Cruiser bicycle

The Cruiser (English for " cruiser", or from the English word "to cruise" - " go slow" about ) describes a type of bicycle incurred in the United States with a curved frame shape and balloon tires.

General technical characteristics

  • A frame made of steel or aluminum
  • Tires: between 24 "and 26 " diameter and 2.125 " and 4.25 " width
  • Rims: between 25 mm and 100 mm wide ( custom rims also significantly wider)
  • U.S. BB or BSA bottom bracket
  • Gears: usually IGH 3-8 transitions
  • Wide handlebars
  • Sprung and padded saddle

Pros and Cons

Due to the short distance from the saddle to the bottom bracket knees are heavily loaded and the power delivery is lower:

" The greatly lowered ( plantarflexierte ) foot found in m. gastrocnemius no pre-strain for an effective contraction. In addition, the m supplies. quadriceps due to the unfavorable lever arm for only a small portion of the power. "

Especially with stretch cruisers and custom bikes can - due to the Stretched Frame - perform the " jackknife attitude " ( strong bending the knees and simultaneous Nachvornbeugen the upper body due to too short handlebar ) placed a strain on the arms and spine.

Especially on cobblestone streets and urban street coating guarantees the balloon tires and a suspension seat for a lower impact loading of the spine than wheels with narrower tires.

History

The first cruiser similar bikes there were in the mid- 1910s, so had the "Indian Motobike " by Hendee already a curved top tube, a wide curved handlebars and a Tankatrappe ( as a storage compartment for the battery of the lighting system). Balloon tires 1933 Schwinn from Germany adopted and introduced to the model " B10E Motorbike " in the United States. Already one year later, this model has been revised and was called " Aero Cycle" available. compared to the previous model, there was only visual changes, but they were influential for the next decades: . a curved streamlined frame with Tankatrappe and battery lights its heyday had the Cruiser in the 1930s to the 1950s, there were many different and sometimes very unusual models such as the Monark " Silver King Hex Tube", the aluminum and hexagonal tubes manufacturer was made ​​of this period were, for example. :

  • Schwinn
  • Roadmaster
  • Columbia
  • Elgin
  • Monark
  • And Huffy.

Rare and well-preserved Bikes in this time achieve high three - to five -figure sums at auctions. With the " Blue Bird " by Elgin from 1935 be converted to 12.000, - EUR achieved.

The decline of the cruiser began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when European sport wheels because of their lighter weight and better hill climbing ability have become increasingly popular. In addition, the cruiser lost market share to the intended especially for children "Muscle Bikes" ( in Germany these wheels were in the 1970s known as "Bonanza wheels "). They had smaller frames, oversized " Apehangerlenker " and shift lever, banana calipers. A second chance got the old cruiser in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The old " clunker " were indeed difficult but it comfortably and practically indestructible. There were enthusiasts like Gary Fisher and Joe Breeze, the mid-1970s with their cruisers converted to " repack " on Mount Tamalpais in California hunted down and thus laid the foundation stone of the mountain biking.

Today

Even before the retro wave, in the early 1990s, it was mainly the GT revived the market with the " Dyno " Cruiser series. Today, the Electra Bicycle Company and Felt Bikes are the largest and best known manufacturers of cruisers. However, there is an ever -increasing competition from low-cost suppliers from the Far East.

Manufacturer (selection)

  • Electra Bicycle Company
  • Felt Bicycles
  • Schwinn
  • Nirve
  • Project346
  • Kustom Kruiser (formerly Dyno GT)
  • Fire Bikes
  • PG-Bikes (formerly pimpgarage; insolvent - Amtsgericht Regensburg, file number 14 IN 240/13 )
  • Hawk Classic Bikes
  • Ruff Cycles

Cruiser types

  • " (Beach) Cruiser":

The classic beach cruiser has a curved frame, which corresponds in size in about a normal bicycle frame, 24 " or 26" wheels with 2.125 " or 3.0 " tires, a soft sprung saddle and wide handlebars Moon. The seating position is relaxed and upright.

Example: Dyno Glide, Felt Taxi

  • " Stretch Cruiser":

Stretch cruisers are, as the name suggests, stretched cruiser. The frame is thus a total of longer and flatter. Thus, it appears very much forward instead of down. The seating position is upright and relaxed just as mobile as in a normal cruiser with a Moon or Apehangerlenker.

Example: Dyno Coaster, Felt Lead Sled

  • " Chopper":

The choppers are heavily based on the same motorcycle, so have a very long double crown fork and usually a broad background and a narrow front wheel.

Example: Felt Torch, Nirve Cannibal

  • " Lowrider ":

Lowrider bikes are just for show, as a rule. The frames are very small and the wheels rarely larger than 20 ". Lowrider serve as a display for the craftsmanship of the builder and are designed with great attention to detail.

  • " Semi- Stretch Cruiser":

The Semi- Stretch Cruiser bridge the gap between the normal and the Stretch cruisers. They have a less stretched frame and are even with more than 2 m in height nor comfortable to drive by people.

Example: Project346 Basman, Ruff Cycles Porucho

  • " Custom bikes ":

Custom bikes can belong to any of the above categories. A custom bike is the owner (or on its behalf ) for customization, it can fall back to a stock frame or a complete frame to be built according to their own ideas. The imagination of the owner are no limits.

Scene

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, there is a large and active scene of enthusiasts, screwdrivers and hobbyists. With several thousand members of the Forum of tretharley.de is the largest meeting place for this community on the Internet. Furthermore find throughout the year distributed meetings and exits, the " Cruises " with somewhat several hundred participants, instead.

List of bicycle types GT Bicycles
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