cruiser day 15 mi the knees wouldn't take all 5 days.

 

[deorman]

Oh well, to each their own. I find road bikes (good ones, not just junkers) to feel twitchy and uncomfortable for anything other than flat out open road/flat trail flying. Hard to go wrong with a good sized MTB for an every day every where bike. Just a few observations. I suspect your disappointment with your hub's performance may have magnified the scope and degree of other various issues. The Columbia frames have horizontal chain stays, raising the c.o.g., plus the one you're using is heavier than the earlier "tank" middle weights, especially in the back, and in addition, you've extended the bar mounting point forward with that stem, which exacerbates the added energy absorbing effect of long trail geometry, not to mention the "stretch" of the frame. Forks with a fair degree of leading dropout location work better with raked out frames also, reducing the "flop" on deeper turns. Getting the right bar and seat just so is key, as with any bike you go for any distance on. I personally enjoy the soft and imprecise handling of long trail, and the slightly forward footing, but it's completely subjective. If you don't like that, there's probably no amount of fiddle-diddling that will make it work without seriously modding the frame.
Happy cycling.

 

[aka_locojoe]

The whole reason we got into the "cruisers" was because it seemed kind of ridiculous putt'n around the neighborhood in Kansas on our suspension MTBs with 21 gears. Most of our bike trips we take our MTBs and now my hybrid. On a couple of trips we took cruisers to the beach. You just need a bike for every occasion.

 

[Wingman]

Deep thoughts ....,
Here is how we see it ,
My road bikes were all pricey multi speed deals that were ment to go as fast as ya can for as far as ya can ... century rides ect.
Basicly , it was a good workout & how fast can we cover this ground. That ment not a lot of socializing , seeing the sceienry cause ya had to focus on task at hand to keep up & stay out of danger at the same time.

NOW ... lol... that it takes me all day to do what we could do all day, (or now that Im younger lol ). Bicyles now are a social thing 4 us. At the slower pace, cruzin along on our OLD , Heavy, Vintage tankers, there is time to smile or talk about the kids, or talk about whats for dinner ect and we can enjoy it more because it's not so serious.

The Nexus 7 thing ..... Well I have ridden a bike with one & liked it. Always rember that ALL mechanical oriented Items can & will fail at some point. That being said, I know folks that could mess up an Anvil or a good dream.
Not everyone is goona feel the same about everything.
and lastly , Im about 5 foot 14 1/2 inches tall & I am very comfortable on All of my old Heavy Iron ... cause I did what it took to make them comfortable.

Now if someone told me they were just bored with cruizers ..... I would understand that too.

Stephen / Wingman

 

[cruisehard]

Hmmm...my Electra Rat Rod has been my daily rider for almost 2 yrs. now and I've had no complaints...no pains. It might take me a little longer to get to where I'm going, but that is fine by me. Sick of cruisers? Naaa...I chose comfort over speed. This is how I feel everytime I hop on my Electra...
lol