Cruiser Bike Sizing Help
 

So my girlfriend decided to buy me a bike I wanted for Christmas, or at least the style of bike I wanted. At Wal-Mart they had the Schwinn Admiral (which is not listed anywhere on their website, oddly) for sale that was exactly what I wanted; a bike with a simple speed setup, rear rack, and vintage design that I could ride around or to and from work at my leisure (when it warms up, of course.)

Unfortunately this bike is about 4 inches too tall; I 'nutted' myself trying to get on and off of it and the seat is down as far as it can go. Our friend is willing to buy it off of her for the price she paid because he liked it so much, so now I'm on the lookout for a bike of similar style that's small enough for me. I stand 5'9" and the bike's 'frame' (that's the length of the post the seat sits on as far as I've seen in guides and all) is 20 inches, so I'm guessing I need a 16-17" frame. The problem is that not a SINGLE one of the websites I find this bike on lists the frame size.

This is frustrating as, supposedly, the way you measure a 'cruiser' style of bike is by that frame, and all the sizing lists is the size of the tires and the dimensions that have nothing to do with the actual frame size. I'd like to know if anybody has any idea of where I can find this information or if they know, off-hand, bikes that would probably fit my size.

This is the bike in question (it's red instead of blue but it's the same frame type/style).

A few other styles I like are this and ones like this, but as I stated I can't even find remotely relevant sizing information and, before asked, no, none of these are available for me to check out in-store.

TL;DR - I'd like a cruiser style of bike for somebody with a height of 5'9" or so, likely with a 16 inch frame or so, that costs around $150-200. Brand loyalty is non-existent for me, so it doesn't matter if it's schwinn, huffy, etc.

Extra Note: Please, don't ask me to go to a specialty store. I told them the type of bike I wanted and along a 'lower price range' of around $200-300 and they threw me towards a $600 bike. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to go to any shop, tell them what I'm looking for, and get a $300 upsale.

Hello, well finding the right Bicycle for your size is always a little tricky. But I found this tool that help me it could be useful for you too Road Bike Size Calculator, however you are looking in to a Cruiser so make sure you choose the right measurements. The only true way to know is try it before you buy it, knowing that is hard to do that in a Walmart cause they don't have all the models you see in their website I suggest you try something similar in size if they have it and then buy the one you like.

Just my opinion....good luck on finding your Cruiser, I have one and I love it :)

Hate to burst your bubble, but as you've pretty much figured out by now, the models sold at the big box stores sell them by wheel size and not frame size. It keeps the costs down by using the OSFM, which they claim is One Size Fits Most, but in reality it is One Size Fits...Maybe.

With your budget, you're going to have to go used. Look for models from Manhattan/KHS, Giant, Felt... just about every brand has some sort of offering in the cruiser segment.

Another option to consider- and only bring up due to your budget- is look at what BD has that might work for you. http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/cruiser_bikes.htm

I managed by replacing seat-posts .. cheap steel bends, at long extensions, higher strength alloys of steel
can be extended further..

Wald and RedLine both make a 1" seatpost, I have described the difference..