Has anyone ever checked out the Electra beach Cruisers? those things are SICK!! i bought this one a few months ago in red.... https://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/...05_str_20.html

nice tassels

(when did this chopper thing become so main-stream? anyway)

Blame it on American Chopper.

eww.

but thats just my opinion.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on them. I know a kid (about 14, not my age) who got the Rat Fink ( https://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/...05_str_30.html ), I tried riding it, it was surprisingly difficult. Look at where those pedals are in relation to the seat! I could never seriously ride a cruiser, I feel strange enough on my English 3-speed.

Yep. I have two. I keep one with bobbed fenders and ape hangers at work to ride to lunch.

https://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/...05_cls_21.html
This is the only one that I think really looks anywhere near half decent. The other ones are just way too over the top. Where is the finesse?

A lot of the teens in my area have been loyal to their BMX bikes long after outgroing them. The new Electra models are bringing a lot of new business to the LBS in my neighborhood. The market here seems to be former BMX riders who are happy with one speed, and younger riders looking for something interesting to ride to the coffee shop and around campus.

People ride for different reasons. The Electra is putting some people on bikes that might have been going up to the corner in their car. Nothing wrong with that.

I just picked up a Schwinn SS cruiser on Ebay for 100 bucks. Put my b-17 on it, cut 3 inches off each side of the handlebars, added Planet bike plastic fenders, replaced the slicks with 2.1 inch knobbies, and it's my new winter beater. I'm gonna get me a black wald basket for the front so i can be l337.

Something i never realized was how easy these bikes are to work on, the coaster brake is nice, u can change cogs in a few minutes with a screwdriver.

I seriously like it, and the thing is cheap, not like it can't get stolen or damaged.

The electra i like is this one, very similiar to my Schwinn:

https://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/...05_ess_01.html

Electra's are OK cool...my girlfriend has one, but it's a real pain to get into and out of out apartment...the damn thing is a tank-beast...plus it's too big (long) for my roof rack (plus i think it goes over the weight limit)

Wally world has sold a fixed gear bike for two years-now thats mainstream
(of course it has 16" wheels and is pink w. tassels and a basket-no brakes)

speaking as someone who assembles and works on electras...i really, REALLY dislike them. they give us crappy margins, the bikes come to us in the boxes needing way more assembly work than usual bikes, (more than an hour to assemble one bike is ridiculous, especially when you're spending 30 minutes on the REAR WHEEL alone). the wheels are usually in atrocious shape (specifically for the cruiserish bikes, not so much the townies). their warranty department is slow, and their customer service people are rude over the phone. my GF wanted to buy the Twiggy model, but after 2-3 weeks of assembling them, i told her she'd have to build it herself if she wanted it.

plus, no one wants to buy the cruisers. we ordered one of each of their models when we first became dealers at the beginning of the summer and every single one that we've assembled is still sitting on our floor. people come in and say "wow, that's really cool!" and then they either leave, or buy a hybrid. i think we're going to have to send them back. the townies, on the other hand are pretty good sellers for older folks. they're a little too upright for my tastes, but i rode the townie 8 (new shimano nexus 8 speed internal hub), and it felt like i was pedalling a damn easy chair. can you say PLUSH!?

My Schwinn was used but i just had to put on the wheels, seat, handlebar, stem, and pedals. Took 10 minutes tops.

The thing was made in china and it is cheaply built but nor poorly built if u know what i mean. I just really dig the simplicity of the whole thing. It's got a range of about 5 miles, anything more than that and im breaking out my fixie. But my job, the grocery store, and the liquor store are about a mile from me or less. For quick short trips this is very kewl.

This is bike number 4, a different bike for each purpose, if i get 3 more i get one for each day of the week.

I was under the impression you could only call it a chopper if it was chopped, learn how to weld and make a sick @ss bike for yourself.

a friend as one of these

https://www.hawkclassic.com/startseite_e.htm

Wow, now those are pretty cool. Of course since they're styled after motorcycles, the frame hole for the engine sort of jumps out at you. But I like it, it's a different angle.

Notice how they say they're all single speeds but they seem to all be equipped with internally geared hubs and grip shifters?

you get both options. the single speed is much cheaper. I think some of the black models
are pictured with singlespeed coaster hubs.

Yeah. I could take one of those hawk classics and put in an old brigs and straton lawnmower engine. Now that would truly be retro.