General Cycling Discussion - Help! Which cruiser to buy? Electra or....

Hi everyone. I am a newbie here and am getting back into the world of bike riding. My fiancee and I are looking to purchase a couple of cruisers and I have narrowed my choices down to the following:

2002 Electra Deluxe: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/658536318.html

New Rover men's NX3 3 speed.

I was wondering if the extra money for the Electra is worth it, especially this particular model. I love the looks of the Electra, and the Nexus hub 7 speed from what I have read is quite an upgrade. Any input is much appreciated!

Electras are a very good value. The components are generally of a higher quality than similarly priced bikes.

BTW, I like that bike a lot. :)

If you want a really sturdy crusier then look at Worksman and get one built
"your way" right down to the paint!

http://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/cruisers.html

I have an 2007 Electra Amsterdam classic. While I liked the styling and wanted a mellow commuter bike, I found it too unreliable as regular transportation -- this might not surprise anyone. Whether or not the repeated popped spokes (once per 100 miles), and general low quality of the wheels is an artifact of the lame attention to detail paid by the LBS I bought it from, or just the proverbial you-get-what-you-pay-for, I cannot say. The LBS did not even true the wheels when I picked up the bike (are wildly out of true wheels to be expected for a new bike purchase, BTW?).

I did have to spend serious money to get a real Dutch bike that I could rely on for transportation because the Taiwanese Electra with the Dutch name just would not cut it.

OTOH, I really like to ride the cruiser and it could be a good value simple with the right LBS. I am therefore putting $900 proper wheels on that $600 bike, simply so that popped spokes occur a bit less than before. I am upgrading it to 8 speeds for my poor knees.

To this Electra owner, the Electra manuals and marketing materials are obviously where far more attention to quality is paid, rather than following up on how LBS sellers slap together their fare and foist it on us newbies ogling the coolness factor. Let the buyer beware.

Thanks guys for your help! I think I am going to get it. I am not using it for a commuter bike--just biking along some paved trails and a few dirt roads on the weekend.