I’m handy with a wrench around my truck, but I just want to make sure there isn’t huffy beach cruiser anything ridiculous I’ll have to do and/or replace to get it ready for her.
A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling. Cruisers are popular among casual bicyclists and vacationers because they are very stable and easy to ride, but their heavy weight and balloon tires tend to make them rather slow. For decades, Latino car enthusiasts have been lowering the suspension on older American cars to build “lowriders”. Their younger siblings have begun building their own custom “lowrider bikes”.
The Varsity was offered between 1960 and 1962 as an 8 speed and as a 10 speed between 1963 and 1982. Huffy’s single-speed bike has a clean look, without the clutter of cables and gears. Dual density grips and pedals add to the comfort, and to the style.
To popularize these bicycles they enlisted the help of Hollywood celebrities. Huffy understands a comfortable bike ride begins with a comfortably padded seat. As soon as you sit down, you’ll feel like this Perfect Fit frame is designed specifically for you.
In addition, the padded seat is designed to be a little farther back and with a lower center of gravity. Finally, manufacturers have also introduced the “comfort bike” category, to combine the soft ride and upright posture of cruisers with a more conventionally styled bike. Comfort bikes have such features as fenders, suspension seatposts and forks, and large padded saddles with giant springs. All of these features are copied from cruisers, but redesigned to look more like regular road or hybrid bikes. One of the first uses of the term “cruiser” for motobikes may have been in the WW2 era, by Mead Cycle Co., who sold via mail-order bicycles of the brand names Ranger, Pathfinder and Crusader.
Lowrider bicycles are usually built on old Schwinn Sting-Ray or other “muscle bike” frames, but the entire lowrider look of “old school” accessories such as springer forks and bullet headlights is in the cruiser tradition. Several manufacturers offer “chopper” style bikes in their cruiser range. These bikes usually feature a lower center of gravity, suspension forks, hot rod paint jobs, and large rear tires. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, bicycles imported from Great Britain and Continental Europe became popular, especially lighter and more nimble sports roadster models or “English racer”.