ryansupak

Hi,

(Not sure if it's quite the right forum for this, if not I apologize. The BMX subforum specifies 20" so this doesn't apply there.)

Is anybody around here riding a BMX cruiser as a primary "getting around" bike? I'm sure that if I had to ride 20+ miles a day to be at an office by 8AM, it would be no fun, but for getting around the inner city it works great. (That being said, I ride it 20 miles per day all the time, and feel fine.)

I prefer them to fixed-gear track bikes, perhaps, because of my skateboarding background: I like to be "standing" while travelling and I like to coast.

I also like the smaller size/better maneuverability, and that I can push it around like a scooter very easily. To me this is worth having to pedal a little harder to go a little slower.

Honestly I'd say my reasons are similar to what a fixed enthusiast would cite: I feel most intimately connected to this kind of bike, and it's very simple to operate.

Currently I ride a "Shadow Conspiracy x Invisible Man", as sadly my Floval Flyer was stolen (lifted over the top of a Bus Stop sign). I've got the tires inflated as much as possible. It may see an upgrade to grips and cranks in the near future.

Interested in any responses,
rs

scott77

i rode a 20" for 9 months here until finally giving in and recently getting a bike more suited for cruising around on

Gurgus

You mean like this? I don't really use it to get around primarily. It's more for group rides and critical mass and stuff like that. The rear wheel is a 20 inch Hookworm, the front is 26 inch Hookworm and its got a freewheel and front brake only. People seem to enjoy it. The seat is brown courderoy taken from an old pair of pants that no longer fit.

The fram I bought for five bucks, it originally didn't have a tank or the springer fork. The bike is powdercoated gloss black and looks much better in person than it looks in the photo.

This is my "cruising around" bike.

bonechilling

I used to ride my old Torker 280 into work sometimes,
about six or so miles. It's just fun to ride, so when the
weather was nice and I had some extra time to get to
work, I would hop on.

Tully

I don't have one now, but sometime I will buy this:



26"

TheBrick

No but I would like one, but I live about 12 mile from the center of the city center. What I would really like is an inspector gadget type bike. One that is a fixed gear most of the time to get me to town and around town but then when I see a nice ledge or bank switched into a 20" or 24" bmx for me to bust some moves, then you wisper the magic word and it returns to back to the stelthy fixed gear!

ryansupak

I am actually considering converting my "Shadow x Invisible" 24-inch to Fixed, but that could well be a profoundly stupid idea.

It would make it easier/funner to start/stop quickly at intersections (I live in the middle of a big city), but pedal strike might start setting in -- as well as other ergonomics issues I haven't foreseen.

I need a bike that I can pedal with only the force of my mind. That would solve the problem.

rs

k3nho

i used to, but after building up and riding my first conversion with a pretty big road frame, the 24" cruiser just felt too cramped for me, so i sold it. i'd love to pick up a 26" cruiser though. bunny hops were a breeze!

it was a robinson frame, profile chainring, torker cranks, s&m bars, sun rims/gt mohawk hubs:

-=(8)=-

A 'big' 24" .......

www.firemansbikes.com

kjohnnytarr

I am. It does make a great downtown bike. Every now and again I need to make a longer trip though, and my knees do kill me. But yeah, definetly fun. Friends of mine ride cyclocross and mtb, and I can keep up with effort. I have quite a large sprocket, which helps. It's in the sig.

sniks

I use to ride a 24 and still do sometimes then my wife bought me an new OM flyer which I like alot
but it wasn't until I got in to track bike that I really started riding every day.
and can't seem to find time for the bmx so much
but much to alot of peoples dismay on this forum I ride my track bike like a bmx.
and love it maybe you should give it another shot. get some rises and a tight geometory and it fun as hell.
but I would kick a kitten in the head for a original OM flyer.

sniks

yea I love that thing too, I have some major lust for that bike as well

DoshKel

Nice chainring .

popdelusions

Nice...Mongoose Kos Cruiser redux. I rode with the Kosmala brothers, in the...er...70s, and distinctly remember those guys going over to 24" and 26" rigs; VERY early cruiser-class experiments.

subsistbmx@hotm

oh man that thing is HUGE!

Ophidian

I still ride my cruiser a few times a year. I quit racing 11 years ago now and I just can part with my 24"

blickblocks

I still don't understand how you can ride those things with the saddles so low.

Ophidian

you just don't sit down

ryansupak

Yep, I end up sitting on the seat about 10 seconds per every hour I ride.

rs

blickblocks

I'm still confused...why would you not want to sit?

cc700

with a freewheel, you can just stand on the pegs and with big bars you aren't even that hunched over.

gives you better visability and it's pretty easy on everything but the knees.

some will say it's more comfortable to sit- and sure. and they'll also say when you're biking you should be excercising, a la spinning or going fast... but i really see both of those points as two way streets.

Natron

When I was originally looking for a replacement for my Hoffman Condor BMX, I originally started looking at 24" cruisers. That led to me looking at single-speed 26" mountain bikes and deciding I'd replace the knobby offroad tires with more street friendly tires with lower rolling resistance. Once I got to that point, I wondered why I was looking at tires for mountain bikes that'd work best for road riding instead of simply looking for road bikes with road tires instead. Suddenly, I had a geared and fixed gear road bike in my apartment and am really glad I didn't choose otherwise..

Your miles may vary.

DoshKel

I pretty much only sit on mine when I am coasting down a hill.

Plus, standing is better for me since I am brakeless.

bipolar

I'd really like to get one of these for an everyday bike. Could someone recommend something in the 300-600 dollar price range?

kjohnnytarr

What I ride: Diamondback Viper. Cheaper than the hardcore BMX bikes, simpler too, and pretty much made to be (and respected as) a neighborhood utility bike.