Women's heavy cruiser bikes: ever recommended them?

[emily_in_nc]

I owned a beach cruiser when we lived in Belize for 18 months (on the dead-flat island of Ambergris Caye) and mostly rode on unpaved packed sand roads and packed parts of the beach. I bought another one for our six-month stay in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where it's also flat. It was cheaper to buy one even if I can't get much out of it when we leave, than to try to rent a bike here every time I wanted to ride.

To me, cruiser bikes make perfect sense for the roads around here and are much cheaper than something nicer. I don't do any serious cycling here but I enjoy cruising on the bike paths, and the fenders are a big help if I get caught in a downpour. I certainly prefer the bikes I have back in the US, but cruiser bikes do have their place. The simplicity of one speed is nice, and when it's flat, the fact that the bike is heavy doesn't matter all that much.

I see plenty of people around here cruising around on cruiser bikes with smiles on their faces! Enjoying them simply takes a relaxed attitude towards cycling and not being in a big hurry to get anywhere but just enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells along the way.

Here's my bike: Attachment 17574

[IBrakeforPastry]

I see plenty of people around here cruising around on cruiser bikes with smiles on their faces! Enjoying them simply takes a relaxed attitude towards cycling and not being in a big hurry to get anywhere but just enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells along the way.

Here's my bike: Attachment 17574

I rented a (bright yellow) cruiser last year in the Florida keys for riding on the flat beach path. Just like Emily said, I was riding around with a big smile on my face, just having fun along with everyone else. I think some people look uncomfortable because the bike's not adjusted. I made sure mine was right before I left the shop. I actually liked the slower pace for riding around town. I felt I had more time to react to traffic, pedestrians, and stop signs.

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh man! When we were finishing up RSVP last year (I believe you read my ride report complaining about that last bit on the trail...) it was all young ladies in booty shorts and big hair on step through cruiser bikes riding three abreast at a sub 5 mph pace! It's a fashion thing, I think.

[OakLeaf]

I see plenty of people around here cruising around on cruiser bikes with smiles on their faces! Enjoying them simply takes a relaxed attitude towards cycling and not being in a big hurry to get anywhere but just enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells along the way.

^This!!!!


The author of the original piece seems to be under the impression that more women than men ride beach cruisers. That's not what I see around here. Sure women typically get the bikes in pastels and men get them in bolder colors, and how much of that is corporate marketing, how much is retail pressure, and how much is actual customer preference I have no idea. But in terms of the hardware itself (or the apparent experience and knowledge of many of the riders)? Equal as far as I can see.


Fit was the only reason I spent an extra $200 on my hybrid. I certainly don't need gears or fancy brakes (though I do use three of my bike's 24 speeds pretty regularly on bridges and in wind), and least of all do I need even this bike's rudimentary suspension - all of which are vulnerable to sand and salt. It all came down to the cruisers come with huge long cranks - 175 mm if they're a mm, and frames and seatposts set up that you *can't* get good leg extension. I knew my knees wouldn't take that. So in that sense, I suppose cruisers are designed for larger, taller people, who are statistically way more likely to be male. Just like all off the rack road frames were when I built my race bike in the late '80s. (I think Georgena Terry might have just started building frames at that point.) But there are also plenty of women who *don't* have kneecap tracking problems and who are perfectly happy on cruisers.



ETA - I rode a bikeshare bike in Columbus once, and it was a LOT heavier than my hybrid which I think is around 37# IIRC. The bikeshare bikes have got to be at least 50# and I wouldn't be surprised if they're heavier.

EATA - I wonder how much the Dutch commuter bikes weigh. That's most of what anyone rides over there.

EYATA - LauraElmore's post reminded me of the century I did in Amish country a few years ago - which for those who don't know, is pretty darn hilly. It was far from "all," but there were plenty of Mennonite ladies in their long skirts and veils on step through cruiser bikes. Which goes to the point that I kind of got lost in making about my own purchase, is that much of it is about the expense, and about the conviction or just the feeling that they don't need anything fancy. Still, there were at least a few Mennonite men on road bikes, which I suppose goes to the original point that women are more likely than men to be convinced that they don't need anything "fancy," even in a culture that expressly rejects "fancy."

[Jolt]

Sure women typically get the bikes in pastels and men get them in bolder colors, and how much of that is corporate marketing, how much is retail pressure, and how much is actual customer preference I have no idea.

Ugh...definitely a pet peeve of mine, with bikes, clothing etc. I really don't like pastels, give us real colors. I doubt it is really customer preference, unless I am just an oddball (which I suppose is entirely possible). And on a similar note, what is with so many women's jerseys being white? That pretty much guarantees getting grease on it, according to Murphy's law.

[lph]

Well, if I get the gist of the original blog post, her rant is not really about women choosing cruiser bikes, but about couples (who one assumes will be riding on the same terrain, and together at least some of the time) consistently choosing much higher quality bikes for the guy than for the girl. Which is interesting. I don't doubt that heavy one speed cruiser bikes can be fun, simple to use and suited to some kinds of terrain, but they're a pretty bad match for a ride together with a faster, lighter bike with higher gearing. I agree that the reason is probably complex, a combination of real personal preference and the very subtle assumptions and pressure we all are under about what is "suitable" for a woman. Maybe guys consistently get overrated in bike stores, and get pressured into buying bikes that are more expensive and more fancy than they would otherwise choose, I dunno. But I like that at least this woman (the blog poster) isn't adding to that pressure from the salespersons point of view.

ETA: I think women in general are more concerned about what others think of them. For better and for worse, and of course there are huge personal differences etc etc. But in general still - I do think that a man is less worried about being thought a poser by buying an expensive bike when he is an inexperienced rider than a woman is. "The status comes with the object" rather than "the object comes with the status", as it were.

[Aromig]

I must be a "fashion victim" because I covet one of the cute Electra bikes. I have a hybrid, but I bought a men's bike and while I'm fine when I'm on it, the standover height is pretty high and I'd be uncomfortable loading it down with panniers and baskets. I also have a decently nice carbon road bike and I'm not going to load it down either. So I keep thinking I want a nice cute Electra bike to ride the 4 miles to the grocery store and to run errands with my twelve year old on his mountain bike that rarely goes more than 10 mph. I have about 350 feet of climbing on some hills in that 4 miles....but I keep telling myself riding that heavy bike with groceries will make me stronger!

I haven't bought one yet because that $700 or so could buy a lot of entries to fun organized bike events, but boy they do look cute to me! (FYI, my bikes are MUCH nicer than my husband's bikes)

[OakLeaf]

This morning on my way to yoga, I saw a middle-aged man in scruffy clothes standing near a convenient store smoking a cigarette, leaning on his bicycle.

A pastel green, step-through cruiser with a huge white saddle.

Basic, cheap transportation. Somehow I doubt he thought he looked fashionable.

[Crankin]

I rode a cruiser on Hilton Head Island, on the beach. Was great when going with the wind, not so great when I had to ride back! My knees hurt for 2 weeks after that.
When I went with DH to buy my first road bike, I had been riding a modified mountain bike for almost 2 years. I was fit. The first 3 bikes the guy brought out to show me were flat bar road bikes/hybrids. I said to him, "What part of road bike don't you understand?" All of those flat bar bikes were nice, but not what I wanted. He made a lot of assumptions.
I refused to go to Landry's for anything after i made that purchase.

[PamNY]

I see a number of people on cruisers, and they look fine to me. If they are cycling mostly in Manhattan and Brooklyn, they aren't encountering many hills and don't need to go fast. I tried a bike-share bike and didn't love the weight or the low gears (I almost fell over), but people seem to find them acceptable for short distances, which is how they are generally used. They weigh 45 pounds.

When I was bike shopping (at age 55), I didn't encounter any salespeople who steered me toward cruisers. One person even said "When you are ready for a road bike..."

[emily_in_nc]

That's beautiful!

I think at my height I'd probably want the men's version. Stiffer and easier for me to pedal. But that's a beautiful setup.

Thanks Muirenn! And you're right, a taller woman would probably be happier on a men's cruiser if she were going to buy or rent one. But for my height, the women's version is great. I "upgraded" to a narrower saddle with springs, and it was funny, the little Mexican shop guy kept showing me these super WIDE-AZZ saddles, and I was like "NO". I insisted on a skinnier one that he was sure was not going to be just awful, but truth be told, the little cheapy, non-leather saddle (but with springs...YES!) is the first time I've been able to ride a non-cutout saddle without severe crotch problems. Sure, we haven't ridden over 20 miles at a time, but this saddle is super comfy for short distances!

I <3 my beach cruiser. (Someone had to be the contrary one here, right?!)

[buffybike]

Beautiful cruiser--I'd definately take that to the beach!

[Trek420]

Beautiful cruiser--I'd definately take that to the beach!

Not a cruiser but my commuter is/was along those lines. Heavy as heck but so fun to ride. Always had a big smile on my face. But it is heavy, slow, and slow as all get out on hills. One could say it's an impractical bike but it is/was equipped to haul anything. Possibly could do bike overnights on it as long as speed is no object.

[rebeccaC]

. Always had a big smile on my face.

i'm with you and emily!!!

I rode my rather heavy milano 57 miles this weekend, mostly on flat to rolling bike paths and city streets. 26 1.5 tires work well on bad city streets and the nexus hub gives me good enough gearing even for hills. a kickstand makes for quick getting off and on frequently and a good front bag carries all i need on a ride like sundays. Simple, reasonably cheap and smile giving....and in some areas of the city i would rather have it stolen than my seven or waterford

Perhaps even a heavy but simple to operate and maintain and affordable bike would encourage more city americans to take more short trips by bike…..the simple functionality of heavy archetypal dutch city bikes have been ridden for decades by all types of people in the most bike friendly European cities on earth.

[Trek420]

i'm with you and emily!!!

I rode my rather heavy milano 57 miles this weekend, mostly on flat to rolling bike paths and city streets. 26 1.5 tires work well on bad city streets and the nexus hub gives me good enough gearing even for hills. a kickstand makes for quick getting off and on frequently and a good front bag carries all i need on a ride like sundays. Simple, reasonably cheap and smile giving....and in some areas of the city i would rather have it stolen than my seven or waterford .

I love the Milano, beautiful and utilitarian bike. I'm sad that Bianchi stopped making them.