khuon

I find it interesting to read some of the comments here about the riding position... considering that same position is what a lot of hardcore mountain bikers today are using. I guess they're not considered to be real cyclists either?

Moonshot

khuon,

Are you sure the townie is similar geometry to what hardcore mtn bikers are using?

I'm interested in the townie for my wife also. A test ride is inevitable.

My big question is how much more difficult is it to pull a hill on the townie as opposed to a standard double diamond frame bike?

The url for townie has now changed to: https://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/...wnie_home.html

khuon

Granted, most MTBs have a much higher BB and the Townie does have a more forward BB location. The MTBer will still be in a slightly more hunched posture but it's pretty close.

cycletourist

I want to know if the cutie comes with the bike? If so, then $800 is a real bargain :-)

Moonshot

Yeah, Khuon. It is close.

I took the kids down to the school today to practice their riding w/o training wheels. I was thinking that a townie for kids might be a good idea. Dismounting is one of the things my little girl has trouble with.

IowaParamedic

McBengie, Have you considered setting up as a demo vendor on RAGBRAI?

I personally love the idea of a "townie" type bike. I have been searching garage sales and auctions for an old single speed cruiser, but haven't found what I wanted yet.

Human transportation (biking from point A to point B) was a big theme at the LAB National Bike Summit. The "townie" captures that market of the population that could and would take their bike to the store/bank/post office or any other less than .5 mile trip.

No other bike caught my eye as much as the Breezer on the Congressional Bike Ride. I was sold after Joe Breeze when smoking by me and my rental bike.

shecky

Sheldon's report.
https://sheldonbrown.com/lasvegas/200...-nexus8-3.html

asinus

I've seen a few people 'round town on... Townies.

Looks comfotable. I'd hit it.

Dahon.Steve

Folks. This isn't a new geometry but a rather old one that's got a new name. If I'm not correct, Vision recumbents were selling a bike VERY SIMILAR to the Electra Townie but with 700 cc wheels. It was marketed as a upright made by recumbent makers.

I really believe the Townie copied the very same concept and now that Vision is bankrupt, it's good to see someone preserved the idea.

cycletourist

Yes,

Steve is correct. Vision made a bike called the Thouroughbred. I read a review of it in the Rivendell Reader a while back. They also interviewed the inventor who said he wanted the design to be copied because he felt it was a much better design than all the current so-called "comfort" bikes.

a2psyklnut

I worked in a shop that was an Electra dealer. We sold a great many of these to people that wanted a bike for just cruising around the neighborhood and didn't want the complication of multiple gears and a tall position of a comfort bike. I don't know how many "Hawaii" models we sold.

My favorites were the Rat Rod and the Betty. We would sell these in pairs to younger and older couples alike. There was an annual "Hot Rod" show come through town and we loaded a couple Pairs of these and sold them instantly to the Hot Rodders.

I personally like the "Flying Sue" model.

Electra has found a niche market and is doing it very well. Their single speed cruisers were comparable in cost to most other brands and yet you could get everything up to a Nexus hub. The bikes are great cruising bikes and they are what they are. Sure you're not going to ride one during your next training ride, but you also wouldn't want to ride you Ti road bike with Record 10 to the beach.

L8R

randya

The Electra Hawaii, Rat Rod, Betty and Flying Sue are all cruisers with a more traditional geometry than the Townie models, which are new for 2004. I believe that the only Electra cruiser with the Townie geometry is the Rat Fink, photo attached.

I've got an 2002 Electra Commuter 7, with a nexus7 hub and 700mm wheels, which I like very much; it's got the cruiser geometry, but unfortunately has since been discontinued by the company.

I am very interested in test riding a Townie, I'm waiting for my LBS to have one in stock on the showroom floor - they're having trouble keeping up with demand for this model...

leadbutt

I don't care/know if these things ride worth a flip...I really don't think climbing is gonna be an attractive option...but MAN, they look cool...

willysworker

We rode the coast train the 12 miles up to Santa Barabra,Ca. and rode the new bikes back to Carpinetria. We didn't buy them for that kind of riding but all went well. Much nicer than our Mountain Bikes and my wrists and butt weren't hurting. Not recommended for hilly area's but I'd say you should check them out for yourself. Price was $430 each at Harzard's in S.B. We where quoted as low as $409 but it was in Fulerton, Ca. and hours dirve. Good luck and have fun.

jbabbington

I just bought the Townie 21 and overall I like it. It looks really cool - like a human powered Harley Sportster, and it is very comfortable. Not very fast - a) it is a new bike for me and b) the upright sitting position causes a lot of drag.

Out of the bike shop it weighs about 30lbs - I keep it in a garage, so no problem for me, but not suitable for walk up dwellers (it is also difficult to lift because of the oddly shaped top tube).

I love the forward "almost recumbent" BB location - after about 3 miles I felt the glutes complaining about having to help spin the pedals. Well, too bad glutes, it's time to get to work!

Handling is awkward for me - I think I need time to adjust to the longer wheelbase and head tube angle - it seems to oversteer at low speeds - could just be me.

In 2 days I've gotten at least 5 compliments - all of which came from 12 year olds on BMXs. I respect their opinions the most!

Like: Looks, forward BB location, not having to leave the saddle to stop (takes getting used to). Frame quality is excellent, components are (bike shop)entry level, but better than department store.

Dont Like: Slow, shape of top tube.

If I could redesign it - Straighten out the top tube; shorten the head tube; raise the seat stays.

RacerX

I have a Electra StreetRod 7. It has a great paintjob and Nexus 7 internal hub which rocks. In fact, Electras are great bikes with lots of style.

The only downside is that they are heavy as hell but that's the nature of these kinds of bikes. Perfect for around the neighborhood.
They aren't a ton of money either so it's a cheap way to get a stylin cruiser.

I give them props for taking over where Dyno left off--but keeping their own style.

randya

My one complaint about the quality of my Electra Commuter 7 is the traditional style original equipment bottom bracket kept loosening up - even after I liberally applied blue loctite to the cup threads. I finally had to change it out to a better quality sealed cartridge model, and I haven't had any further problems.

South_Coast

Based on what I've read on the forum, and what Willysworker had to say, I bought a Townie 24 on Friday after an extensive try-out and have no complaints. I am no Lance Armstrong but I like to bike recreationally. The Townie fits my bill, as an aging Baby Boomer, just fine. The Santa Maria Valley in CA is a great place to ride due to a lack of cars on the back roads.

sukispop

Hi Willysworker,

I've been looking at both the Electra Townie and the Rans Fusion(a recumbent hybrid); both share some similar design aspects. I live in Northern Calif., about an hour from San Francisco. May I ask you what bike shop and in what city you and your wife were shopping at for the Townie? The few bike shops in my general area that sell the Townie are asking for full retail on all models. I'd be interested in checking out the store that you visited since they seem to be offering a discount on their Townies. Please feel free to email or pm me, if forum policy does not allow making public this kind of information.

And I would love to hear how the Townies have been working out for you and your wife...thanks! Take care....

lobo

These bikes look really cool. I'd buy one if I could get an ultra low weight Townie (20 lbs or less) with an S-RAM 7 instead of the Shimano Nexus I'd be at a dealer lickety split.

sukispop

Hi lobo,

I agree with you--one of my reservations with the Townie is its weight. A local dealer in my area said that most of the Townies weigh around 30 lbs, and the Townie 8 with the Nexus 8 speed internal hub(because the sealed hub is heavy) weighs a little more than 30 lbs. I'm curious, though--you mentioned in your post that if the Townie had the Sram 7 hub instead of the Shimano Nexus hub, you would be at picking one up at your dealer "lickety split"--is the Sram 7 spd internal hub better than the Shimano Nexus hub? Thanks!

jartzorro

Ladies and Gents,
Well I have purchased a Townie 21 after a long and hard search in Michigan. I have ridden a cruiser back and forth to work for a while and the townie beats the standerd model cruiser by a bunch in both looks and ride. I would highly recommend the bike not only for the two aforementioned traits but also for the fact that you are sitting upright like a bent and you can see a lot better around you making it much safer.
Carry on,
Zorro

lobo

Actually it was just recently that I test rode the Nexus 8. If it were a 7 speed internal hub I'd go for the SRAM-7. However the Nexus 8 is much better than the Nexus 7. The gears are much wider and it seems smoother. However, there is even a better Nexus 8 called the 'Premium' model. So far Breezer is the only company in North America to use it in their bikes. It's supposed to be about a pound lighter and be more 'durable.' Kind of saying the base Nexus 8 is just 'ok.'

Poppaspoke

One of the least attractive features of the sport of cycling is elitism, characterized by the old "not a real bicycle, not a real cyclist" attitude. Makes me want to give it up and take up bowling.

RacerX

Reality check: XC mountain bikes don't even weigh 20lbs and 23-25lbs is considered light for the $2000 you are spending. How do you expect a steel, sub-$400 bike to weigh under 20lbs?? That's lighter than alot of road bikes!

If weight is an issue, than this is the entirely wrong kind of bike class for you. A NEXUS hub, steel tig frame, durable big tires, seat and cromo handlebars and a good price. And you are going to complain about weight?