Hi,
I'm not much of a cyclist, but my Dad and I just bought some nice cruisers to comfortably ride around our little village. I'm new to the forum. I'm guessing this section is more for threads about authentic classic bikes, but I hope someone can give me some information about these new ones.

Mine is the Supercycle San Pedro from Canadian Tire. My dad's is the Schwinn special Tim Horton's 40th Anniversary edition that was given as a prize a few years ago at Tim Horton's Donuts. They both seem well-constructed and modern, but with the general design and comfort of the older bikes. Both are heavy aluminum with a few speeds.

What I'm wondering is basically how rugged these bikes are compared to the mountain bikes we're used to? We wouldn't be going on major downhill trails or anything, but would these bikes be considered rugged enough for riding around town and maybe going off the odd curb or on some slightly bumpy/muddy nature trails. And what about riding them down outdoor steps as people will do with mountain bikes?

I'm just asking because we're both being so protective and gentle with our new bicycles and I started wondering if perhaps they'd take a better beating than we'd guess.
Thanks for any info. Also let me know if there's a more appropriate forum to talk about these new old-fashioned bikes.

You're probably in the right forum. I can't think of anything more appropriate, anyway.

I'm not familiar with either of those models. But I'm willing to guess that I would not ride them down any stairs.

Other than that they're probably capable of taking mild off-road use by someone who is not particularly heavy. We'd better add "at moderate speed".

This isn't a very specific answer, is it? Sorry, but I don't have specifics.

But don't ride them like a mountain bike. They probably can't take that.

With the exception of the Jamis Boss, I would not purposely ride a beach cruiser off a curb or on a single track trail.
If you're referring to gravel MUPs that are relatively smooth, should be no problem.

It's too difficult to find specs on those bikes, but judging from pics I saw of your bike, I, weighing in at 149 lbs, would ride that CA Tire bike off curbs but not down stairs in sets of 3 or more. I'd likely ride it on most nature trails if not too rocky or rooty.

Thanks for all the replies. They pretty much add up to what I thought. I'd naturally be pretty careful with things (and pretty lazy and scared of getting hurt) so I'm not too worried about busting my bike doing anything crazy. Just thought I'd ask in case someone had any major warnings for me to heed.

I would warn you that these bikes are not nearly as rugged as the heavier all-steel '50s machines they emulate. THOSE could be ridden essentially anywhere.