Originally Posted by surreal

Amazing.

-not smoking anything.
-I never saw the "where's the cruiser forum" thread, but it wouldn't surprise me, if it was in a non-cruiser forum, if it didn't get much traffic. TBH, I don't expect a cruiser forum on BF to ever get huge, but the term "beach cruiser" is poisonous.
-I'll ask Tom about it once we get a feeling for how most folks feel.
-"Mountain bike" is probably the most widely-used term for the pure offroad bikes, but they've been called other things (atb, trail bike...before "trail bike" took on a more specialized meaning). More importantly, "mountain bike" is not typically used as a derisive term (except for maybe on the cv forum). When I'm cruising, appreciative folks say things like "nice bike" or "i like your cruiser", while hecklers tend to refer to it as a "beach cruiser". As in, "ew, you're riding a beach cruiser." Not that I'm worried about how ppl judge my bike, but that's how the terms tend to be used.
- You mentioned the CV Forum. The fact is, the CV tribe despises cruisers. That forum needs a name-change more than this one does.
It should be called "Mid-to-high-end roadbikes from 1960-1987 and the weird rules we've applied to the accessories thereof", but of course that won't fly. Sad fact is, at least on BF, the terms "classic and vintage" have taken on a new, narrow meaning. In the CV world, a balloon bike from 1952 is neither classic nor vintage; it's a "beach cruiser".
- You don't know much about cruisers and cruiser culture if you think that weight, tire/wheel size, and ergos are universal on cruisers. Sure, they're mostly heavy, but a lot of folks are building cruisers that weigh half of what a beach rental does. Some folks (myself included) have built cruisers that are twice the weight of a beach rental. I've seen cruisers with 24x3" wheels out back, with 27" road wheels up front. I've seen cruisers with narrow tires front and rear. I've seen cruisers with high seats,low seats, banana seats, and every kind of handlebar ranging from apes, bmx bars, flat bars, and even drop bars. A lot of flipped northside bars on "boardtrack" builds, too.

Cruisers are pretty diverse. Beach cruisers, maybe not. Anyone who has been by a beachfront bike rental outfit already has seen all there is to see of the "beach cruiser", but cruisers run much deeper than that. Why would I, or anyone else, click on a forum called "beach cruisers" more than once? It'd only make sense if it were misnamed.

Respectfully,
Rob

PS- ppl were riding these styles of bikes on the streets and sidewalks for decades before the term "beach cruiser" was coined.