You’ve seen them around town, locked up in front of the deli, rolling around in packs at the park, full of steeze and lacking pretension. And now, you want one too, but hold on. A cruiser bicycle says as much about who you are and your personality as a car, hairstyle, ink or shoes. Look in your wallet first, and figure out what you can afford. Once you know that, let the shopping begin.

Bargain Basement ($99-$199)

While it’s possible to get a decent looking ride for cheap, most cruiser bicycles at this price will hold up only long enough for you to save enough to move up the food chain. Forget baskets, bells, custom touches or gears; at this price you’re looking at a stripped-down version of the big-name brands or rides from off-the-radar manufacturers. The upside is these bicycles offer an affordable foundation for upgrades. But do the math before you buy.

Bikes in this range:

Micargi • XYZ • Schwinn • Greenline • Huffy • Manhattan • America’s/Collegiate Bicycles • Firmstrong • Pacific

Middle of the Road ($200-$599)

This is the deep and wide part of the cruiser continuum where you are sure to find several variations of your ideal bicycle from each manufacturer. These are great quality bikes and you won’t have to be an online casino champion or the owner of google to afford one. You can also purchase one to suit your specific bicycle needs. These bikes can include multiple speeds, sharp graphics, springer forks, headlights, baskets, frame tanks and horns. Paying a little more buys a lot, including better components, quality bottom brackets and overall durability.

Bikes in this range:

Felt • Electra • Schwinn • Sixthreezero • Firmstrong • Phat • Micargi • Kustom Kruiser Nirve • America’s/Collegiate Bicycles

Cream of the Crop ($600 and up)

If you’re shelling out this kind of dough for a cruiser, expect great craftsmanship and a unique ride. Off-the-shelf cruisers will come standard with all the options and a handcrafted touch. Go to a local builder and get exactly what you want, from a single-speed custom stretch with ape-hanger handlebars, or splurge  on a reproduction of a classic Schwinn with seven speeds.

Bikes in this range:

Felt • Electra • Phat • Specialized • Haro

Next issue: How to buy a ‘Classic’ Cruiser without getting screwed.

BUYING A CRUISER BICYCLE

Independent Bike Dealers (IBD)
v. Big Box Retailers

Sure, a Big Box bicycle will usually cost less than a similar version from your neighborhood Independent Bike Dealer. But you have to ask yourself: What does the extra $50 bucks buy?

SALES AND SELECTION

The variety of bicycles at a Big Box store is limited at best. They don’t have the room to stock more than one or two versions of any given bicycle. But more importantly, Big Box employees lack the product knowledge, experience and training to help you choose the right frame size, handlebars and other elements – not to mention proper assembly – that spell the difference between your dream ride and the damned machine. You really do get what you pay for, and sometimes not even that. Your local IBD has a trained and knowledgeable staff that know what they sell, and ensures that your new purchase fits right, is assembled right and offers a selection that includes your ideal ride. Don’t even think about taking your new bike back to the Big Box store to get a seat adjusted or basket installed; that’s something the local store will gladly do, and in most cases, for free or for a nominal fee.

The Bike and Parts

The design, suspension and parts on discount bikes are often limited. Quality and durability don’t come cheap. But so what? Cheap components break or wear out quickly and can cause damage to other related parts; not to mention that fixing a bargain bike could potentially more than eclipse the original savings. For just a little more money, a quality bike will come with longer-lasting, more durable components that, over the long haul, will cost less to maintain and repair.

Service

You wouldn’t think of going back to a Big Box store and asking them to fix the vacuum cleaner you purchased three months ago, or to taking in a pair of pants to have the zipper replaced. A significant part of your IBD’s business is repairing, adjusting and maintaining bicycles, as well as putting on that new seat, basket or set of rims. Big Box stores may sell tools, but don’t expect them to put them to use. Big Boxes are about quantity, not quality. And good service has nothing to do with quantity.

PROS AND CONS

Big Box

• Low prices

• 90-day return policy (at least at Walmart)

• No repair facility

• Untrained staff

• Small selection

Independent/Specialty

• Knowledgeable staff

• Better quality bikes

• Warranty repairs

• Follow-up service

Intangibles

Lastly, but definitely not least, is when was the last time you rode down to your local Big Box to hang out with the folks there, tell cruiser ride stories and talk bicycles? Exactly.

OTHER OPTIONS

The Internet

A great price can get wrecked with shipping charges. Plus, you get an unassembled bike in a box. We get lots of bikes in this condition so we recommend that you be prepared to have the right tools on hand and have at least 45 minutes to an hour for assembly. For many, putting a cruiser together is no big deal. But where do you go if there’s a problem, something is missing or a part doesn’t seem to fit? Good customer service and phone support are key because somewhere along the line, your bike will need some attention. Some Internet retailers offer shipping and assembly at a local bicycle shop, so it’s worth doing your homework. A local shop is an excellent resource for help and advice for the novice do-it-yourselfer.

Sporting goods store

While not as bad as the Big Box “Marts,” we steer clear of retailers who can’t or don’t fix what they sell. Knowing how to field strip a camp stove doesn’t mean they’ll know how to adjust a coaster brake. And if the repair department includes a hot wax machine, that’s a fail.

BOTTOMLINE

Get a bicycle. But be aware that what may seem like a deal, may end up being more of a headache than it’s worth. That being said, if all you can afford is a Huffy at Walmart, get it and ride it. We’re big fans of riding bicycless and having fun.

Riding bicycles has been an integral part of my life ever since getting my first one in 1971. Mom took me to the park where, to my surprise, Dad had a shiny new Schwinn Typhoon with training wheels waiting for me. That bike, pictured above, was the love of my life.

The first cruiser I paid for myself was a bargain variety that lasted one day. If memory serves, my friends and I jumped it into a swimming pool with a ramp we’d built to catapult us into the water. Not surprisingly, we broke the frame in two. Next, I went with a steel frame number that today would be considered ‘vintage’ and have since accumulated an ever-growing collection of cruiser bikes in my garage, much to my wife’s chagrin.

Thirty-seven years later, having again fallen in love with the bicycles of my youth, I have come full circle. Everywhere I go I see bright-colored cruisers parked in bicycle racks. The pure fun they radiate always brings a smile to my face. That’s the beauty of the cruiser culture–it comes with a smile.

So does Kickstand.

This magazine is just a snapshot of the massive amount of fun being had by people riding cruiser bicycles. We wanted to create something that not only chronicles the culture, but provides a way for others to tap into that. So if there’s some cruiser event going on in your town, or you are making custom bikes, or you have a whole collection of cruiser bicycles, we want to hear from you. Share your stories, your antics, your collections; you certainly aren’t alone and we’ll find a place for them here, somewhere.

We’ve created CruiserRide.com to enable cruisers everywhere to connect with each other and share their passion. Mountain bikers and road bikers have their own magazines, Web sites and sporting events. But cruiser bicycles and the people who ride them have have largely been left out, until now. Kickstand is the first step to highlighting the riders, the rides and the fun that’s inherently attached to these classic bicycles. And we’ll be bringing the fun to you this summer with a series of launch parties in cities around the U.S. Stay tuned for details.

Launching this venture is both exciting and nerve-racking. It’s awesome to be able to combine our professional experience with something that we are passionate about and see it all come together. That’s part of the fun, and this first issue is the result of those efforts.

The ride thus far has been exciting, and we’ve only just begun.

By Jacob Harkins/staff photo by Anthony Camera

When most reminisce about their first balloon-tired beauty, they hearken back to childhood memories. Not me, your beloved, well, soon-to-be beloved, Kickstand Magazine editor.

Nope, I’m new to this scene, having cruised through town, roads and bike paths on a steel-framed road bike for the last decade. My younger years were spent on a Redline BMX with striped stem before graduating to a Giant Rincon mountain bike that lasted most of the way through college.

So yes, I am as green as a certain Muppet when it comes to the cruiser bicycle realm. Don’t hold it against me, and don’t fret our expertise. The half-dozen other members of this rag-tag bunch we call the Kickstand Magazine staff have years of cruising experience under their collective belts. We have guys who can McGyver the hell out of any bike, others who know how to orchestrate a massive weekly ride that’s more fun than a carnival, and a few who simply love the relaxed feeling of coasting through town on a bike that catches everybody’s eye.

Count me into the latter of that bunch now. But let’s be honest, you don’t really need years in the seat of a cruiser to understand the culture. It’s pretty straight forward, actually; cruisers like to have fun, ride bicycles as if they are still children, socialize, listen to music, and scoff at those who take themselves too seriously.

That’s what this magazine is all about.

It only took me a few moments speaking with the infectious Brad Evans (our leader) to realize I needed to be involved with this project. Sure, I knew nothing about cruisers, but Brad’s team did. Not to mention, you can’t really say “no” to a 40-something who is willing to wear a seersucker suit, a duct tape outfit or garage-sale-esque attire while riding a bicycle. In public.

So I said “yes” quicker than a cruiser coasting downhill to the neighborhood bar. I’ve now spent the last three months in the seat of one of these classically American two wheelers, first on a Schwinn, touring New Orleans, then a Giant Simple introduced me to my first community cruiser ride. Most recently, I’ve been riding the Trek Cruiser Classic featured in this issue’s Test Ride.

It’s commuted me to work, events, the store, coffee shops and around the neighborhood.

It’s been a helluva ride so far, and I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Because I really have fallen for the look of a stranger giving me a knowing nod as I roll by on one of these stream-lined beauties or the anger in a roadie’s face when I actually pedal faster. It’s only going to get more exciting.