Beach Cruiser Front Brake...
 

It would be a good idea to put a front brake on my cruiser since I do a lot of downhill riding and my coaster brake has little stopping power in that situation. I gotta ask though, what kind of brake do I use, where can I get it cheap and how do I work the cables? Any online resources would be helpful.

The best option would be to replace the fork with one with cantilever studs, and install a good set of direct-pull cantilever brakes on it. However, you can put a caliper brake on the current fork, but high quality caliper brakes for large MTB/crusier bikes aren't easy to find. Then there is the drum brake option, but that can be expensive.

go to your LBS and they should help you out with a brake caliper you need . the chances are they will find you a use one they have sitting around , that will work for you .

A cheap caliper brakeset should run about $15 with a lever, cable, housing and the brake.

If you can, I would search the bay for a shimano 105 caliper, I've always had good experiences with them. If your fork is drilled you can probably just bolt it on tight and toss a lever on the handlebars and adjust up caliper and be golden.

Just be sure there is a braking surface on the rim.

I also have had concerns of that sort, and did exactly that a few weeks ago -- ask my LBS for some advice.

Changing the fork was not in the cards yet for me, but they sure had some suggestions. I am waiting for other parts before mounting the basic front caliper brake on my coaster-brake-only cruiser, but those other parts include a wheelset that will at least give me a roller brake in the rear (almost went with roller brake in front, but chose a dynamo hub there).

A 105 caliper has about .004% chance of fitting on a beach cruiser.

Go with the cheap sidepull and lever that wordbiker suggested.

If no caliper fits, or if you want MUCH better braking, consider the Sturmey X-FD drum brake.

The hub runs about $40 from www.aebike.com

Those stamped steel calipers are nearly useless. Use a decent BMX caliper at least. Like a Dia-Compe Bulldog.

Go to your local thrift store and check out what they have. Should be some donor bike with what you need. Be sure to measure the reach from the mounting hole to the rim.

To add to curbtender, look for a rigid fork MTB that will fit, with the canti studs and brake.