Beach cruisers with huge tires look cool and all but big fatty beach tires are very difficult to peddle. Every time you turn or move the steering wheel they bump your knees and trip you up. Moderate cruiser tires work just as well except maybe in soft sand and they don't scuff or rub when you turn. Not on the beach but my Electra townie is a great bike, 21 speed, Shimano all the way around. Super soft seat and comes in tall and if your 6'-3" plus you need a big bike.
I don't currently own one, but I have in the past and I've built a couple. What are you wanting to use one for, are you looking for a single speed, and what was the bad experience you had with the Schwinn?
I can't speak for Mr. Omaney but my Schwinn went to the seawall once and didn't make it to the actual beach. It was washed down when I got home but still managed to rust badly over the next month. They are not bad bikes and maybe mine was not properly painted or needed oiling afterward.
The Electra is my front runner so far. I'm looking at either a single or three speed. It's just going to be on bike paths and such. I want a cruiser for the posture and ease of control. I have absolutely nothing against a Schwinn. I owned one as a child and wore it to a nub. A "Walmart Schwinn" is a different animal altogether IMO. Cheap carp.
a 3 speed electra is like a 12 speed schwinn...IMO a electra is the cadillac of bikes...I think having a multi speed is a must if you plan on doing long rides with any type of incline/decline at all...if its ONLY flat ground you would be just fine with a single speed....also another option that I have done is buy a bike that has a good/comfy frame and convert the bars and seat to more of a cruiser style...also, there are some very nice hybrids out there
If your dried it after washing it down and stored it indoors it shouldn't have rusted. Not speaking to your situation directly, but adults with bikes tend to treat them as poorly as they did when they were children. Washing them with water, leaving them outside in mud and dirt, etc. Really, you want to treat a bike the same way you do a firearm. Clean it, wipe it down, store it in a safe place indoors. Just get the Electra. Honestly, there's no real difference between a $500+ cruiser and a $99 cruiser aside from the skill level of the person assembling it. Oh, and the seat. The guys at your local bike shop will die to uphold the great bike lie, but 90% of the bike frames and wheelsets come out of the exact same 3 factories in China. If you buy from an actual bike shop the Electra will be built by a bike mechanic, if you buy it from Walmart it will be assembled by a 16 year old kid who was just told he has to assemble 13 of them before he can go home. If you're not afraid of tools I'd actually suggest you order a $99 cruiser from Walmart, assemble it yourself, grease and repack the wheel hubs and bottom bracket (like 20 minutes) and pick a new seat. But, just get the Electra.
Shop around and inspect the Walmart bike and the same bike at a shop. Double check what rims are on each and then check the frame welds. welds should look like a neat row of dimes if not smaller and without gaps or " holidays ". Check for double wall rims and what gauge spokes are on them. Just some pointers to run by the two to see if there is truly a difference other than the age or skill of the assembler. Get facts before opinions when spending money.
So, what I'm hearing is that I'm just as well off with a mail order Micargi? That's assuming my skillset with tools/mechanics is in the "handy" range? I'm all about saving a buck. That said, I am also a believer in the adage, "You get what you pay for". I actually rock a socket set so I'm not frightened by some tinkering but, I also don't want a bike that keeps me in the garage fixing something every month either. I am curious to hear more of this Great Bike Lie? Not being contentious, it is knowledge I seek.
Holidays? I'm guessing porosity or slag inclusions. I agree about the welds (naturally, because it's how I make my living). Good welds on a modern bike frame should look like this: On the old bikes, a nice thick lumpy bead was the normal thing, and still a good weld. The bikes at Walmart are all flash, with no substance, and the welds on those look very poor. It's been my experience that the more money in a frame and forks, the better the bike. As for all the other gee gaws like chains, shifters, pedals, etc. The value per $ is incremental.
Holidays are little holes that form .pushing the puddle too slow or fast. I've heard the reference at a welding shop that put in my roll cage on my rally car haha. I have very little welding expirience but read that it means little holes formed by an inexpirienced welder. "If the object were to hold water, the weld would have a pin hole leak" was the example given to me. Maybe it was slang specific to that shop...
This is a good example of what I'm talking about with the simpleness of beach cruisers. There is a real difference between a Trek 21 speed mountain bike and a Mongoose 21 speed mountain bike from Walmart. There are a lot of components, brakes, brake levers, shifters derailleurs, etc. involved and you are paying the extra $500 for quality there. A single speed beach cruiser has none of that to drive the price up. @Omaney , If you were to buy an inexpensive single speed cruiser, aside from assembling it you'd want to grease the wheel hubs and bottom bracket with marine grease. Check out this video for an idea of it. If that seems totally unappealing to you, skip it and buy the Electra. I'm a firm believer in the mental component of anything and piece of mind for me is very important.
Yes, I have a 35 year old Schwinn Cruiser that is still functioning strong and before that I had a 20" Schwinn stingray.
Schwinn sucks now. The company went bankrupt and the name was sold. Last I checked, cannondale sports group actually made the bike shop versions but the ones you see at walmart are total pieces of junk with a schwinn decal slapped on them. Pacific cycles owns rights to the name and makes cheap junk. The same company makes huffy, ozone, and other mass merchant brands. I've been doing this for years. Trust me, get a real bike from an actual bike shop. Giant makes a line of cruisers called "simple". They have single speed versions with coaster brake, 3 speed internal with coaster brake, and even a 7 speed external with hand brakes. The single speed comes without fenders. The 3 speed comes with painted fenders and rear rack. I'm not sure about the 7 speed version as we don't carry them. Personally, I would find a vintage 1970's or 1980's cruiser and get it in running shape. Those were sweet.
I bought the Electra. A little less than $250 out the door for a Cruiser 1 Tall. Should be here by the weekend.
