I guess that, if they stay there year-round, they're "beach cruisers", same as you have a "beach house" that stays there year round. Assuming you drive out to the cottage, though, you wouldn't call your vehicle a "beach car", would you? =D I still cringe whenever I hear someone refer to a "beach cruiser", unless they're describing a bike they rented while vacationing at the shore or something.

Yeah, the SA hubs with coaster or drum brakes take up more real-estate, as far as OLD goes. The "freewheeling" brakeless ones are able to be spaced down much more narrower, but I never realized that the srf5 could get down to a lean 111mm OLD! That's impressively narrow, and opens up a lot of possibilities.... Thanks for the info.

We never had a "beach car", but I have some friends that do, typically an older 4x4 that is pretty rusted out, they keep them at the coast to use to drive out to the best spots for surf fishing. About the closest I ever came to that was the "dog car", we had an older Honda station wagon that we kept around to haul the dogs in, they weren't allowed in the newer car the family rode in. ;)

Aaron :)

We used to have a beach car that doubled as a dog car. Or truck. An '86 Toyota pickup with manual everything, a rusted out windshield pillar and rusted out tailgate.

Ahahahaha, I hear you, love my rusty (I prefer patina) wobbly wheels, freaks out the road bike guys. They often tell me my rear wheel is wobbling, I say thank you, I know, been like that for 4,000 miles!

I would say go for gears simply because it is fun to shift. I love pedaling fast and then shifting down and feeling the resistance return and then speeding up as I push the pedaling speed back up again.

Geared cruiser = hybrid. ;)

I think coaster brakes are excellent for some conditions and very poor for others. On a children's bike for example they are superb. They're very simple to use and kids often have hands that are too small and weak to effectively use hand brakes. Likewise, on flat ground and at low speeds I think they are adequate for stopping and they are undeniably the lowest maintenance brake there is. If you just want a very simple bike that requires very little maintenance and always works, then the coaster brake is a no brainer.

Where I live though, we have serious hills and I wouldn't want to trust a bike with only a coaster brake to stop me on a 1/2 mile long 10% grade hill. I think one other thing to consider about coaster brakes is the person using them. A 200+ lb. adult will put way more stress on the brake than a 60 lb. kid.

We use Fat bikes On the beach itself around here ..

a Haiku if you will ..

Locals hit the beach
Low-tide, Razor Clam Season
Gear hauling Fat bikes

Down the beach they roll
Fat bikers daily stalking
The tasty bivalve

Hence why I am seriously considering paying a deposit down on a new felt fatty, either the float or el nino, I have 4 bikes of varying styles, a fast 20 inch folder I just bought an old 50 yr old Moulton which is lovely, fast and comfy that's my winter resto, a Raleigh shopper I bought just to do up and sell on and of course my electra, since I fitted my brooks saddle and added some bling wihitewalls, I just cant keep off it, I use it to go to work more than my new bike, I pleasure ride 20 to 30 miles often and give my gf my new bike to ride, since I saw the new felt range I think its perfect, something different that I can customise that has not been done to death already, if I want I can add more gears or an electric motor in the hub like I could with any other bike but it all boiled down to comfort and pose value for me, my cruiser is by far the best that fits that criteria by a mile but I shall keep the moulton for a while also its just sooo nice to ride even if it has tiny 16 inch wheels.

To me a hybrid typically has 700c wheels and is little more than a flat bar road bike.

Aaron :)

Felt (and others) are making bikes with 700c wheels and calling them "cruisers".

Marketing ploy...

Aaron :)

I'm absolutely astonished.... you've finally embraced the haiku inherent in all of your posts. Bravo. You've been on a roll lately!

Defining "cruiser" is pretty hard to do, as the term is fairly ambiguous by nature, and they way ppl choose to "cruise" varies a lot along our collective timeline, as well as by geographic location and riding conditions. Upthread, Jhn Hood mentioned that coaster-only bikes wouldn't suit his terrain, as it's quite hilly. I thoroughly believe him. I live on the coastal plains, so coaster-only works fine for me, although I like to run a front brake, too, for panic stops and for the extremely unlikely event that my chain brakes....

(Although, true story, last week i finally killed my first Velosteel.... I already replaced the guts and it's perfect now, but had it failed under "panic" situations and I didn't have a second brake, that could've been disastrous. As it was, it was just mildly irritating.)

The point is, although the term "beach cruiser" horrifies me when it's misapplied, I'm willing to accept the highly generalized term "cruiser" for almost any bike that one uses for cruising. I've found that the Phila craigslist sellers have a newfound tendency to refer to almost any step-thru as a "cruiser", as well as various lightweights with upright bars..... and that bothers me, b/c it messes my searches up. I think sellers have a duty to be pretty concise in their ads, but i don't blink twice if someone refers to their Brit 3speed or a "ladies" step-thru as a cruiser. I don't even mind if someone puts a fat saddle and some swept-back bars on a retired mtb and calls it a "cruiser"....that's good enough for me, so long as they're cruisin' it.

Derailers on cruisers doesn't feel right to me, but it doesn't preclude the bike from being a cruiser. It just makes me uncomfortable. =D

As far as the 29er cruisers--- they are certainly cruisers.....what else could you possibly classify a Felt Burner or a SE Big Style as? They aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they definitely fit the "Cruiser" bill.....

FYI: There's sure to be a 29r Worksman INB in my future. It simply MUST happen.....Well, a Worksman or some other industrial bike. Been eyeing up my Trailmate for 29er duty, but I'd have to change the fork...