Originally Posted by
ReubenH216
I have a chance to buy two used men's 26" single speed cruisers one being a Trek Classic ($180) and the other a Elektra Ratrod ($220). Both have normal wear and tear but the Ratrod has rust everywhere where the Trek has no rust.
Both bikes ride about the same with the Ratrod edging out the Trek for comfort but not by much.
The problem for me is I really want a 3 speed for when the family and I decide to venture further outside our comfort zone and leave the flat top surface and start riding in more areas with hills and the like.
So being on a budget and not wanting to spend my hard earned money on big box store bikes I was wondering a few things. 1) the cost involved in converting one of these bikes into a 3 speed, 2) what will be needed in parts to do a conversion.
Any information and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks for your time.
Reuben
Prices seem a little high for a rust bucket. Older Electra's are better than the current manufacture. SquidPuppet brings up a good point though about using a cruiser for hill climbing unless you talking about minor inclines then a 3 speed Shimano internal hub could be a good fix and has a coaster brake built in. The problem is they are not cheap and usually it's just better to start with one that already has it than to modify a single. The way I remember it they are interchangeable and mounting the shifter and routing the cable are the only problems. I have one of each right here so I guess I should get out my gauge find out for sure. I own two of these bikes an Electra and a Schwinn and both are among my favorites. On Ebay a complete rear wheel and shifter is @ $150 ($115 + shipping) so finding one in the $200 range and restoring it sounds like a better idea.
After measuring both there is a 1cm difference between a coaster and Shimano 3 speed hub sorry SP