Society Journal

Beach cruiser bikes for sale are becoming more and more popular these days especially with the baby boomers who remember them from when they were younger. Beach cruiser bicycles are a ‘retro’ style bike that is reminiscent of the days when bikes where built to last and they had specific reasons for riders such as beach bikes, racing bikes, mountain climbing bikes and street bikes.

Schwinn first started making the beach cruisers for sale during The Great Depression when their other bikes were not selling well. People were not using bikes for recreational activities or for racing and sports and Schwinn wanted to reach those children who could still afford a great bike. Other people could not afford a luxury such a bike, many were selling the ones they had to feed their families or repairing their old ones to ride to work if they still had a job.

The beach cruiser bikes featured fat tires and a heavy frame, sometimes weighing up to 50 pounds but perfect for riding on the beach’s rough terrain or navigating through the city streets. Bike messengers and paperboys loved the new design and used the beach bikes as their favorite kind of bike. Other bike manufacturers began to copy the Schwinn design but without much success; Huffy, Columbia, Shelby, Monark and Roadmaster were all trying to duplicate the beach cruiser. 

Beach bikes for sale did receive some competition from bikes imported from Great Britain during the 50s and 60s because their bikes were a bit lighter – weighing in at 30 to 40 pounds in addition to greater hill climbing capabilities and they were more nimble for sports biking events. Plus, these bikes featured threes speeds where the bike cruisers only featured one. There were also the taller wheels and more narrow tires that people were attracted to.

During the 50s and 60s, the birth of the muscle bike or ‘low rider’ style bicycle with its banana seat, shift levers and high handlebars eventually morphed into the BMX bikes for those who could not afford a race car and then somehow came out as a mountain bike.