10 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Beach Cruiser Bike

Summer of 2023 is here and with it comes long days out in the sun, enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. There are a lot of great ways of getting out and experiencing the best summer has to offer, but when it comes to neighborhood and park travel, one of the best ways of exporting is by bicycling. And one of the best types of bicycles for easy summer riding is the beach cruiser. Beach cruisers are fantastic bicycles because they are comfortable and easy to ride. Even if you are in your sixties and haven't been on a bicycle since you were six, you are apt to find beach cruisers to be a very easy, enjoyable, get-on-and-go experience.

Yet, while beach cruiser bikes are fantastic all-around bikes in general, there still is a lot about them that differs between brands and even models within a given brand. The following is a look at some of the more specific things shoppers who are looking for the best beach cruiser bike for their needs should consider:

10 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Beach Cruiser Bike

1. There are a lot of fantastic and affordable electric bikes on the market today.

The very first thing you should look at when purchasing a new 2023 beach cruiser is whether you want it to be electric or you want it to be traditional, as in only operating via the power of your two feet. Both of these types of bicycles have their benefits. For example, traditional bikes, particularly traditional cruiser bikes, are going to generally cost less and be more lightweight overall. You might even score a good used cruiser at an exceptionally reduced price at your local bike shop.

That said, electric bikes like Around the Block from sixthreezero have some pretty massive advantages that may very well swing those sitting on the fence between traditional v. electric over to the motor side. These styles of electric bikes are fairly lightweight and very maneuverable, making it easy for you to take the bike on the road with you camping or on a beach trip. But primarily, the reason why you would choose an electric or hybrid bike is because you want that motor that you can either switch on full or operate with a pedal assist (in select models) for easy, no-sweating riding along the beach or bike paths.

2. Getting the wheel size for your riding purposes is important.

When it comes to wheel size, there are really only two choices here when it comes to the vast majority of beach cruiser bike models: 700c and 26".

• 700c wheels and tires are taller and tend to be of a thinner profile and are the style of bike wheel and tire that will be found on all road bikes. Their wider diameter equates to a generally taller frame as well as a more hybrid riding experience when thinner, more road-styled bike tires are used.
• 26" wheels and tires are those most commonly used on mountain bikes. These are, overall, designed as wider tires with more clearance between the wheel and frame and fork. This clearance makes it so owners can choose tires with thick tread patterns. Tires with thicker tread blocks, also known as ribs, are able to tackle non-paved surfaces much more efficiently.

Which type of wheels you want on your future beach cruiser bike will largely depend upon where you want to take that bike. If you are looking to do mostly paved trails and streets, then a beach cruiser with 700c wheels and tires will be ideal for your needs. These types of beach cruisers still feature that iconic laid-back cruiser design, but offer a bit more practicality for everyday use. If you might want to take your bike on dirt paths and over packed sand at the beach, then opt for a model with 26" wheels with wide balloon tires or thick treading. Those iconic balloon tires are great for shock absorption and ensuring the bike doesn't lose a lot of traction over loose rocks, gravel, and sand.

3. If you're going to encounter hills, consider upgrading your gearing options.

Beach cruisers, as their name implies, were first billed as bikes that you take over very flat, packed surfaces, namely the beach. Beaches and the neighborhoods immediately surrounding them can almost always be characterized as flat. Thus, traditionally, beach cruisers have been designed as single-speed bikes as it keeps the frame design and overall care and maintenance simple while still ensuring the bike fulfills its purpose.

Single-speed bikes are those bikes that only have one gearing option. This means there is a chainring in the front where you pedal, and that chainring connects via chain with one freewheel sprocket that turns the back wheel. Single-speed bikes are simple but effective and, generally, are all one needs in flat or mostly-flat terrains. You pedal and your bike goes.

If, however, you plan on taking your beach cruiser to hillier locations, or if you want to go faster than just one speed, then consider buying a beach cruiser with more gearing options. Even a cruiser with just three sprockets, or three gearing options, in the rear can offer a cyclist a nice array of options to tackle different road and path gradients and conditions.

4. Know that when it comes to beach cruisers, comfortable design is at the forefront.

Even if you do opt to get a beach cruiser with more than one gearing, it is important to emphasize that beach cruisers as a style of bike are designed more as comfort-riding bikes and not performance-styled bikes. So, before you go too much further down this list of things to know about buying a beach cruiser bike, we ought to emphasize that this probably isn't the bike for you if you're looking for a sportier biking experience.

Now, that's not to say you can't go fast on a beach cruiser. Certainly, electric beach cruisers specifically will be able to take cyclists at speeds rivaling a standard road cyclist powering down the bike path. However, beach cruisers feature a frame that is designed foremost to offer comfort. When on it, you'll find that you sit upright, with your arms at barely a bend and your knees pedaling just before you. This is a rising position that won't afford you a lot of power when trying to push up hills or race down a street. Similarly, it would be dangerous to take this style of bike on a downhill mountain path. Yet, it is a fantastic choice for those who want to enjoy an easy ride around the neighborhood.

5. Make sure you're comfortable with the braking options before buying a specific beach cruiser bike.

The style of brakes on traditional beach cruisers also harkens back to that initial design purpose of being a simple, easy neighborhood bike. Most beach cruisers were and continue to be built with coaster brakes, but you can also find models that feature beefier braking systems and ones that offer both.

First, let's get to the important things to know about coaster brakes. Coaster brakes are the style of brakes that stop the rear wheel when the rider applies backward pressure on the pedals. This type of brake is found on most kids' bikes as well as most cruiser bikes because they are simple, low maintenance, and very intuitive to use -- when you want to stop, you stop pedaling and press backward. They work just fine in flat terrain and very well at low speeds. So, if you are looking to purchase a standard beach cruiser for some campground, beach, or similar biking experiences, then keeping just the standard cruiser brakes is a great option!

However, if you are considering an electric beach cruiser bike, a multi-geared beach cruiser bike, or are otherwise planning on taking it in hillier terrains, then we recommend looking for a model with a better braking system. Because while cruiser brakes are effective at low speeds and in flat terrain, if you try to slam backward and brake when going at high speeds or down a hill, the momentum risks you skidding out in a dangerous fashion. So, for these cases, we recommend looking for a beach cruiser model that either pairs the coaster brake with a front v-brake or disc brake, or one that completely swaps the coaster brake for a full set of v-brakes or disc brakes.

Disc brakes are considered the safest style of brakes, with hydraulic disc brakes being the absolute best in bike braking technology. The trade-off here, though, is weight. Both of these brakes are beefy options that will overall weigh your bike down and may take away too much from the maneuverability benefits of beach cruisers for you. They are also more expensive and will require more routine maintenance.

6. Different frame materials can result in a different riding experience.

As you start shopping around for your next beach cruiser bike, or any bike really, you will find that all models include what type of material their frame and forks are made out of. For the casual bicyclist, there may not be a big discernable difference between different frame materials and so, may not play the largest role in your new bike purchasing decision. That said, there are differences and it can be helpful to understand why you might choose one type of frame material over another.

Bikes can be manufactured from a number of materials that include steel, aluminum, alloys, carbon fiber, titanium, and even wood. Most beach cruisers, both traditional beach cruisers and electric-powered beach cruisers, are going to be made out of one of the first three types of materials. Here are the important things to know about each:

• Steel frames and forks. Steel is a very common and traditional choice for beach cruisers because of its great durability, overall strength, and low cost. Steel frames and forks are also characterized as offering a nice amount of flex to assist with absorbing rough road vibrations and thereby delivering a comfortable biking experience. The disadvantages of steel frames and forks are their weight, they are one of the heaviest types of materials you can use for a bike frame, and they are more susceptible to rust. If you have a steel beach cruiser bike, it is important to ensure any dings or scratches are properly repaired and painted back over to prevent the onset of rust, which will greatly compromise the integrity of a bicycle frame or fork.
• Aluminum frames and forks. Aluminum is somewhat the opposite of steel in terms of its biggest advantages. Where steel is heavy, aluminum is lightweight and where steel attracts rust, aluminum naturally resists it. Unfortunately, aluminum frames and forks aren't quite as good as steel at absorbing road shocks and vibrations, and bikes manufactured from this material can be a touch more expensive than similarly valued steel ones.
• Alloys. Steel alloy bike frames and forks are a popular middle-ground choice. For example, you are apt to find bike frames marketed as being made from chromoly or chromium-molybdenum, a high-strength steel alloy that boasts the strength of steel but at a lighter weight.

7. Do you want to start with accessories or add on as you go? It can be cheaper to start with included accessories, but you might not have all that you want.

It is important to take a moment to consider what you plan on doing with your new cruiser bike. Is this going to be a bike you take to the neighborhood market or for drink runs? If so, then you will probably need to add a basket at some point or a rack from which you can hang panniers. Do you plan on riding your new cruiser bike a lot at night or in the early morning hours? If so, then you're going to want to make sure you have some type of front and rear lights equipped before you take it out on the streets. Are you envisioning yourself cruising around neighborhood block parties or across large campgrounds in the summer? If so, then a solid handlebar drink holder and a nice horn or bell will prove quite helpful.

It might be helpful to think of a beach cruiser bike as something of a canvas on which there is a good painting already, but one that could always use a few finishing touches. Consider what you want to do most with your beach cruiser bike and then look for models that either feature those accessories or offer a nice discount rate to add them on. Buying your accessories with your bike (or a bike that includes your favorite accessories) is preferable because then you can just kick off and go on day one, getting right down to doing those things you most want to do with your new recreational purchase.

8. Think about your budget before shopping.

You can find beach cruisers at prices to meet just about any budget, but it is still important to consider your price range before you go out shopping. Setting a budget or a price range you want to shop in helps to make it easier to prioritize what you want, and better dismiss those bikes that don't offer the value you want or are priced out of your range.

Not sure what type of prices to expect with beach cruisers? The biggest determining factor for the range you can expect will depend upon whether you want a bike with an electric motor or not. A good example of the difference this can make is with sixthreezero's own Around the Block beach cruiser. You can buy our traditional AroundtheBlock beach cruiser bike for under $250, and even packed with accessories, your bill isn't likely to be over $500. That's a solid price for a solid bike!

But let's say you want to buy that same style of bike, but you want to add a little electric power to the back hub. Well, that battery and the specialty motor that is designed to be lightweight while still offering a ton of power will bring the price up, as you can see with the AroundtheBlock 500W. This is a bigger investment, but being able to take your beach cruiser up to 20 mph in full electric mode or pedal assist may be well worth the sticker price for the lifestyle change you're looking to make with a new bike addition.

9. Brand research matters when buying a new beach cruiser bike.

Whether you are planning on spending a couple hundred or a couple thousand on your new bike, doing some brand research goes a long way to ensure you're happy about your purchase -- and to simply give you some confidence in making said purchase! There are, unfortunately, bicycle manufacturers out there who do take shortcuts in things like component quality. Other brands might include features or components that are highly specialized and thus hard (expensive) to replace or repair should you have issues in the future.

The best way to avoid the above issues and other issues is to do some brand research before you finalize your new bicycle purchase. There are a couple of good ways of going about this:

• Look at the brand's social media. Trusted bike brands are those brands involved in the biking community; those looking to build bikes that either get more people cycling or enhance those participating in specialty bike events or activities. Such brands are more to be trusted because of their investment in the community at large. Check a bike company's YouTube videos or search for events they've sponsored to see how much they invest in a given community.
• Check customer reviews and feedback. The best way to see how well a bike holds up and how enjoyable it is to ride is to see what other people like you are saying about it.
• Consider the brand's warranty and customer support. A brand that is confident about the quality of their bike and its components is willing to take bikes back for an extended period. If the bike you're looking at doesn't have a money-back option for at least a few weeks following purchase, we recommend skipping it.

This might seem like a lot for a beach cruiser bike, but if you find a bike that you really love, that fits you well, and that is properly built, then you can expect to enjoy said bicycle for a decade or even more. That's a long time! Solid bikes are built to last and to keep giving you enjoyment throughout every season. So, why not spend a little extra time now to ensure you get the best bike for your dollar?

10. A professional bike fit is the best way to ensure you're getting the right-size bike for your body's proportions and seat profile.

Different body types will fit on bikes differently -- this is why there are men's and women's frame styles and sizes. Overall, women proportionally have shorter arms, longer legs, wider sit bones, and narrower shoulder width. Thus, to make sure women enjoy a comfortable riding experience, women's frames will typically feature things like a shorter top tube that makes for a more comfortable arm reach. Full bikes will likewise account for these physical differences by including things like wider saddles on a woman's bike to more comfortably accommodate their pelvic geometry, while men's bikes will typically feature a narrower seat which is likewise more comfortable with where their sit bones are.

Of course, these physical differences are all general differences and there will be outliers. You can narrow down your personal bike size by visiting your local bike shop and undertaking a bike fitting. A professional bike fit is even more important than a test ride because many people who don't ride a lot will initially sit at the wrong height on a bike. While this may prove okay in the short-term, riding a poorly fit bike over the long term will get uncomfortable and is more likely to cause dissatisfaction in your purchase. So start your new bike journey right by getting the most accurate measurements to use as you shop.

Check Out the Sixthreezero Difference Today

Here at sixthreezero, our passion is sharing cycling with as many people as possible. We do this by designing, manufacturing, and selling bikes that are fun to ride, easy to care for, and affordable. Just take a look at our versatile AroundtheBlock beach cruiser bike that is built for comfort riding in style!

Have questions? Give our team a call for answers, and to learn about how you can test ride a sixthreezero!