Southern California - From I.E. trying to find beach cruiser

Hi! I'm a fellow from So Cal trying to find a cruiser just for riding around the neighborhood and to just get some fresh air.

I live near Redlands and checking craigslist I found that a seller from Riverside has used/new cruisers. They are a retailer of Micargi bicycles, but I've been checking online and it seems that most people say they are about as good as something from Wal-mart. They look really nice, but for close to $200 I don't want it to break.

Are there any places I can get a nice cruiser for less than $200? I found a place in LA, Chubby's Cruisers, but I see that they also sell Micargis and they do have some I want, but they are no-name bikes, so I guess that's a gamble. I'd be willing to drive an hour or so to LA or to the beach for a bike that I really would like.

I also read that a good place to go is a bike shop, but I have a feeling they'll be really expensive. I just want to ride a few miles here and there.

Any suggestions appreciated :thumb:.

Fresh air in the I.E.?:lol:

You could always try ebay. Just don't purchase it sight unseen and if you have a friend that knows about bikes than take him/her with you before committing to purchase it.

Yeah I may have to reconsider biking outside and do laps around the dining room table. I'm going to go with a 3G from bikes-cheap.com. I have a bike shop nearby that has these.

The brand 3G seem pretty cool. It was started by Gary Silva, who was the former founder and designer of Phat bikes.

In my experience, the weakest point in cruisers are the wheels followed by the cranks. The frames may not be comparable but unless you are really rough on them, they won't break.

What I see mostly is broken spokes. Replacing them will probably run $15 for one or $35 for all. A new wheel costs about $50. These are prices you'd pay at a shop; not doing it yourself.

I tell people to shop craigslist for used Schwinns, Electras, Giants or other major brands. If you can find a macargi, Firmstrong or other of brand cheap enough, it might be a good deal if you budget for a replacement wheel in the future.

Thanks Grumpy Pig :)

Thats some good info. I started looking on Craigslist, and of those major brands you mentioned, I found an Electra that is out of my price range. I found a few Schwinn's, but they were not in good condition. I will set aside some money for a possible repair in the future. And with a new bike, at least I'll have a warranty.

I'll let you know how everything goes.

One other suggestion - stick with a single speed or internal hub gears. All of the multi-speed cruisers with derailleurs that I've seen are junk. The components are generallly low end.

I don't have experience with the older, made in US, Schwinn derailleur models so I can't say this is true for them.

I'm definitely not getting a multi-speed cruiser. I'm just riding around town and have 1 incline (I can just stand up and pedal, no biggie). I'm not a biker or anything, I just want to cruise around.

Also, one reason I'm getting a cruiser is because you don't have to lean over as much as other bicycles, and since I have back problems, I think this will be better for me. I read that bike riding is good for your back, so hopefully that's true.

Some of the cheap cruisers come with a 3 piece crank and 9/16 pedals, these are better.
The ones with 36 spoke wheels or more some have 44, 72, even 144 spokes.
A good place I've heard of was http://www.aztlanbicycle.com/ (file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Team/Favorites/bicycle/Aztlan%20Bicycle%20-%20Low%20rider%20Bicycles.url)
great place for just a cruiser and you can pick up, check out in person.

our store sells a basic single-speed beach cruiser with free shipping for $149 (makaibikes.com (http://www.makaibikes.com))

it's fairly good quality but not on par with cruisers that cost $400+. we're selling affordable bikes not overpriced ones. cruisers should be simple!

if you're on a less-than-$200 budget, please give our cruisers a look. :)

You might try these folks in Riverside.
http://www.thebicyclelounge.com/ It's a bike collective.

I don't know much about them but there have been some postings from them. They might be able to help you find something.