Looking for the perfect cruiser
 

I'm no bicycle genius but I love going on bike rides! I live in a suburban type area with short hills and side walks and biking keeps me occupied on a good day. This holiday I wanted to get myself a new bike. I currently ride some cheap BMX I got from target and it's starting to get small and real old. I love the looks and style of a beach cruiser, it's handle placement, and The seat of a cruiser is awesome. I want it to be as light as possible (to deal with those hills.) my old BMX doesn't have gears. with this cruiser some new gears would be great. my brothers bike is a size 26 x 2.125 tire and I find it fits me perfectly anything around that is good. color doesn't matter that much but a light blue or yellow would be awesome. Ive been researching these types of bikes on YouTube and I can't ever seem to find exactly what I'm looking for. Any thoughts?

What's your price range?
Take a look at bikesdirect.com.

I'd say my price range is probably anything under $200 USD

That may be difficult for a lightweight cruiser with gears. My Mango (I bought it used) qualifies but it's $349 on bikesdirect. Big box bikes at Academy, Target, etc. will be in your price range but aren't usually lightweight.
You might try looking for a used cruiser.

Send me a link to your current bike I'll see if the 350s worth it

Save up to 60% Off Cruiser Bikes - Beach bike, Town and City Cruiser Bikes Womens Cruisers | Beach Cruiser Bicycles from bikesdirect.com

The Key Largo is sold out.

Just an FYI. There are many sub $200.00 cruisers available, but not many with gears. You'll find bikes like that mostly at box stores. $200.00 is going to get you a very low end bike. That may or may not be a problem for you. Only you will know that.

Coming from many years experience with mountain biking, cheap and light dont go together. May want to start with a basic bike in your price range and upgrade it as time/money allows. One good thing about cruisers, there are quite a few basic upgrades which can really save weight, with tires being one of the most effective in terms of cost to weight savings. Usually most stock cruiser components are quite heavy, so simple changes like handlebars and seats can save quite some weight without breaking the bank.

One thing I found out recently, cruiser bikes with gears tend to lean more to speed vs hill climbing. Was surprised with a recent 7 speed purchase in that I would consider only 3 of the gears usable. Wound up doing some gearing changes to get a bike better suited to climbing moderate hills, see the post "Gearing for 7 speed questions" for more info.

hope this info helps.

Aluminum frames will be lighter than steel ones. I'm not sure about the budget, though. A heavier cruiser will be more fun on the down side of those hills.

Over the weekend I've been doing a ton of research and this is what I've got. it looks cruiser-ish, it's lightweight (aluminum), its 7 speed, and it doesn't break the bank. You think it would be reliable? It's the Columbia Streamliner7 (I can't post urls)

Does it meet your $200 limit? The only way I would buy any bike is by riding it first. If it isn't a good fit you will never be happy with it and it will become a money pit as you try to make it feel/ride better. Just because it is adveritised and has many people saying it is a good bike doesn't mean it will be for you. Back in the 1970s Motor Trend magazine had the Chevrolet Vega as its car of the year and it was almost the biggest piece of automotive junk ever built. Engines didn't last 10,000 miles, the bodies came from the factory with bodies starting to rust from water based paint and on and on. Of course Chevy did spend a ton of money advertising with Motor Trend. Buy something that you like not what I or anyone else here likes. To find it may require you to get off the computer and do some shopping. Roger

I don't think much of Columbias, but it could be a good bike for your needs. Go test ride it and see if it is really lightweight (I doubt it) and if the gears are set for climbing.
Also make sure it's the right size for you - that's my issue with cheap bikes of any sort. They come in one size, usually medium, and aren't made for big guys like me.

keep an eye out on your local craigslist and whatever other used sourses might be around. as long as you know what you're looking at/for, it could be your best bet.

Take it for a test ride before buying it to make sure you like it and that it fits.

Walmart bikes almost always need a thorough going over by a competent mechanic to make sure that everything was assemble properly. This is important for a number of reasons. Safety, first and foremost. Also because an improperly assembled and adjusted bike will experience rapid premature wear and damage. If you aren't knowledgeable/skilled, or have the tools, it's a good idea to budget a few extra dollars for a trip to a good bike shop before using the bike.

Good luck.

[MENTION=473287]JackSokool[/MENTION]

Craigslist is typically flooded with cruisers from anywhere $50 to $250. Lots of nice ones around $100 around here, and we are definitely NOT an area for cruisers, hehe. Get one. Ride it. Wear some sunglasses. Be cool.

https://assets.ray-ban.com/is/image/..._shad_qt?$594$

Okay here's my 2 cents! As some have already said cheap and light are not two words that go together when it comes to bikes. The things you like about your BMX would be the same on a coaster brake (single speed) cruiser. A geared cruiser just makes a heavy bike heavier don't get me wrong I own more geared cruisers than I'd like to admit but I live near the beach and a fairly flat bike path.

May I suggest an alternative? Lightweight, high quality, 21 speed mountain bikes are usually available around $100 especially older ones. If it has crap tires all the better just look for a motivated seller. A local bike shop can put street tires on it for you and you can change out the flat mountain bar for cruiser bars and mountain seat for a cruiser seat easy enough without breaking the bank. One thing is replacing the brake and gear cables because the new bars would increase the distance they run, a nice guy mechanic can save you a bunch by reusing the rear brake and gear cables for the fronts. You would still need to buy 2 new cables and 4 lengths of cable housing. Still with the right choices you could come in right around $200 for a bike ready to eat up some hills in comfort.

This is the closest I can find to your price range.

https://westridgeoutdoors.com/collec...=1914614317086

Idea
 

Find yourself any old cruiser +/- $50. Add decent seat +/- $50. Replace stock with 20 to 22 tooth sprocket to rear wheel +/- $6. New tires, $20-50. Extra long seatpost to get your derriere up where it needs to be +/- $10. Do overhaul yourself, patch your tubes, +/- time. Ride. Took a 1950's Columbia built Goodyear, did all that, And added a rack, panniers, lights and a cup holder. Trial ride was 34 miles. Fun ride with those panniers full was 32 miles. Rode just east of the flint hills of Kansas. I'm 47, and fat. If I can do that, You can do that. Keep it simple and just have fun. Let me know if you need more help.

Electra Townie 7D
 

Best cruiser I have ever owned is an Electra Townie 7D - it's lightweight, had 7 gears to get you where you need to go, and has flat foot technology which is perfect for a cruiser and feels awesome on the knees. They come in a variety of colors. Check it out on www.electrabicycles.com they are worth every penny!

There are a lot of 26x2.125 out there. I would recommend getting a regular cruiser and then add a conversion if you really want an ebike. It will save you hundreds of $$$. A nice 3 or 7 speed aluminum cruiser will run less than $300. The conversion kits are anywhere from $200-$600 depending on where you go. Lots of websites out their to help you customize your cruiser when/if you're ready.

Electric???
 

Who said anything about "electric". What I recommended was an ELECTRA brand Townie 7d - electra is a brand owned by Trek. The bike is not electric....do some reading up on that brand - they are awesome.

LOL. This made me laugh.
Let's not forget the big difference between the 2: An Electra is cool. An Ebike is ... definitely not cool.

😂🤣😂🤷*♀️I get so sick of being corrected about my bike anytime I say Electra...know it all wanna be's start talking about electric bikes....know what you're talking about before you spout out some non-sense is all I'm saying! 🤦*♀️🙄