The Top 5 Beach Cruiser Bikes
If you want to do something active that feels like stepping into a time machine, go ahead and take a ride down the boardwalk on your beach cruiser. The beach cruiser is made for easy, leisurely, simple rides, and it's the perfect bike for trips with your family. A lot has changed since Schwinn introduced the first beach cruiser in 1933, and a lot more brands have elaborated on this classic design. And with advances in modern materials and design, the beach cruiser is more sturdy, comfortable and rugged, too. So, we took a few dozen trips up and down the Strand to bring you our choice of the five best beach cruiser bikes.
Sixthreezero Around The Block
The Best Way To Get Around
Sixthreezero has cruiser bike street cred galore. Started in a garage in Hermosa Beach, California, in 2005, the company focuses on all things cruiser-bike culture & lifestyle. The Around The Block features a 15-inch steel frame, 24-inch aluminum wheels, and a tall, dual-spring saddle – combined, these keep the body upright, creating a more ergonomically-comfortable position for the rider. The cruiser handlebars include comfortable, foam grips, while the whole bike just reeks of cool with its flat-black stylings. Get cruising today in comfort and style with this comfortable and stylish beach cruiser!
Pros:
- Also available in 3-, 7-, and 21-speed versions
- Rear rack with optional baskets and panniers
- Pedal-backwards coasting brakes
Cons:
- Maximum comfortable height 6-feet 2-inches
- Assembly required
Schwinn Huron & Mikko Adult
The Original
Schwinn harkens back to the days of 5-cent candy bars 50-cent gas with their Hurron & Mikko beach cruisers. From the retro fenders and the classic chain guard to the coiled, chrome saddle springs, no detail is spared to transport you back to the day when Surfin’ Safari was #1 on the charts. Schwinn throws in some well-deserved modern upgrades, too, with their extra-wide padded seat and wide, 26-inch wheels, giving the bike greater comfort and ease of use. The chain guard is a great feature, too, when you don’t want to get sand in your chain. All in all, it’s beautiful, practical, and reliable.
Pros:
- Comes in six colors
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Three drive chains available
Cons:
- No quick-release adjustment levers
- 1-2 hour assembly required
Micargi Beach Cruiser
The Pinnacle Of 1972 Style
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, beach cruiser bikes adopted a design change to look a little more like the lowrider motorcycle cruisers seen in movies like Easy Rider. Micargi takes us back to those days with their Beach Cruiser: from the neon-green paint to the banana seat held by a chrome-plated Sissy Bar all the way to 2-inch wide whitewall cruiser tires, Micargi pulled out all the stops to create this eye-catching design. We even found that the chrome, lowrider-style handlebars were comfortable enough for longer rides. It’s not easy to achieve a Dennis Hopper-level of cool, but this beach cruiser certainly doesn’t hurt.
Pros:
- Removable decals
- Black rubber hand grips
- Touch-up paint included
Cons:
- Not designed for large adults
- Assembly required
Firmstrong Urban Lady Beach Cruiser Bike
When You Can’t Choose Between Firm and Strong
The truth is, almost every manufacturer that makes a men’s beach cruiser makes a comparable design for women, the only difference being the crossbar design (or lack thereof). We recommend that if one of the styles listed here is listed for men, search for it in “Women’s” or “Ladies” to find the comparable beach cruiser. That said, the Firmstrong Urban Lady is built specifically with women in mind. It takes all the classic features and styling of a beach cruiser and applies them to a smaller, 15-inch frame and 26-inch wheels, then adds on white-wall balloon tires and an oversized seat for a more comfortable ride. Also available in 7 and 21-speed styles, there’s a model for every kind of cruiser.
Pros:
- Choose from 17 styles and colors
- Arrives 80% assembled
- Optional color-matched fenders available
Cons:
- White seat needs Scotchgard
- Needs tools for assembly
Micargi Fat Tire Beach Cruiser
Fat Chance
If you’re actually using your beach cruiser on or near the beach, you know that fat tires can make all the difference in the world. Micargi’s Fat Tire beach cruiser not only has the comfort of 4-inch wide, 36-inch tires, but the durability of a high-tensile, 26-inch steel frame. With a Sprocket 20T Freewheel and a one-piece steel crankset, you know this bike is built in a way that’s going to last a long time as well. We especially liked the comfortable seat with two rear-mounted coil springs and a front-mounted O-spring.
Pros:
- Comes with manufacturer’s warranty
- Arrives 85% pre-assembled
- Available in green and yellow
Cons:
- Not for the overly budget-conscious
- Small adjustment range in the handlebars
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s up with the fat tires on some beach cruisers?
Fat tires provide for a smoother ride, and are especially good on sand. You may notice you see them on mountain bikes, too. The extra width creates more shock absorbency and better tracking on smooth surfaces. Fat tires are also easier to balance, though they might take a little getting used to if you’ve never ridden one before.
I see a lot about different wheel sizes when I’m researching bikes. What size should I get?
Your height should dictate the size of the wheel you have on your bike. Adults between 5-foot and 5-5 should have a 26-inch wheel; if you’re up to 5-8, a 27.5-inch is best; for sizes up to 5-10, look for a 28-inch wheel, and if you’re over 5-10, the 29-inch wheel is best. Really tall people should also make sure their bike saddles and handlebars are fully adjustable.
Alright. Why is there a crossbar on men’s bikes but not on women’s? Seems like it should be the other way around, right?
Any guy who has ever owned a bike knows the nightmare of slipping off his bike seat and getting completely racked on the crossbar. So why is it there, when women’s bikes don’t have them? In the early days of bicycle manufacturing, the materials used were not of the same quality and strength that we use today, so a crossbar was installed on bikes to help keep the frame from folding. The “women’s design” was created for women who wear dresses, where a crossbar might pose a problem. As the steel used to make bike frames became more rugged, the crossbar design, unfortunately, remained. These days, BMX bikers use a vertical-slant design on their bikes to avoid injury.