Cruiser bicycle
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.
[3] 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.
The Crusader “Cruiser” model was the high-end men/boy’s bicycle, and included additional features, such as front headlight, rear rack, and most importantly, the motorbike tank.
Mr. Schwinn adapted features from the Henderson and Excelsior motorcycles that his (formerly purchased) bankrupt company had built during the 1920s, including a heavy "cantilevered" frame with two top tubes and 2.125-inch-wide (54.0 mm) "balloon" tires from Germany.
While the Aero Cycle featured no technical improvements over the original B-10E, its streamlined frame, faux gas tank, and battery-powered headlight came to define the cruiser 'look'.
[7] Competing firms including the Cleveland Welding Corporation (CWC) which made many of the Ward's Hawthornes and Shelby Flyers, later American Machine and Foundry AMF (Roadmaster) after the merger that took place in 1954, Westfield (Columbia), Monark-Silver King (bought out by Huffy in 1957), Snyder Rollfast, Evan's Colson, Murray (Elgin, JC Higgins and later Sears), and Huffman (Huffy) used styling features and distinctive models to attract buyers—including a Donald Duck bike (Shelby Flyer) with quacking horn, "cowboy" models named after Gene Autry or Hopalong Cassidy (Snyder Rollfast), and details such as fringed saddlebags, capgun holsters,[8] proprietary springer fork suspensions, motorcycle-style horn tanks, and extensive chrome plating.
The Huffy "RadioBike"® (one word) featured an electron-tube radio built into the tank and an antenna and battery pack on the rear carrier.
[9][10] 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".
These models featured three-speed gearing, taller wheels, narrower tires and lighter weight[11] and greater hill-climbing ability.
Between the 28 inch wheeled track bikes that they built between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s and the lightweight offerings they introduced in the 30s such as the Continental, Varsity and Superior, they knew their way around.
The cruiser also ceded market share to muscle and lowrider bikes, which Schwinn introduced in 1963, featuring banana seats, oversized shift levers, and ape-hanger bars inspired by West coast motorcycle customizers—which in turn gave birth to the modern BMX bike, while the cruiser went into a steep sales decline.
Derailleur-equipped sport bikes or ten speeds inspired by European racing bicycles soon dominated the adult market.
The release of the 1985 film Pee-wee's Big Adventure[15] highlighted the main character's cross-country search for his lost custom-built heavily-accessorized horn-tank bicycle.
[20] The off-road terrain was rocky and the steep mountainside helped riders attain high speeds as they bounced and slammed over rocks and mud.
[22] Derailleur gears were added by Russ Mahon[16] of The Morrow Dirt Club in Cupertino at the 1974 Marin County cyclo-cross and Gary Fisher's[16] 1975 used a tandem rear hub (from a flea market) with internal steel drum brake and threaded for a freewheel derailleur cluster to his old Schwinn Excelsior bike, enabling him to ride up the mountain, as well as down.
The classic "retro" looks, reliable mechanical performance, comfortable ride, and relatively low price of cruisers (compared to mountain bikes or road racers) also appealed to young Gen Xers.
[39] A similar trend is the sudden appearance of "chopper" bicycles over the past couple of years, in response to the surge of interest in custom motorcycles.
These bikes usually feature a lower center of gravity, suspension forks, hot rod paint jobs, and large rear tires.
