Silly Question?

Aurora31

Just wondering can anyone help me??

Im looking at getting an Electra Cruiser 3-speed and have heard some bad stories about not being able to go uphill and failing brakes?

So wondering is it possible to customise a bike ... any bike ... with additional gears and different brakes???

Would appreciate any help?!

P.s any feedback from people with electras already would be great!!

blorg

This style of bike is really an impractical toy which may be fine for it's original purpose of tootling along a flat beachfront but is not really practical for much more.

It's not going to be good for hills, as much due to the seating position as anything else.

Changing anything would be expensive to the point of not being worth it (certainly the gears are not easily changed, and in any case it's not just the gears, the fundamental design is inefficient). Is there any particular reason you are looking at this type of bike?

Note the bike should be fine for short distances on the flat if it is the look you are after.

niceonetom

right, i don't know the bike your talking about specifically but...

is it possible to customise a bike ... any bike ... with additional gears and different brakes???

short answer: no, some bikes cannot be upgraded so easily.

i've looked at the electra bikes site and can't see a three speed cruiser (link maybe?) but the three speed 'coaster' uses a hub (coaster) brake which means that the frame may not be drilled for a rear finger brake - there's nowhere to attach it to the frame without doing some surgery. it might be drilled but it's impossible to tell from the pics. the fork does not have a brake at all, but does appear to be drilled for one so having one installed should be quite easy.

cruiser bikes are for what their name suggests, cruising. they are heavy, slow, and have very unresponsive steering. this makes them comfortable for pootling up and down the promenade on holiday but far from ideal if you plan on using it in traffic - especially with only a coaster brake to slow you.

if you are not a cyclist 3 gears on a heavy bike may make you work pretty hard on a hill. and from the pictures it doesn't look like there's anywhere to attach dérailleur gear system, which means your limited to hub (internal) gears. upgrading to a 7 speed hub gear might be an option but would be quite expensive.

the bikes look fantastic, but ask yourself what you plan to do on it and if you're sacrificing too much functionality for style.

you do have the option of a 7 speed 'coaster' bike with finger brakes which would be a more versatile bike i think.

or go for a city bike, which is probably what i'd do...

studiorat

I'm sure if you were looking to buy one you could take it for a quick spin.
You'd want to make sure the spacing on the back axel was the right width for a multi speed cassette, if it was steel you could take a car jack to it! Not sure I'd do that though. Nice looking bikes, but a new one would be too expensive to customize like that.

I think the sitting arrangement on those bikes isn't great either. I'd love to see that fella in the Miller ad cycle back up that hill. I reckon he has a lot to answer for:D

If you are looking for a real cruiser you should look at some of the BMX bikes with 26" wheels. I had a brilliant Sunn Perimetric bike a few years ago (robbed). It had a BMX geometry with Mountain bike rims on BMX hubs. I always fancied putting a Rolhoff hub on the back.

blorg

If it only has coaster brakes it would be a really bad idea to the point of potential lethality in traffic and I would not even consider taking the thing near a hill. Even if you got up the hill you could be in big trouble coming back down it.

My only experience with these was on rental bikes in Berlin but they had rim brakes too. As such the coaster brake was mainly an annoyance preventing moving the pedals backwards to a decent position to get started again. It's sort of like all the annoyances of a fixie, but without any of the benefits of a fixie (owners of fixies never put their feet down in any case so don't need to worry about getting the pedals in a good position to get started again. Never.)

- Back wheel is much less effective for braking compared to the front wheel. You tend to lock up the wheel, and it starts to skid. I had big problems with this when hiring a bike with the brakes reversed.
- If you only have one, coaster brake, you are fecked if the chain snaps. Chains do snap, it's quite common. Fecked. Unless you are proceeding at a leisurely pace along a flat beachfront - then you will be fine.

Aurora31

Thanks a mill for quick and very helpful responses and ill look up the suggested BMX bikes?

Just wondering can any one recommend another choice for me?

I need something for going to friends houses which will be few miles and general fitness but i would love a really good looking bike and comfortable (hence the original interest in the Electra!) ?

Any Suggestions?!?!?!:)

aurelia

Don't know if you are still interested in the Electra's or whether you have already sourced a bike by now but I have a 3 speed cruiser so thought I'd share my thoughts. Firstly they also have a front brake so I wouldn't worry about that. The hub gears are very reliable and hardwearing. Yes the bikes are heavy enough but really comfortable to ride and are really well made.Sure, if you're going to be cycling up steep hills constantly you'd want to be pretty fit but I haven't had any problems with cycling up hills so far or cycling in traffic. If you are thinking of getting one i would recommend ordering online from chain reaction cycles. I got mine from them at a much lower cost than any of the retail outlets that do them and its free 24 hour delivery. You will have to assemble the bike but thats pretty easy and if you know anything about bikes or know someone who does it wont take very long. by the way electra do a selection of townies which are more lightweight but i prefer the cruisers.