I have a 29 inch beach cruiser that only has coaster brakes. I have seen other people install a rim brake on the front wheel. I have no mechanical aptitude at all but I have a friend good at that kind of stuff so I am going to buy a kit and have him install it.

but.... I have no clue what to order. can anyone point me to a good quality kit on amazon or anywhere really that will fit my bike?

Here is the front fork




back

You first need to measure the vertical distance from the fork's bolt hole to the rim. That's called the "brake reach".

Then go search for a caliper brake that accommodates that amount of brake reach. Try searching "front brake for cruiser".

Will a brake bolt fit that hole, or it only for fenders?

Remove the fender and make a measurement with the wheel back in place. From the center of the fork crown mounting hole to the center of the rim braking surface. Try to make a vertical measurement to determine the distance as closely to the nearest millimeter as possible. That will become the brake "reach" with which you'll specify the dual pivot caliper size.

Tektro makes both and internally nutted calipers. This has to do with the length of the central fixing bolt, and whether or not the threaded nut extends within the rear-most hole in the fork with just a flange or shoulder remaining on the outside, or whether the nut is entirely on the outside. Once you make the measurement, then we can talk about the two types and which you'll be able to use.

If you have your friend bring his drill bit set, then he can tell you the nearest size bit that fits within the fork crown hole. We'll need to know that, too. PG

EDIT: Vertical refers to the plane on which the front face of the fork crown lies. This may be slanted forward along with the line of the fork, or it may be in line with the head tube. Align your measure to the head tube, and you'll be accurate enough.

This...and is it a strong enough mounting for brakes?

Yes, that's the pertinent question!

The other thing to look for is Whether your front wheel has a rim suitable for a rim brake. Some single speed cruisers have rims that have no brake track. A good picture of the rim would be needed to determine this. If your wheel has no brake track you would also need a new wheel

Here is the same bike as mine built into a motorized bike. He changed some stuff on the bike but I know the fork and front wheel are stock. He said he just found a kit that fit it.

That bike above is a death trap. Those that spend their time hating e-bikes should hate gas conversions 10 billion times more. I won't even get started on what is probably a kid rock banner in the back...

In terms of brakes realize you bought a beach cruiser and consider you may not have the right bike for your area. Beach cruisers are all in the name. Short rides at the beach where it is pretty flat if not almost totally flat you aren't going at much speed but cruising. You could potentially add brakes but in the end the beach cruiser would be the wrong bike. Something like the Specialized Roll would make more sense if you want a more upright position but something you can actually practically ride around a city or hilly area.

ok, it looks like it needs a 90mm reach. the bolt holding the fender is 10mm, and the tire is 54mm wide.

If anyone has a good quality kit to recommend i would appreciate it. I do not want to put cheap gear on it but I also do not want to spend more on the brakes than I paid for the bike!

This brake caliper, with a reach of 85-108mm, will most likely fit:

1080 extra long reach BMX cruiser bicycle brake caliper - BLACK

It's a unicrown fork on a cheap cruiser. I'd be VERY surprised if the metal in that area was insubstantial for any reason.

thank you!

do i need to look for anything in particular for the cable and brake lever or will any do?

Short pull lever.

https://www.amazon.com/Tektro-319AC-Short-Pull-Brake/dp/B001GSOH8Q/ref=asc_df_B001GSOH8Q/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312066961874&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5232331567034861291&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt =&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031082&hvtargid=pla-571743899278&psc=1

Watch Park Tool or RJ YouTube videos on brake cables.

Oof... I'm not convinced that would create particularly strong braking.

I'd much rather go with some kind of V-Brake mount if one could find the parts.

It's all the OP will need. His 29" wheels will give the brake a lot more leverage than the 20" wheel it is most commonly used on. This brake is more than enough to send you over the bars if you squeeze the lever hard enough.

Any short pull brake lever should suffice. Here’s one from the same site:

Dia-Compe MX99 bicycle BMX LEFT HAND brake lever - BLACK & SILVER

You also will need a brake cable with housing.

I had that thought, too, but it doesn't take much to be better than nothing.

Where do you think a side pull bolts at? Yes that's the hole for the caliper, fender, and reflector. Outside of track bikes; it's probably the most standard of bike "standards" you can find on any bike in the last 40 years.
That is a painted braking surface.

With the right pads, it will be sufficient. I have a bike currently that uses just one, until I can find two red ones. If it's stamped steel; it's gonna be a garbage brake. I used to save the side pulls from Hyper BMX bikes because it was the best part on the whole bike. They're forged aluminum and provide excellent stopping power, because they don't flex. It is near impossible to get them centered, though, compared to dual pivots that seem to only exist in the roadbike world. I also pair them with v-brake levers- it works, despite what anybody else claims. And I was doing that way before the walmart brands started doing it.

That brake is garbage and the distance between his wheel and fork crown will be no different than the distance of a 20" or 26" wheel, with the proper fork. The wheel size is different but the gap will be the same regardless.

OP don't get that ****** caliper, get a side pull for a BMX bike. It'll fit. Bikes that use, or are side pull capable typically use the same size caliper. The only exclusions to this are road bikes that use a smaller one for the narrower wheel and smaller gap between the wheel and fork crown. Go get a BMX side pull, it fits those, it fits my laJolla, it'll fit your Onyx, it'll fit one of those 30" Schwinn cruisers from the mid-00s.

Why is that brake caliper garbage? It looks like every other BMX side pull caliper, but with a longer reach.

Did you miss the part in this thread in which the OP measured the distance from their fork crown to braking surface?

No it doesn't, it looks like a brake you'd find on a roadster, like my old 60s Sears&Roebuck, or any other 27" or old schwinn style 26". Yes and the measurement doesn't matter. That's the tire and wheel an Onyx comes with. If he measured the distance on practically any non roadbike fork, they would be the same, or very close. Any side pull that'll fit a bmx fork will fit a cranbrook, or an Onyx, the wheelsize doesn't matter, they are all pretty much the same distance. The rim is a generic rim, the height of the section is typical box rim, the tires sidewall height is typical for the tire it is. Excluding the diameter of both; you're going to see the tire is no taller then the generic white wall or whatever tire you find on 26" and 20" walmart bikes, same for the wheel. Dealing with these generic bikes ain't rocket science

This is a bmx caliper, this is what I have on the front of my LaJolla, and any other rigid fork bike that didn't have cantis or vbrakes I've built. "Long reach" is usually a misnomer, those chintzy calipers and these are most likely the same size. These are going to be a stronger brake.