Beach Cruiser Bikes

A beach cruiser is a bicycle built for casual riding. You'll know one by the comfortable upright seating position, wide tires, and simple design. Some have a single-speed drivetrain and some have multiple gears. They're popular for boardwalks, bike paths, and other flat surfaces. Like a city bike, a cruiser is also a great pick if you want something stylish and comfortable to ride around town.

With a focus on comfort and style, a beach cruiser is a great choice if you want a bike that's fun and easy to ride. They're perfect for leisurely rides around town or along the beach, with an upright position, wide heavily cushioned saddles, and large tires. They're simple to use and maintain, often more affordable than other bikes, and a fun way to get some exercise and enjoy being outside.

A cruiser is built purely for comfort and casual riding, with an upright position, wide tires, and a simple drivetrain for flat paved paths. A hybrid mixes that comfort with more speed and versatility, using a lighter frame, thinner tires, and wider gearing for longer or mixed rides. If you mostly want to cruise, go cruiser. If you want a faster, do-more bike, take a look at our hybrid bikes.

Beach cruisers run anywhere from about $100 to over $1,000. For the best blend of value and quality, we'd look between $200 and $400, which keeps you clear of a poorly built bike without overspending. Our Chatham cruisers start at $299.99, and if you want a lighter aluminum frame or a more premium comfort build, the Chatham Plus and Montauk sit above that range.

It's a common question online, and we don't mean to toot our own horn, but we think we're the best beach cruiser brand on the market. Cruisers are our bread and butter, one of our flagship bike families. If you aren't sure, check out our customer reviews. At the time of writing, we have nearly 15,000 reviews averaging 4.8 out of 5. Still stuck? Our Help Me Choose a Bike quiz is free and takes 30 seconds.

You can buy our beach cruisers online or from authorized retailers. Retailer inventory may differ from what's available online, but any model we sell online can be shipped directly to a dealer even if it isn't in stock there. Contact your local dealer to ask about in-person inventory and availability.

It depends. Beach cruiser is a loose category that covers a lot of styles, but the bikes in our cruiser family don't come with fenders. Ours are designed for casual riding on boardwalks, walking paths, and other mellow surfaces rather than urban commutes in varied conditions, and fenders add weight, bulk, and cost. If you want fenders to keep water spray and mud off you, try our city bikes. Almost all of them come with sturdy front and rear fenders.

Cruisers sit on the heavier side compared with hybrids or road bikes, mostly because of the sturdy frames, wide tires, and cushioned saddles. That weight is part of what makes the ride feel stable and smooth. If a lighter bike matters to you, our aluminum Chatham Plus trims weight versus a steel frame while keeping the same comfort. Check the specs on each product page for exact figures.

You can't fold a beach cruiser, but we do make a popular folding model, the Judd Folding Bike. Folding bikes are a great option if storage is tight. The Judd folds completely in half so you can stow it under your desk, in a closet, or in your trunk.

Taller riders usually want a larger frame and bigger wheels for a roomier fit. Most of our cruisers roll on 26-inch wheels, but our 29-inch Chatham gives you a taller stance and longer reach that works well if you're a bigger rider. Measure your inseam and use the Sizing tab on the product page, aiming for about an inch of standover clearance.

Not at all. Wide tires, plush saddles, and swept-back handlebars make for a casual, comfort-first ride. They are heavier and slower to accelerate than other bikes, so getting started takes a bit more power than on a lightweight hybrid or fitness model. For less weight, look at an aluminum cruiser like the seven-speed Chatham Plus. If you want the easiest ride we make, our electric beach cruisers add pedal assist and a push-to-go throttle.

Of course. Some of our cruisers, like the aluminum Chatham Plus, have seven gears, which makes uphill riding a breeze. Just shift down and keep pushing. If you really want to flatten hills, our electric beach cruisers use thumb throttles and multiple levels of pedal assist so you can do as much or as little pedaling as you like.

You can definitely ride a cruiser a long way, thanks to the plush saddle, laid-back position, and wide swept-up handlebars. That said, we design them for casual riding over shorter distances. If you want maximum performance, speed, and efficiency, explore our hybrid bikes or road bikes.

A cruiser is a fun, low-impact way to get exercise, mostly because the comfortable upright position makes it easy to ride more often. For short flat commutes they work well too. For longer or hillier commutes, a geared model like our 7-speed Chatham adds range, and our hybrid bikes give you more speed. If you'd rather arrive without breaking a sweat, an electric beach cruiser is a great commuting option.

Cruisers are made for paved, flat surfaces like streets, boardwalks, bike paths, and neighborhood roads, where the wide tires and upright position feel smooth and stable. They aren't built for rough off-road trails, steep terrain, or loose surfaces. For light gravel or mixed paths, you'll want gears and more rugged tires, so take a look at our hybrid bikes.

If comfort and simplicity are your priorities, a cruiser is about as close to a perfect bike as you can get. Wide tires absorb bumps, plush saddles keep you comfortable, and swept-back handlebars put you in a relaxed position that feels natural from the first pedal stroke. Our Chatham Step-Through Single Speed is one of the easiest bikes to ride, with a simple coaster brake and a no-fuss drivetrain. Want a little more range? The Chatham Step-Through 3-Speed handles mild hills, and the 7-Speed opens things up further.

Cruisers are a great choice at any age, but a lot of older riders choose them for the comfort. The neutral upright position, swept-back handlebars, wide tires, and heavily cushioned saddles make them some of the most comfortable bikes to ride, and a step-through frame makes getting on and off effortless.

Cruisers are one of the most popular styles for older adults, and it's easy to see why. Add a step-through frame and getting on and off becomes completely effortless. Our Chatham Step-Through Single Speed is a simple, low-maintenance option with a coaster brake and wide tires that smooth out bumps. For rolling terrain, the Chatham Step-Through 7-Speed adds a Shimano drivetrain with the same easy-access frame. For a lighter, rust-resistant upgrade that suits coastal living, the Chatham Plus Aluminum Step-Through 7-Speed brings extra-wide BigWave tires. For more, read our beach cruiser buyer's guide.

Cruisers have always been a natural fit if you want a bike that looks as good as it feels. Ours come in a range of colors, frame styles, and builds. The Chatham Step-Through Single Speed is a bestseller for a reason, with foam grips, a padded saddle, and a classic look. For more range, the Chatham Plus Aluminum Step-Through 7-Speed is lightweight and rust-resistant with extra-wide BigWave tires. For a full breakdown of what to look for, start with our guide to the best women's bikes.

Plenty. A handlebar basket, front and rear lights, racks, kickstands, phone mounts, and water bottle cages all make your cruiser more comfortable and more useful. You can also add a bike trailer to tow cargo, pets, or kids.

We recommend a bike trailer rather than a child seat. We haven't tested our bikes with child carriers, so we don't recommend installing one, but our trailers work with most adult bikes with 20 to 29 inch wheels. Worth knowing: coaster-brake models pair best with a trailer, and hauling extra weight is more tiring on hills, so a geared cruiser gives you more control.

Every bike we make comes with our exhaustive Owner's Manual, covering everything you need to keep it running well. You can also check out our blog, The Outdoor Journal, for firsthand knowledge from our gear experts. Beyond that there are plenty of resources online and at your local library, and a mechanic at your local bike shop can always help.