OldCruiser

My Rockhopper Cruiser . Finally got it setup to where I’m comfortable riding it . Love the low gearing this bike has . Hill climbing son of a Gun .

3S1M

NICE!!

Yeah, I might change the gearing on my cruiser to a lower gearing. To deal with the wind and snow and hills better.

But I put different bars on it now!

3S1M

Vaportrail56

A friend of mine bought an abandoned truck from a towing company, this Cannondale was in the bed with a bunch of junk with the front wheel off. He sold it to me for twenty bucks. I put high handle bars, a cruiser seat and some smoother tires on it so I could go riding with my girlfriend and her cruiser.

3S1M

Very nice!!! Those are some pretty high bars man. Nice.

Vaportrail56

Thanks, those handle bars make for a comfortable/cruiser type ride.I had to put new cables on it so they would reach. That was a fun learning experience.

Londonsworld 

Impressive!

3S1M

I'm revamping one now with a bit more upright bars than stock. Not bmx ones but ones that should give a bit more upright ride.

Crossthreaded88

Okay you're on a tight budget so modified usually means expensive. I've done countless mountain to cruiser conversions and they are not cheap. We're talking the need to replace the stem,bars,and 4 cables with housing. Even getting the stuff on sale still is a minimum of $60 4 times the price you paid for the bike. I mean you can cheap out and mickey mouse some of it but cables and housing are not cheap the that has been a deal breaker for many of the projects proposed because people just weren't ready to make that investment. All the bikes you have listed are Walmart sold bikes and are of poor quality and I agree are not worth the investment. The best bikes are the high quality mountain bikes with superior components that make excellent conversions. Coaster brake bikes are cheap and easy to modify because they have no cables. Break levers and shifters require more work and parts so either get used to the idea of riding what you have or get ready to throw down some $$ If you have a bike co-op nearby you may get some parts on the cheap.I charge a minimum of $150 for a mountain conversion but it's a job done right and works the way it should.

3S1M

FWIW, the Schwinn MTB I'm currently working on seems like it has "some" quality to it. I has a mid bottom bracket and the cranks look decent. the rims are allay Araya.... So there's some quality to it. But yeah. Right now I'm debating on if I should buy a new derailleur for it or just turn it into a single speed by picking what gears I want and shortening the chain.

One of the wheels on the derailleur is sluggish and when you pedal backwards the chain binds some. I mean I know you don't need to pedal backwards and it's probably not a big deal but it's annoying. LOL. Plus I would think that gives some resistance when pedaling.....

Vaportrail56

Just to let ya`ll know that when I converted mine over it cost me about $90, for tires, handle bars and cables. I was able to use a seat, bottle holder and handle bar grips I had lying around so I was able to save some money. I found a good deal on the cables at Walmart, you get four cables for $10. I had to buy two packs because the front brakes cable is too short and I messed the back brake shift cable up. I had a good time converting it over, first time so I didn`t know how it would turn out but so far it has been riding pretty good.

3S1M

Well I tried to make it a one gear bike but I am getting some binding. Plus I kind of messed up on how much to take off the chain. Grrrrrrr…… I thought I had it all figured out and then it turns out I made it too short. I have another chain to try. But the thing is, it looks like when you do this you need to pick the gears that align pretty closely otherwise you get chain binding..... In this case I think the ones that line up are the ones I want but I don't know if there is a way to adjust the cranks with spacers if you want it (front chainring) out further or not.....

3S1M

I got it all finished up. I could use a longer chain but it's working as is and I think there's enough bite on it. I got it on the second gear. I think it's like 58 Gear inches. I'd have to double check my notes. My son kept telling me he likes to be more upright and so do I when I feel like riding his. I got a brake set up on the rear and it feels pretty good.

It's not an ideal size bike for me though. I have seat as far back as it will go and I'm pretty sure it's not the right fit technically. My legs feel cramped on it. But then it kind of works my muscles differently than my cruiser so sometimes that's good. LOL.

brdeleo49

If you are cramped up, why not search for a lay back seat post that will position your seat a bit further to the rear. That will also give you a feet forward position, but still upright....

3S1M

Well, it's not technically my bike and he's got no complaints about feeling cramped up. Although he's about the same size as me so he might just not know any different. But I spent 25 bucks on that seat already and money is really tight. I got other bike projects I'd rather do first before putting money into this one. But I do appreciate the suggestion. I'm still learning how to tweak bikes for better fitting so thank you for the thoughts!!!

Do you mean like the old days where there are posts that reach down and attach to the rear axle?

brdeleo49

That's another thought which could work. I was thinking more like this....

brdeleo49

I was thinking more like this....

3S1M

Aaaaah, that could work. I'll ask my son if he feels cramped on it too. Thanks for the tip!!!

3S1M

This is such a cool bike but I gotta ask. I just noticed what you said... Those are 2.8" Tires**********?

SHOFINE

Thanks! I need to measure to make sure. Since my rims are 30mm I would guess the tires are around 2.6 to 2.7".
https://planetcyclery.com/schwalbe-s...rd-tir2521-431

J.Higgins 

Trek Sawyer is definitely on my wish list. I love that frame!

Happy Feet

1984 Diamondback Ridge Runner

capnjonny 

I have been wanting to do a cruiser conversion after seeing some of the beautiful bikes shown here. I wanted to use a nice frame and I found this Bridgestone MB4 in with the other donation bikes and thought it might be a good candidate. I have been building city bikes with 1x drive trains to appeal to the casual commuter and did that here . I used a cut down chain ring for a chain guard up front and a nice aluminum dork disk (I hate that name) in back so no one would be pushing the chain into the spokes. I had the fenders laying around and decided to try and fit them if possible. I made a new attachment at the bottom bracket and cut it down and bobed it at the back to match the frond fender.

The paint was pretty bad but I didn't want to re paint it and loose the decals so I painted just the fork and Chain stays. the rest I cleaned and polished. I also hand painted the missing bits of the decals where possible.
The 1.90 x 26 Schwalbes were just lying around at the bike shop, having been donated , so on they went.
I could have painted the brake levers but didn't as I like the look with the patina on the frame. There is a 6 speed Hyper glide freewheel and Deore derailleur out back with a Shimano index thumb shifter up front making a super simple and efficient set up.

I like the way it turned out. hopefully, one of our customers will like it too.
P.S. Since what I built is essentially a roadster I thought a set of Raleigh pedals would fit right in. I didn't have any mtn. bike pedals on hand and these should work fine. And since they are Raleigh they are guaranteed for 100 years, right?

GeezyRider 

Nice job on the chainguard capnjonny. I like that.

FiftySix

Nice ride, capnjonny!