How to Choose Beach Cruiser Bike | Buyers Guide – 2022
Nothing is more fun and relaxing than riding down a sand-strewn beach road on a bright sunny day. And to do that, you need an excellent quality beach cruiser bike to effectively ride through the beach roads. The market is full of bikes. However, it might be difficult for you to pick just the right one for you, especially if you don’t have any prior knowledge about how to choose beach cruiser bike.
To help you out in this situation, we have prepared this article with all the necessary information you need to know so that it’s easier for you to choose the one that best suits your needs and budget.
How to Choose Beach Cruiser Bike: Everything You Should Know
Types of Cruiser Bicycles
A few different types of cruiser are available in the market to serve the customers different purposes. These are:
Classic
The classic or most commonly known beach cruiser is the original cruiser bicycle that comes with all the core features to make your riding enjoyable.
The most common feature of this bike is its heavyweight frame. It has a forty to sixty-pound frame, which might feel a bit difficult to maneuver.
However, this type of bike is a perfect choice for short rides around town and won’t let you down.
Stretch
As the name suggests, a stretch cruiser is an elongated version of the original classic cruiser. It features a relatively longer frame and has a seating position closer to the ground.
Even though these bicycle has an unconventional design, its main goal is to provide a more comfortable ride to its riders to feel exhausted or suffer from body aches after riding this.
However, this can only be used on smooth, flat terrain and pavements because of its design.
Low Rider
Similar to the stretch, the lowrider cruisers also sit lower to the ground and often have a backward reclined seating position for comfort.
But they are mostly showy rather than functional. Lowrider bicycles cannot handle mildly rough terrain, let alone off-road ridings; they are exclusively suitable for flat, smooth roads.
Chopper
The chopper is yet another bike that doesn’t look like a conventional bike at all. Instead, this special kind of cruiser looks more like a motorcycle rather than a bicycle- it has high mounted handlebars and an “ape hanger” design just like the chopper motorcycles.
A chopper cruiser combined the features of a chopper motorcycle with the features of a low rider cruiser to provide a unique riding experience to its riders.
Multi-Speed
As the name suggests, a multi-speed cruiser is all about speed. This bike is actually a classic bike with some extra features in terms of gears and speeds and makes it quite different to ride compared to the others.
However, even though it is called a “multi-speed”, this cruiser doesn’t have a speed range of a typical hybrid or road bike; instead, it offers 3-speed options to choose from according to your needs and riding styles.
Tandem
A tandem cruiser bike is a special kind of bicycle that 2 people can ride at once. This bike has a relatively longer frame, two different seat posts, and two pairs of handlebars to make it easier for two riders to ride.
However, it doesn’t matter how many riders can ride the bike or how many seat posts it incorporates. A tandem bike, being true to the name, comes with only 2 wheels to ride.
Electric
The electric cruiser is a bit different from all other above on this list. Aside from manual pedaling, an electric cruiser can also run with the help of electricity. This is a super fun bicycle to ride and extremely comfortable.
This special bicycle comes with big soft seats, wide handlebars and an upright seating position that makes the whole beach cruising experience even more delightful.
What Should You Consider When Choosing Cruiser Bicycles?
Picking up a beach cruiser is not as tough as you might imagine. In fact, it is quite an easy task if you know what to look for. Here, we have talked about some of the essential aspects you must consider when choosing the best one in the market.
Consider Your Budget
Setting a budget before even looking out for a bicycle is important. A budget will help you set the exact amount of money you want to spend on your cruiser and help you focus on a limited number of choices rather than navigating through them all.
This bicycle can cost between $100 to over $1000, it would be easier for you to pick just the right one if you have set a budget.
Quality-Welded Frame
The frame is the most important feature to look after as it holds the entire bicycle together. A cruiser frame can be made from different materials including steel, aluminum alloy, and carbon fiber, to serve different purposes.
It doesn’t matter which frame you choose according to your needs and budget. However, never forget to ensure its quality because a quality-welded frame will not only ensure durability but at the same time, will also make sure the rider is safe.
Handlebars
Cruiser beach bicycles come with many different types of handlebars to choose from according to your choice and riding preferences.
While picking out the best one for you, always look for handlebars that are long and slope towards the rear so that you can sit in an upright position and be comfortable while cruising around with your cruiser.
Grips
How you hold the handlebars affects your overall riding; it determines your seating position, riding efficiency, and overall enjoyment. That is why it is super important that you choose super comfortable handlebars.
Most cruiser handlebars come with thicker grips to ensure phenomenal comfort to its riders. Bar grips that are made from rubber, leather, cork, alloy, or gel are not only thick, but they also make sure that your palms don’t hurt or suffer from numbness even after riding for extended hours.
Gears
This bicycle come with two types of gearing options to choose from- multi-speed and single-speed. The type of gear you will select depends entirely on your riding style and the type of terrain you want to ride.
If your main focus is cruising around the neighborhood and taking leisurely rides on flat pavements and riding surfaces, then a single-speed bike would be the best choice for you.
On the other hand, if you like thrilling riding sessions on mountains and other off-road terrains, it would be best to opt for a multi-speed cruiser for the best riding experience. A multi-speed gear usually has 3, 6, or 7 speeding options.
Brakes
Having the best brakes is extremely important as the braking mechanism ensures the riders safety. Cruiser usually come with two types of brakes to choose from; the coaster brakes and the handbrakes.
For single-speed cruisers used for relaxed, leisurely rides, we suggest you opt for coaster breaks as they provide a smooth yet effective stop.
Similarly, for multi-speed bikes and off-road ridings, you should choose handbrakes to enjoy more control over the bike and minimize the chances of accidents and injuries.
Drivetrain
As this bicycles come with two types of gearing options, they are available in two types of drivetrain options to get along with the gearing mechanism.
A traditional cruiser with single-speed gear includes a simple drivetrain of just one crank wheel and a rear cassette hub. This super simple mechanism ensures a no-frills feel and adds to your casual riding style.
On the other hand, multi-gear cruisers come with more than one gear in the drivetrain and have a bit complicated drivetrain compared to the single-speed one.
Comfy Saddle
What sets a beach cruiser bike apart from other bikes is its seat saddle. This is because the primary goal of a cruiser bicycle is comfort. That’s why this special kind of cycle incorporates a super-wide, well-cushioned saddle to provide the utmost comfort and easiness to the riders.
Furthermore, seat saddle often springs underneath the rear end to adsorb the shock and impact of the road successfully and helps you ride without body aches and numbness.
>>> Want to Know More? Check Comfortable Bicycle Seats for Cruiser <<<
Tires & Wheels
The wheels and tires help it to get going and hence, they are also important. The wheels are fairly standard and include several spokes to provide excellent support to the rims and prevent them from bending. This also ensures the durability and workability of the wheels.
To pair up with the wheels, beach cruisers usually come with wide and thick tires to help the ride be smooth and absorb a certain amount of shock and vibrations from the road for a more comfortable ride.
Pedals
Pedal is nothing special. They are platform pedals generally made from plastic to keep your feet in place while riding. However, sometimes cruiser bicycles pedals can also be made from metals to add versatility.
Fenders
Fenders are fitted directly over the tires to prevent mud and water from flying up towards your face or getting all over your back.
Even though some basic models don’t have fenders, the modern cruisers incorporate fenders set above the tires and attached to either the fork or the rear chain. As these are slightly curved, fenders catch mud and dirt easily and protect you from getting dirty.
Handlebar lights
As the name suggests, handlebar lights are attached to the handlebars to provide maximum convenience and safety.
This bicycles usually come with LED lights that can be very powerful as well as beneficial. If you are riding in the dark, this light will illuminate the road ahead and help you to see everything and ride safely.
Robust Front Basket Standard
The “robustness” of a bike’s front basket entirely depends on the type of basket it comes with. While some baskets are more fragile like the wicker baskets, others like the wire mesh ones are strong and durable.
The type of front basket you want to add to your bicycle depends on how you intend to use it.
Front and Rear Lights
Like the brakes, front and rear lights ensure the riders safety. While the front lights help you to see the road ahead clearly, the rear lights make sure that you are seen in the dark and keep other vehicles at arm’s length from you.
Standard Beach Cruiser Design Features
As there are quite a few types of bicycles available in the market, you should know about a beach cruiser's design details to differentiate it from the others.
Size
As beach bikes are available in both men's and women's versions, this bike's sizing is also different. While the men’s beach cruisers have straight-across top tubes, women’s bike feature a step-through frame that is more comfortable to ride and extremely effortless to dismount.
And because of the design variation, the sizing of the men’s and women’s beach bikes also differs; you need to be precise and careful while determining the best size for you.
Cruiser Weight
The beach cruiser's weight is an important factor because it not only determines the maneuverability but at the same time also ensures if it is easy to control or not. The average weight is between 30 - 40 lbs. and is a bit heavier than other types of bicycles in the market.
However, as a cruiser bicycle's main goal is to provide leisurely rides around the neighborhood and not win races, such weight should not be a problem.
Maintenance
Maintenance is one important aspect as it determines the durability. Experts suggest buying a cruiser that is extremely easy to maintain because if it is difficult to maintain, you won’t be interested in regularly taking care of it, which might lead to bicycle damage.
Safety
Even though a cruiser is not designed for aggressive ridings, you must still look for different safety features to ensure you are completely safe while riding.
Maneuverability
Beach cruisers tend to be a bit more heavyweight than other types of bicycles and might be a bit difficult to maneuver. However, we would still encourage you to try out a cruiser and see if you can control it or not.
Color
As this bicycles are available in both men’s and women’s versions, they come in various color options to meet the versatile demands of its customers. Even though the color is not a crucial aspect to consider, it still plays a vital role because many riders also pay attention to looks besides the features.
Aerodynamics
By now, you already know that a beach cruiser bike features an upright seating position. But, unfortunately, upright seating is not aerodynamic at all and hence doesn’t provide as much pedaling strength as other bikes, including hybrid, mountain or road bikes.
Comfort
This bicycle is all about comfort. For a fun, relaxed, and comfortable riding session, beach cruisers incorporate large, well-padded seat saddle and wide tires to make sure moving forward is effortless and your back doesn’t hurt because of the riding.
Moreover, its handlebars are also adequately gripped to ensure additional comfort to the riders.
Style
Cruiser bicycles come in more than a few different styles to choose from. Experts suggest choosing a cruiser style that suits your needs and riding preference to ensure that you enjoy your cruising rather than despise it.
Difference Between Men's and Women's Cruiser Bicycles
One of the most common questions you face while choosing cruiser bike is that if a men’s cruiser bike is different from a women’s one or not. Well, they are.
Even though both men’s and women’s bikes are similar in many ways, there are some prominent differences that you must know about.
To start with, the biggest difference between men’s and women’s beach cruiser bikes is their size and fit. While a men’s cruiser has a slightly larger frame and has a top tube that either runs straight across or curves up slightly, women’s bikes come with a smaller frame and a downwards curved top tube for comfortable riding.
In addition, the frame designs vary because of the difference in body shape of men and women.
Moreover, men’s cruisers tend to come with larger handlebars comparatively, while women’s bikes have a slightly different saddle design.
Cruiser VS Comfort Bicycle
As the name suggests, a comfort bike provides extraordinary comfort to riders. It was designed incorporating the best benefits of cruiser, hybrid, and mountain bikes to not only provide exceptional comfort to the riders but at the same time to also ensure a phenomenal riding experience.
Aside from a longer frame, a comfort bike comes with a suspension seat post that incorporates adequate padding and springs to absorb shock and provide a super comfortable riding session. Moreover, comfort bikes have more gears and speed range so that the riders can enjoy versatile ridings at the cost of one.
However, cruiser bikes are not as comfortable and versatile as comfort bikes. Moreover, because of their limited gear range, they cannot handle different types of terrains. Then again, as cruiser bikes are super simple to use and offer excellent stability, they are still preferred by users for their daily cruising sessions.
Cruiser VS Mountain Bicycle
Beach cruiser and mountain bikes have more than a few prominent differences between them. While cruiser bikes were specially designed for slower casual riding and cruising, mountain bikes are meant for mountain trails and off-road ridings. Both are opposite of each other.
Unlike relaxed and comfortable beach cruisers, mountain bikes are designed more aggressively to perfectly take on tough off-road conditions. In addition, they incorporate several gears and a more advanced drivetrain to effectively ensure speedy and dynamic riding on different off-road tracks.
Moreover, riders have more control and stopping power on mountain bikes compared to beach cruiser bicycles. These cycles also have knobby tread tires for better grip on the dirt for improved safety, whereas cruisers have smooth treaded tires suitable for smooth roads and pavements.
However, even though mountain bike is more advanced and improved than beach cruisers, there is no denying that cruisers are more comfortable and offers you decent riding experience.
Coaster Brakes VS Hand Brakes
As beach cruiser come with 2 types of braking mechanisms, coaster brakes and hand brakes, there is always a debate about which is better and why you should adopt one over the other. Below, we have discussed both the brake types so that you understand them well.
Coaster Brakes
Coaster brakes don’t have any moving parts and hence, they are incredibly easy and simple to use. All you need to do is push the pedals backward rather than pedaling forward to stop the cruiser successfully in place.
The backward motion locks up the chain and influences the rear wheel to slow or stop to avoid any potential accidents.
Hand Brakes
Even though the hand brakes mechanism is a little more complicated, they offer more control and better stopping power to the riders.
With this braking mechanism, you don’t have to worry about stopping the bike suddenly at a moment’s notice to avoid any unfortunate events while you are cruising around. The type of brakes you should adopt depends entirely on your riding style and the gearing system you prefer.
For single-speed bikes, experts suggest opting for coaster brakes because of their ease of use, while for multi-speed cruisers, you should opt for handbrakes to enjoy a safe and more effective stopping power.
What Cruiser Bicycle Brands Are the Best?
There are some different brands that manufacturer beach cruiser bikes. However, not all of these brands are capable of producing the highest quality bikes to meet its customers' demands. Here, we have listed and talked about the most popular bike brands that offer the best quality for your better understanding.
Schwinn
Without a doubt, Schwinn is America's most well-known bike company that offers a wide range of different types of bikes to satisfy the ever-growing demand of its customers. Schwinn never fails to impress its customers with its quality and features using the state of the art technology, intelligent innovation, and amazing craftsmanship.
Aside from its other extraordinary bikes, Schwinn also has a strong and versatile line of cruiser bikes to cater to different customers' needs with various budgets.
Huffy
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Huffy is another popular bike brand in the US with a huge range of product lines for its customers. Besides other bicycles, this company also has an expansive line of cruiser bikes at a very affordable price range to make sure that every potential customer can buy its bikes easily.
Sixthreezero
Based in Hermosa Beach, California, Sixthreezero specializes only in cruiser bikes. Even though it is relatively new in the business (founded and established in 2005), it didn’t late long for Sixthreezero to emerge as one of the best because of its amazing quality cruisers with extraordinary features.
Moreover, its cruisers have stunning looks to attract the gaze of any users easily.
Raleigh
Raleigh is another big player in this industry. Based in the UK, it is also one of the oldest bicycle manufacturing companies in the market right now.
With its amazing quality bicycles at every price level, this company has been ruling the industry for over a decade now and is as popular now as before.
Its different types of bicycles also include a small lineup of cruiser bikes to cater to its customers' different needs.
Firmstrong
Located in Hermosa Beach, CA, Firmstrong bike’s mission is to provide the best quality bikes to its customers at a very affordable price range. It designs bikes with extraordinary styles and functionality to create a phenomenal riding experience for riders to enjoy riding better than before.
Benefits of Owning a Cruiser
Comfort
Beach cruiser bikes are specially designed with a wide, padded seat saddle and big tires to provide exceptional comfort. Moreover, as they feature an upright design and seating position, this bike also ensures adequate body support as you ride.
Easy Maintenance and Durability
As this bicycle come with the highest 3 gear drivetrain, it is quite easy to maintain. You can take care of it regularly to prolong lifespan.
Furthermore, the frame of beach cruisers is often made with strong, robust materials that add to its durability.
Versatile Usage
In addition to cruising around the neighborhood and riding on the beach roads, this bicycle can also be used as an exercise bike to help you shed weight and become fit and active.
Drawbacks of Owning a Cruiser
Not only benefits, but this bicycles also have a few drawbacks, which are:
Lack of Speed
One of the biggest drawbacks is its lack of gears and speeds. It comes with the highest of 3 gears, which doesn’t offer as much speed as other bicycles.
Heavyweight
Cruiser bicycles are heavyweight by default and might not be as effortless to maneuver and control as many other bicycles available in the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Beach Cruiser Bicycles Good for?
This bicycles are similar to hybrid bikes and are suitable for both city cruising and some light trail ridings.
As cruiser bikes are super comfortable, have an upright riding position, and a large, padded seat, they will ensure a very comfortable ride.
Are Huffy Cruiser Bicycles Good?
There is no straightforward answer to this question. Huffy produces various models; some are more popular than others because of their convenience and workability.
Moreover, as the quality also differs from one model to another, it would be unfair to label all of them as either “good” or “bad”.
However, since the frame of all Huffy cruiser bikes is sturdy and reliable, in general, they make a great riding choice.
Is a Cruiser Bicycle Good for Exercise? Can You Lose Weight on a Cruiser Bicycle?
Yes, a beach cruiser bike is good for exercise. Aside from being fun, it can also be an excellent form of exercise. When you ride around the neighborhood or go cruising, it increases your cardiovascular activities and engages your major muscles to burn many calories.
And, we all know that burning calories leads to shedding bodyweight and helps you get fit and active quickly.
Do Beach Cruiser Bicycles Have Brakes?
In simple words, yes, this bicycle have brakes to ensure the security of the riders.
Generally, beach cruiser bicycles come with two different braking mechanisms, coaster brakes and handbrakes, to choose its users.
While the coaster braking mechanism is an excellent choice for single-speed cruisers and is easy to uses, the handbrakes ensure more control and stopping power for the riders and are extremely suitable for multi-speed beach cruisers.
Can You Ride a Cruiser Bicycle Uphill?
The most straightforward answer to this question is no. No, you cannot ride uphill.
We have mentioned above that a beach cruiser frame is quite heavyweight, which means that it will be tough to ride this bike uphill, especially if the rider is weak.
Moreover, as this bike mostly comes with single-speed gear, it would be even more challenging to climb uphill with this bicycle.
Is a Cruiser Bicycle Easier to Ride?
Yes, a beach cruiser bike is super easy to ride and is also beginner-friendly. Because of its comfortable seat, wide tires and easy to use drivetrain, it is extremely effortless for even beginners to ride this bike without any difficulty.
Is a Cruiser Bicycle Better if It's Multi-speed?
Whether a multi-speed cruiser is a better option or not depends entirely on your riding style and the road and terrain you want to ride.
If you want to enjoy different speed options for versatile riding yet are looking for comfort and a casual feel, then a multi-speed beach cruiser is a perfect option for you.
Even though multi-speed cruisers are better for speed ridings, they also make for a better transportation form in general.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that a beach cruiser bike is an excellent option for casual riding around the beach, cruising through the neighborhood, and other types of terrains. No matter whether you are a beginner or professional, a cruiser bike will never let your down.
And to help you find the best one, the above article will act as a guide so that you not only know the nitty-gritty of this type of bike but also understand what you should adopt and what to avoid.
