Sorry for the bad pic. But I want a bike like this one. Single speed, coaster brake but more upright than a beach cruiser, not swept back handlebars. I'd buy this one but it's too small. This one is perfect. How do I recreate this?

E Bay will have many. Roger

Hate ebay. Long history with eBay. I was looking more for suggestions on a frame and handlebars and components and price less than $200

Thrift store, garage sales, CL.

Brands to look for: Murray, Huffy, Ted Williams, Free Spirit, etc

Pay no more than $40 USD. And it better be in good shape for $40

Yes I agree. I'd go as high as $80 if it were in really good shape. I'd just buy a Walmart beach cruiser but I want to be more upright and still like to stand on the pedals. Plus I briefly had a Raleigh that had handlebars like those pictures and I was amazed how comfortable that position is for your hands. Flat bars are really overrated.

those handle bars look identical to the handle bars I pulled from a Schwinn step threw cruiser.

they are comfy If remember correctly they sit a little lower than the other style that sweep back. So that may be an advantage for those with longer arms. My guestimate



I mounted those bars upside down onto a Schwinn chromo road bike that I geared to a 52x11 *for no other reason as to humor myself* it was my fastest bike

Ok not sure how that answers my original question but....

you still feel like your question
has not been answered?

It's a roadster. Should be easy to find, they aren't that desirable. I think the schwinn collegiate is another one.

From the first post: "I'd buy this one but it's too small."

That style of bike came in only one size. There were some exceptions, such as Raleighs and other brands built in England, but you likely won't see any different sizes among the roadsters built in the U.S. by Murray, Huffy, AMF, etc.

Sizing and fitting of bikes is important for drop-bar racing-style bikes but much less so for bikes that put you in an upright riding position. Buy one of those one-size bikes and simply raise the saddle to the appropriate height. If the handlebars are then too low, buy bars with more rise.

Huffy marketed and badged bicycles which were actually made by Raleigh after the TI merger, in Mens' and Ladies' frames, but they are quite uncommon. They made them in 21" and 23" frame sizes, all of them were the "Sports" line, no Superbes were produced. Depending upon the OP's height, I'd go for the top end of the budget and get a Raleigh-pattern frame then stick some decent wheels on it and have fun. Find them under the following brand names: Raleigh, Humber, Dunelt, Rudge, Triumph, New Hudson, Phillips, Hercules, BSA, Armstrong, Sunbeam, Norman. You should be able to find a working complete bicycle for under $100 but will have to put tubes, tires and brake pads (probably saddle) into it as well. Realistically, with a coaster-brake bike like that, it's worth it to put a little bit of money into if you want to lock it up and actually enjoy riding it. You could save a few $$ and get a step-through Ladies' frame but still have the same fit, as they are the exact same frame geometry.

I have a Schwinn Speedster that has the OP's preferred configuration, with a single speed coaster brake and upright handlebars with moderate pullback. Schwinn made the Speedsters in single speed and 3 speed in the early 70's, when mine was built. Mine has a 22" or so frame.

I would imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to convert any of the once ubiquitous 3 speed "english racer" style bikes to a single speed coaster brake by rebuilding the rear wheel with a single speed, coaster brake hub, and losing the side pull brakes. Personally, I'd keep the fenders, which are worth the extra weight, in my opinion.

There are also bikes out there with 3 speed hubs equipped with coaster brakes. Sturmey Archer made the TCW back in the day, and Shimano made the 3CC and others, and there are modern versions still being made. I find the 3 speed, coaster brake roadster to be an ideal ride for local transportation, here in very flat Chicago, and rode a Free Spirit with this setup for many years. One can still brake, even when riding one handed, and the limited gear ratio options are there for the few hills that one encounters. My Sears bike was ugly and rusty enough to not require locking up. Being basically theft-proof is another benefit of riding a type that nobody else finds attractive.
Sheldon Brown's excellent site discusses both of the 3 speed coaster brake hubs I mentioned, and much, much more, including all sorts of single speed hubs.
The Sturmey-Archer TCW Series Three Speed Coaster Brake Hubs (sheldonbrown.com)
Shimano 3-speed Hubs (sheldonbrown.com)

I think the biggest issue with most of the old 3 speed roadsters is that they will be equipped with 26 x 1-3/8 tires on either EA3 (590) rims if they are European made, or S-6 (597) if they are Schwinn. Tire options are pretty limited for these rim sizes, although I think Kenda still makes tires in both sizes. Switching to more common 700C (622) or 26" mountain bike (559) wheels is probably a smart way to go, especially if one is looking at a hub change already. This however, might create some issues with caliper brake or mudguard fit.
Measuring Bicycle Rims and Hub Flanges (sheldonbrown.com)

There are plenty of options for the EA3 (590) rims [MENTION=475143]LifeNovice1[/MENTION] . Your best bet would be online shopping to get the best variety. I like the Schwalbe Delta Cruisers. They are available in different colors and with more or less puncture protection. There are other tires too.

Kenda K40 for a budget tire.

Schwalbe Marathon for a more substantial tire at a more substantial price.

Schwalbe Delta Cruiser in creme for a different look. It is also available in black, tan wall and I believe all of them have a reflective sidewall. In creme, the reflector is harder to see unless you shine a light on it.

Kenda K40 with a reflective sidewall and puncture protection.

There were millions of bikes made with this wheel size. All the English three-speeds had this wheel size and many American bikes like the Murray pictured above and the Murray built Free Spirit had this wheel size. At 1-3/8" wide it gives a nice ride with lower inflation pressures than typical with 27" and 700C tires.

If you get a Schwinn Racer, Collegiate or Speedster with the S-6 rims, there are these Sunlight Street S-6 . They look like the original Schwinn branded tires with ribbed treads and tan walls. So, even if you get the Schwinn with the Schwinn specific tire, it is still available even in these times of shortages of everything.

Good luck with your search and post pictures when you get your bike.

Panaracer also makes the Col De La Vie Randonnee in 26 x 1 3/8 as well as a T-Serv in that size.
I've been riding a set of K40s on my 1956 Rudge since 2015 and they are great. It's not a daily rider, so they haven't worn through. They offer decent puncture resistance (I'm in Philly and that's a big issue in the city.)
A set of 650B wheels could always be laced up for a Raleigh pattern bike for a wide selection of tires, but considering the ubiquity of this size around the world, I don't think there is any shortage of options.

I'm not finding the Col De La Vie on Panaracer's website, although I see one can still buy them from various bike stores. Panaracer USA – PanaracerUSA Discontinued?

I like your idea of using 584 tires, the rims will be closer to the original location for the caliper brakes. I don't like calling them 650B though, this system seems just as, or maybe more confusing than the 26x designations. And I don't have any 584 rims laying around, where I have a big stack of 559s, and 622s

The tire you linked to says it is a 40-559. But I see that Schwalbe does sell this model in 590 size. It appears they offer at least 4 different models in 26x1-3/8 (590).

Nevertheless, I'm not seeing ubiquity, I'm seeing fewer options each year. 10 years ago, a forum member posted this list of 590 tires. Bike Forums - View Single Post - tire options at 26x1 3/8? Most of these models seem to be dead today. On the other hand, I see this recent post that suggests 26x1-3/8 (590) is alive, (and cheap!) in Cambodia, Bike Forums - View Single Post - For the love of English 3 speeds... so perhaps there's no reason to get worried.

The Schwinns and their 597s are still likely to have few options. Sunlite is an importer, not a manufacturer, right? The blackwall picture of the Sunlite 597 tire found here says "Kenda": Sunlite 26" Recreational Tire (Black/Gum) (26" / 597 ISO) (1-3/8") - Performance Bicycle (performancebike.com)

In that style bike, if you need a larger size, the only options I can think of would be a 23" English built bikes from the 50's through the early 80's.
Then there's the Raleigh Sprite, which came in a 23" frame with 27" wheels, it sat just a bit taller overall.
If your lucky you can find an affordable Raleigh Tourist, which used 28" wheels, and in a 23" frame was a good fit for a taller rider.
Schwinn would be another option, either the Speedster, Racer, or Collegiate, all of which came in a 24" frame and were quite tall. Schwinn's answer to the Raleigh Sprite was the Suburban, which was pretty much an upright version of their Varsity road bike with 27" wheels.
Myself I've got a 1973 Speedster in a 24" frame, (26" wheels), in a single speed coaster brake model. I'm 6ft 2in tall and its a bit big for me as I get older but a better fit then the next size down.
My go-to ride is a 23" frame Raleigh Sports 3 speed.

Rollfast, Huffy, Ross, Murray, Columbia, AMF, and others also made American versions of this style bike, many were single speed but its been a long time since they were common place. Most came in one size frame, usually a 21" to 22" or so seat tube measurement.

best place

ebay shmebay. no thanks

Smalls are ok but big things like bikes would be sketchy through eBay unless local

Walmart or Amazon,...

eBay is fine as long as you filter the results to only include local listings and you can pick it up in person.

It used to be a mongoose mtb. Very fun to ride. I made a few adjustments, this is an old pic, that stem is adjustable and I lowered the angle of that and the bars.

Schwinn made a ton of these in different sizes and hub configs. Raleigh made multiple 3 speed sizes. It’s not hard. There’s probably a half dozen on my local marketplace right now. If you like the black paint watch for a Schwinn Racer.

Probably not that particular one, but I see bikes like this (and all other kinds of older bikes) in antique stores. You may need to visit a few, but you're bound to find one if you persist.

I have hand arthritis and flat bars tweak my wrists and thumbs. I replaced the bars on my two bikes with sunlight touring bars, made a world of difference.

Would love to have nittos but the ones I got on Amazon are amazingly comfortable and inexpensive. My hands and wrists are in a neutral position when I ride. Young hands probably wouldn't notice.