Aug
16
2010
16
2010
Cruiser Love Affair
Filed under: Bikes, Exercise, Simplifying
I’ve always loved bicycle culture. In fact, I’ve already blogged about it here. But I didn’t know how MUCH I would love riding a cruiser. I had a mountain bike for 10 years and I REALLY did not like riding it. It was uncomfortable and cumbersome with all the gears. So in April, we finally found a really nice cruiser on Craigslist (Giant “Simple” Cruiser) and my love affair began again.
My only way of transportation lately has been my bike, because Matt has had the truck at work for the last couple of months. If I wanted to go anywhere, it was either walking or biking. Bella, Lucy, and I have enjoyed touring Golden together. When my parents came to visit, we rented bikes so that we could all bike together. Those are beautiful memories that we will have forever! Such fun.
I love the simplicity of the single speed. Even with a 50 lb Burley trailer, it’s great (unless I’m going straight uphill!). There is nothing better than jumping on my cruiser, parking it at the cafe, and sitting outside to sip my steamy latte. I think I was supposed to be born European. I’ve been occasionally riding to the coffee shop after Matt gets home to do some work and I just adore riding at night when no one is out and I have the street all to myself. Bliss.
I recently realized that I have now spent more money on accessories for my cruiser than on the cruiser itself. 
But OH! I love it so. I had a custom Betty Basket Liner made, and got a delicious seat that I’ve been dreaming of since I saw it on a cruiser in Bozeman 2 years ago. And I can’t forget my little ding bell. *ding ding*
There is something about photos of cruiser bikes…I get so happy when I see them! So my request is that you post links to photos of you with your cruisers. Or links to photos of ANY cruiser! *love*
I also want you to tell me your favorite “bikeable” towns in the U.S. I want to go there!
Posted by Sara @ 8:06 pm | Leave a Comment
16
2010
Cute, Sara! I am so glad you are enjoying crusin’ around!
I had a cruiser and I barely used it, so I sold mine on Craigslist while we were in AZ. I now have a Giant mountain bike and a trailer, and I am loving it! I am hoping to take mine around town within the next few days for errands.
Best bikeable city I have seen – Madison, WI. http://www.cityofmadison.com/trafficEngineering/documents/2010_BikeMapForWeb.pdf
16
2010
I love cruiser bikes too!! I want one, have been on the hunt lately. But this is SO not a biking town.. there are lots of trails, but not easy to just cruise around town. So, I am really curious what cities get shared about here..
16
2010
I have been on a search for a cruiser for so long. I have a feeling I am going to just have to buy a new one.
My son loves riding his bike and keeps asking me when I am going to buy one!
16
2010
Jennie…isn’t it funny how everyone is so different!? I actually do want to eventually upgrade to a cruiser with gears so I can go a few more places without having to walk my bike up, but other than that, I love it. I do love Madision, but haven’t biked it. Will have to add that to our list. We recently got a bike carrier for the truck (normally it’s just on the RV)…so we’ll be able to take them into the city with us regardless of where the RV is.
Lisa…It’s so hard to find a city that is TRULY bike friendly, with separate lanes, etc.
Samantha…I was looking for 2 years before I found my perfect cruiser. There are actually some very inexpensive cruisers online. Like this one: http://www.beachbikes.net/index.php?p=product&id=3&parent=0 I’m sure it’s not fancy, but it looks cool! My biggest thing was that I wanted one that was super lightweight, which is harder to find. Most cruisers are super heavy! The Simple brand is awesome.
16
2010
My next door neighbor just gave me his 1974 Schwinn. It’s in rough shape, but I’m hoping to fix it up. I think it needs flames pained on it. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to sell it though cause it’s too big for me. Here’s a pic: http://yfrog.com/mabpdj
16
2010
Love you cruiser, love your basket & seat, so freakin adorable! What bike rack did you get for the truck? Does it hold Bella’s bike also? We are looking for one for the top of the Excursion to put next to the roof box. I want a bike, just don’t know if we are ready to bike as a family. And where do you put the bike trailer when you travel?
16
2010
PJ…love the baskets! I love old Schwinns!
Stephanie…it’s a Thule or Yakima (don’t know and Matt is sleeping) fold down bike rack that holds 4 bikes. You could totally bike as a family. Nick could tow a trail-a-bike with Coda + 1 double Burley with Jericho and Dillon (triple tow) and you could tow a trail-a-bike with Teadora. Aiden can ride on his own, right? Sometimes Bella rides on her own and sometimes on the trail-a-bike. http://www.trail-a-bike.com/
The Burley folds flat and rides on the rack while in transit.
16
2010
Can’t just pass up this post. Marquette, Michigan is awesome for biking of every kind. Josh loves it for it’s mountain bike trails. our family loves it for it’s bike paths through the city and along the lake. Ya’ll would probably love it!–not to fail to mention it’s kind of a mini-Boulder type town
17
2010
I want a cruiser so bad! You should visit Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia. It’s right next to Savannah and both places are great for biking!
17
2010
I lived on my thrift store cruiser in college in Spokane. Nice flat town with bike and walk paths through all of downtown. I got my very first brand new bike last year…. I thought I should graduate to moutain bike. I had no idea how different those ride. So I’m back to hunting down a cruiser.
17
2010
I agree with the vote for Madison, WI. However, you do need to be sure to avoid the winter months…although some do bike year round.
Lovin’ your cruiser!!
17
2010
Amanda…we’ve actually been to Tybee during the Live Lightly Tour, but we didn’t bike it! We will have to check that out next time.
Francie…when we went through Spokane, the downtown area looked like so much fun. Maybe we’ll stop there in Sept. just to bike around
Ellen…We have a family friend who outfits his bike to ride through North Dakota winters. That’s just another reason I love the RV life — bike in nice weather year round
Speaking of which, Minneapolis was just voted the most bikeable city, which I don’t really understand considering at least 6 months of the year are FREEZING!! 
17
2010
Here’s a picture of mine from right after I got it. I miss it this year but it doesn’t really work with the wee one. (I have managed a few solo rides…bliss!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13517904@N00/3715230924/
We live right by Madison and it is extremely bike friendly. Congrats on your new ride!
17
2010
we don’t really live in a cruiser family area – north georgia is pretty hilly and mountainous. but, every year we go on a couple of beach trips and take out mountain bikes – we get some looks because everyone else is on a cruiser
we love dauphin island, alabama, jekyll island, georgia and amelia island, florida – all of them are very bike friendly and not your typical commercial beach towns.
oh and closer to home – chattanooga tops the list! YOU MUST GO TO CHATTANOOGA. they have hooping (classes at coolidge park), the chattanooga market, a ped. bridge across the river. SO MANY free things for families to do. let me know when you go and i can give you a tour
!
17
2010
I don’t have a cruiser picture for you, but Sioux Falls, SD is a very bikeable city. There are trails around the entire city, and even several bike lanes throughout the regular streets. My husband biked all last winter with studded tires on his bike. His commute is only a mile, but we get plenty of cold weather & snow!
17
2010
Fort Collins, it’s the most bikeable city we’ve ever been to. There is an awesome family-friendly bike path that goes along the Poudre river that cuts through town, you can get anywhere on that path.
Fargo is a close second for bikeability, it was so fun biking there.
People swear Portland is bikeable but I have no idea how they bike there without getting nailed by cars, the roads are so narrow!
17
2010
I love cruisers, too! Mine is a very old vintage Schwinn, candy apple red, and I *love* it. The chain is covered, so I can even ride in a skirt. It’s great!
17
2010
Yeah bikes! Come to Portland, OR. We’re serious about our trees and bikes here!
17
2010
Oh, Cruisers… I fell in love with mine when I saw it gleaming in the bike shop. Just like the movies, I saved for half a year before I bought the darn thing!
Here she is in all her candy-apple-red-gingham-wicker-basket-glory: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungalowhigh/277303451/in/set-72157594265074003/ Please ignore the spideywebs on my house – it was Halloween time, lol.
St. Louis is more of a road-biking city than a cruiser-friendly city, but if you’re ever in the Madison County (Illinois) area right across the river, there are TONS of beautiful bike trails that folks have built all over the old railroad beds and levies. It’s worth a trip! Glen Carbon in particular has lots of great trails.
17
2010
We love biking. To me it is the same joy that a dog gets sticking it’s head out the window. You can’t quite explain it but you know it’s just that much fun
We made a trip out to the Pacific Northwest early this summer and I have to say that Vancouver should be on any list for biking if you happen to be within a few hours. The miles and miles of trails around the city & the ocean stop everywhere and are gorgeous. On the east coast Acadia National Park (ME) has some of the best carriage trails ever for biking. We spend days on them and love stopping at Jordan Pond Teahouse for tea and popovers. In the fall it is simply amazing.
17
2010
I’ve loved Cruisers since my stint in Southern California..
My town, Asheville, NC, is pretty bike friendly by East Coast standards. The best place I’ve found so far is Montreal – raised dividers along the bike paths and tons of people commuting on two wheels – pretty cool.
Just found your blog, and I’m excited to see that we like to talk about many of the same topics. I’m looking forward to reading more!
17
2010
Well I’m originally from Madison, WI and the bike trails and bike lanes there are truly amazing. If it wasn’t for the horrible winter a bike would be all you’d need there. I had an old yellow Schwinn cruiser named Jessica when I lived there that I got for $10 at a garage sale. Took her everywhere.
17
2010
Portland, OR is definitely bike friendly – rented bikes when there for a vacation a few years ago. Vancouver Island also is amazingly bike friendly. Our home town, Davis, CA, is great for biking – we don’t have a car. We have a nice, 13 mile bike loop around the town. And we now have the bicycling hall of fame as well. Harrisonburg, VA is really working on becoming more bike friendly, but I’ve heard they do a pretty good job already.
17
2010
We live in a suburb of Atlanta called Roswell. There are a ton of bike paths and courses for mountain bikes. I just don’t like the hills!
17
2010
Biking rocks! Burlington VT is a good town for biking (they have seperate bike lanes on the roads) and they have a great bike path that runs along Lake Champlain
17
2010
Oh, to have a cute light pink Townie or cruiser. I’d be in heaven!! I’ve been looking on Craigslist for one lately but haven’t seen much. I’ve seen some pretty cheap online online, I’m just really trying to make an effort to buy used/reuse when I can. You taught me that- be proud!
20
2010
I wanted a pink Townie too but I bought a blue one and I love it! I cruise all over and it is the most comfortable bike I have ever owned!
15
2011
I got my dream Townie bike! And it ended up being vanilla and not pink. Funny!
17
2010
*sigh* All the talk of cruisers makes me miss my old town, Durango CO… It has a nice bike path that goes along the river and the down town is small enough that you can pretty much get there from any point on a bike. That town loves its street bikes and cruisers
I have a powder blue one that I just love <3
17
2010
You probably already know this (since you or somebody in your family?) is from MN but Minneapolis, and the Greenway, are GREAT place to cruise along! Now they even have stores you can only get to by bike! Neat huh? I’m not actually really intto biking but perhaps I can get a little excited seeing a super cute and trendy old school bike with trinkets on it!
~Samantha
17
2010
Well I already love my mountain bike so you’ve just made me wonder how much more I would love a cruiser! One thing that makes me a little sad is that I can not ride my bike to get anywhere. We live near the interstate and the only reason our exit exists is the lake. All the stores are one exit away with no other access to those roads! I will definitely enjoy the lake and it’s trails though, so who am I to complain! Love your cruiser! Really love your post on not using disposable paper products! Thanks for sharing.
17
2010
I love my cruiser! I have a bright red Electra. I haven’t beeen able to ride it since my little man was born and I miss it so much!
17
2010
I love this post and I’m definitely feeling the cruiser love. I love biking, but after messing up my back a few years ago, I haven’t really been able to use my mountain bike since then. And then I discovered the “cruiser love” myself. I never realized how great cruisers were until a trip to Yosemite when we all rented them. I came home from that trip and found my dream cruiser on craigslist!! Here are 2 posts about it from my blog.
http://themcnabbclan.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-my-new-favorite-craigslist.html
http://themcnabbclan.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-cure-for-morning-sickness.html
Thanks for spreading the cruiser love!!
17
2010
Have been stalking your blog for a while and LURVE IT! Especially reading up on your homebirth info – no midwife will take me because I am high risk, but I am trying to become as educated as possible about birth so I can make decisions that are right for my family and advocate for myself! Luckily, I have a wonderful acupuncturist that will act as my doula who is crazy assertive and who will help support me!
About the bikes – Portland, OR (where I live) has got to top them all. We have a strong bike culture, separate safety boxes for bikes at each intersection, and tons of mountain biking as well if you are into that. My husband bike commutes to work and our public transit is very bike friendly. We are pretty crunchy, too
18
2010
I LOVE bike culture and I love my cruiser. It’s a pink Schwinn, I truly wish it had come in yellow, but the pink has worn on me
I love your basket! We also only have one car and I bike or walk everywhere with the kids. I’m thankful that my cruiser does have gears, it’s helpful when pulling the trailer with the kiddies. Our city, Mt. Pleasant, Mi, isn’t quite bike friendly yet, but is well on it’s way. THere are miles of bike trails along the river and two of the main roads in town are currently being renovated to include a bike lane and more bike parking.
18
2010
Do NOT come to Kansas City we ranked one of the WORST places to bike. I love to ride my bike too and would love a cruiser! I wish I could bike more around town. they are trying to improve it slowly. I got a racing bike for my triathalons and it is such a pain compared to my banana seat bike of my childhood.lol No gears and I rode that thing all day everyday.lol Simple is so much better! My Mom has an old cruiser for me, I need to pick it up this post reminded me.
18
2010
I love it! Beautiful photos and memories. I love my cruiser bike, too. Here are some photos! http://dreammore.squarespace.com/blog/2009/7/8/bike-ride-tour-of-north-oak-cliff.html
18
2010
My husband loves mountain bikes, but I’ve also never been crazy about them, so we’ve been talking about getting a cruiser for me. I love yours! It looks so comfy and relaxing. The basket and seat you bought are so pretty…I’m already getting ideas for when I get one : ) Right now, I’m 31 weeks pregnant, so it may be a few months before I can ride a cruiser, but I’m REALLY looking forward to it! Great post and photos, as always : )
20
2010
My Townie is so comfortable I can’t believe it! I still have my mountain bike but at 50 I can’t see myself wanting to ride it when I have my cruiser.
18
2010
I was going to say Tybee Island but Amanda beat me to it. We stay there for most of the summer and I love to park my mini-van and tell it good bye. I ride a cruiser to the beach with a trailer and stuff as many babies, toys, and boogie boards in the back as I can. Tybee is so bike friendly. It makes it hard to come back to Macon which is not bike friendly at all! http://lifeinthebirdhouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-i-want-my-people-to-remember.html
18
2010
Minneapolis is great for biking – day before yesterday, I walked & my 5 year old biked 3+ to an Asian grocery and back, only a few blocks on the sidewalk – sidewalk-light rail path-ped bridge-parking lot, store – light rail path – greenway – 5 blocks home.
I have had a couple cruisers but for commuting I like a nice hybrid comfort bike better – 7 or 8 gears, stepthrough/classic cruiser shape.
18
2010
So funny! I just got a light blue Electra Townie (like a cruiser but with gears) and a trailer for the 10 month old and we got my daughter that exact same Hello Kitty basket/tassle/bell set for her bike. We are biking twins!
I’m here in CO too and of course you really can’t beat Boulder as an awesome biking town.
18
2010
I love the cruiser bike! Aren’t they great? And I love PJ’s schwinn too. My bf got me a rust covered Western Flyer for Christmas and we recovered the seat in red brocade. It rides like a dream. The guy who sold it to the bf made him promise not to sandblast or paint it, and we wont. I get compliments on it every time I ride. People can’t believe how well it cruises, with almost no work done to it, just a recovered seat. It’s the best. And I can definitely recommend Austin as a great cycling town. I loved your recent pics of our little hippie city in Texas. Bet you saw lots of us on bikes during your time here!
19
2010
When we lived in Washington, we biked everywhere!
Been following your blog for two years now…and enjoyed your journey!
I guess I’m what they call a lurker.:) We’re in the army so we travel every few years…been across country 6 times…learned alot and ready to hit the road again next spring when my soldier comes back from Afganistan. I’ve decided next deployment we’re taking an RV and traveling! 
Thank you for your encouragement and testimony!
Aubrey aka armywife
19
2010
Happy to have found your blog Sara! The bike photo is beyond cool!
19
2010
My husband and I recently moved to Germany and have been living without a car since we got here, so I can relate! It sure is a very European way of life… and I love it! I love riding down the cobble stone streets in the evening with my basket full of fresh veggies from the market
hmmmmm…. wonderful. I don’t have a cruiser though, I sure would love one someday. For now I’m going with a cheaper bike (a borrowed one from a friend, hehe).
Seriously, the bike life is the best. Even when you have a guitar to lug around, a huge caprese salad that you need to get to a party, or if you get caught in a German summer rain storm… it always seems to work out! Keep biking!
-Elyse
20
2010
We rented bikes and rode along the Rhine and Danube rivers last summer. What an awesome experience…you are so lucky!
20
2010
I love my Townie. So far this summer my favorite biking towns were Santa Rosa Beach Florida and Leavenworth Washington. Yes, we are RV dwellers and we do get around.
21
2010
I just started riding my bike on a 20 mile path near our house, and I have a trailer for my two little girlies to tag along behind me. We love it! We take snacks and the camera, then go on our own little adventures! I wish our town was a little more bike friendly so we could ride around town too! That would be amazing!!!
22
2010
I can’t wait until my 6 month old is 1 year so I can put him in a bike trailer along with my 2 1/2 year old. I want to go biking with them so badly. We have great parks, shopping and the library close to our house as well as an awesome biking trail close by. I definitely want to get a cruiser with a basket. It looks like so much fun!
24
2010
I found a black one of these bikes on craigslist. Hoping it’s still available! Thanks for the suggestion!
25
2010
Someone already mentioned it, but Fort Collins, CO is an awesome bike town and not far from Golden! There are trails all over town and bike parking stations in downtown. In fact, the huge bike parade/event, Tour de Fat, is coming up Labor Day weekend. It is so much fun and the parade is family-friendly and GREAT people watching!
29
2010
I don’t know if it was already mentioned, but Davis, CA is the best bike place ever http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis,_California
Theire motto is, “Most bicycle friendly town in the world,” which, apart from Amsterdam, is totally true.
30
2010
I got my bike of craigslist too. It’s an “Oregonian” model (seems to have been made by Raleigh). I like 3 speeds. The cool thing about the bike is it has a Dynahub. It generates power for the lights, using magnets in the hub. Seriously cool. I just hope I can get my knees back in shape so I can ride some.