The Gazette: Hop on a cool cruiser for a relaxing ride - Bicycles without shocks and gears gain ground

Deirda Schaneman loves bikes but she is never going to ride in the Tour de France. “I’m not what you’d call a speedy person. And I don’t like how most bikes make you sit hunched over,” she said recently as she caught her breath while pedaling around downtown Colorado Springs, Colo.

That’s why she was so enamored when she spotted an orange cruiser with balloon tires, an old-school frame, a wide, cushy seat and a laid-back geometry that lets her sit up-right when toodling around town.

“I’m more of a toodler. Not really a serious rider. But I love this bike,” she said.

So she bought it on sight, jazzed it up with a matching bell and basket, and now rides it almost every day to work.

“It’s fun. It looks like a happy bike. I have a great time with it,” she said.

Sales are booming

Toodlers on cruiser bikes are the fastest-growing sector of the bicycle industry. Sales of high-tech, high-dollar, feather-weight racers and bomb-proof, full-suspension mountain bikes have been inching down for years, but sales of cruisers have almost doubled since 2 004, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association.

Most of the people buying them are people who didn’t ride regularly before.

It could be the lower price or the simplicity that draws people in. It could be the style, or the unintimidating aura that these not-built-for-speed bikes exude. Whatever the reason, cruisers, inspired by the fender and fins aesthetic of an earlier era, are rolling out on the streets again.

“I think it’s just because it’s fun,” said Tyrone Arcila, who owns a cruiser-only bike shop called Left Side Spin in downtown Colorado Springs.

“You don’t need special shoes to ride these bikes. You don’t need special socks. You don’t need special shorts. You just need the right attitude.”

Changing attitudes

It’s only in recent years that bike riders, and bike makers, have started to change their attitude toward cruisers.

The cruiser era began in 1933 with the Schwinn Aerocycle, the first bike to boast streamlined fenders, a decorative fuel tank, a chrome-plated headlight and big tires for a cushy ride. Customers loved it so much that bikes inspired by the aerocruiser became the norm for the next 30 years. At the time, bikes were marketed mostly to kids, who used these stylish but heavy one-speeds to pedal around neighborhoods.

The era of the cruiser ended around the time of the bike boom in the 1970s, when millions of adults who had grown up riding cruisers bought themselves and their kids inexpensive 10-speed road bikes and Sting-Rays. The trend then turned to BMX bikes and, eventually, to mountain bikes, which have dominated the market since the late 1980s.

By the 1990s, cruisers were a sure sign of geekiness. (Think “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which came out in 1985.)

When Arcila, 34, was growing up in Colorado Springs, the focus was mountain bikes. He worked in a series of bike shops in Colorado and Utah, and watched as bikes grew more intricate, advanced and expensive.

“I’d go to other shops and conventions and everything was about performance, performance, performance. No one was having fun anymore,” Arcila said. The more advanced bikes left out an increasing number of potential cyclists. “Most people don’t need a bike like that, but they still want something cool.”

Schwinn, based in Boulder, Colo., began the trend in 1995 when it reissued the Black Phantom to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday. Other bike makers soon had a retro model. Schwinn has 16 cruisers to choose from. And many new cruisers have fins, wild paint jobs and stylish rearview mirrors.

“You can ride it to go get ice cream,” Arcila said. “You can ride it to go get a beer or a burger. You can go for a ride with your spouse, and because of the bike you’re on, there’s no pressure to go fast.”
Simple: Most cruisers have one speed and coaster brakes, so there’s no adjusting gears or brake pads. The only regular maintenance is lubing the chain and putting air in the tires.

Cheap: Because cruisers are simple, the average price ($270) is far below that of the average mountain bike ($850), according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association.

Cool: It’s one of those so-uncool-it’s- cool things. These retro bikes can be tricked out with baskets, streamers, lights, horns and bells.

Comfortable: Many cruisers use a flat-foot design, where the seat is never so high the rider can’t rest both feet on the ground. Riders also sit upright to ease back strain.