Beach Cruiser Bikes

A beach cruiser is a type of bicycle designed for casual riding. They are known for their comfortable upright seating position, wide tires, and simple design. Some beach cruisers have a single-speed drivetrain, although some have multiple gears. They are popular for riding on boardwalks, bike paths, and other flat surfaces. Like a city bike, beach cruisers are also a popular choice for people who are looking for a stylish and comfortable bike to ride around town.

With a focus on comfort and style, beach cruisers are a great choice for people who are looking for a fun and easy-to-ride bike. They are perfect for leisurely rides around town or on the beach, with an upright riding position, wide, heavily-cushioned saddles, and large tires. Beach cruisers are extremely simple to use and maintain, often more affordable than other bikes, and offer a fun way to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors!

Beach cruisers can cost anywhere from $100 to over $1,000 for luxury models, but for the best blend of value and quality, search for a beach cruiser priced between $200 and $400. This range will prevent you from purchasing a poorly-built bicycle, but also will keep you from shelling out too much money. There is no need to spend much more than $400 on a casual beach cruiser.

This is a common question online, and we don’t mean to toot our own horn, but we believe retrospec is the best beach cruiser brand on the market. Simply put, beach cruiser bikes are our bread and butter, one of our flagship bicycle families.

Our bicycles have been lauded in reputable publications from Forbes to TechCrunch. If you aren’t sure, check out our customer reviews! (At the time of writing, we have nearly 15,000 customer reviews with a 4.8/5 star average.) If you’re struggling to choose a bike, don’t forget our intuitive “Help Me Choose a Bike” quiz. It’s free and only takes 30 seconds to recommend the best bike for you!

No, beach cruisers are extremely easy and comfortable to ride. Wide tires, plush saddles, and swept-back handlebars make for a casual, comfort-first riding experience. However, beach cruisers are heavier and slower to accelerate than other bikes, so getting started can take a bit more power than on a lightweight bike, like a hybrid or fitness model. For a reduced weight, check out an aluminum beach cruiser, such as this seven-speed Chatham Plus.

If you’re looking for the easiest bike to ride, check out our electric beach cruisers! With a 20 mph top speed, over 50 miles of range on a single charge, and a push-to-go throttle, beach cruiser ebikes make riding effortless!

You can definitely ride a beach cruiser for long distances, thanks to their plush saddles, laidback riding position, and wide, swept-up handlebars. However, beach cruisers are really designed for casual riding over short distances. If you’re looking for maximum performance, speed, and efficiency, you’ll want to explore our hybrid bikes or road bikes.

Of course! Some of beach cruisers, like our Aluminum Chatham Plus, feature seven gears, making uphill riding a breeze. Simply shift down and keep on pushing! However, if you really want to tackle hills with ease, don’t forget about electric beach cruiser bikes. Thanks to push-to-go thumb throttles and multiple levels of pedal assist, you can do just as much (or as little) pedaling as you like!

Beach cruiser bikes are a great choice for all ages, but many older adults purchase them due to their focus on comfort. Their neutral, upright riding position, swept-back handlebars, wide tires, and heavily cushioned saddles make beach cruisers some of the most comfortable bicycles for older adults to ride.

Due to their value, weight, and low maintenance, most beach cruisers have coaster brakes, so you simply pedal backward to stop. A few higher-end models, like our step-through Chatham 7 Speed, use aluminum alloy linear side-pull calipers (rim brakes), which offer dependable braking with minimal maintenance and low cost.

It depends. The term “beach cruiser” is a loose category, and can include many different styles of bicycle. However, bikes in the retrospec beach cruiser family do not come with fenders.

This is because our beach cruisers are designed for casual riding on boardwalks, walking paths, and other mellow surfaces, as opposed to urban commutes in varied conditions. Fenders add weight, bulk, and cost to a bicycle, so for a basic beach cruiser, we don’t use them.

If you’re looking for a bicycle with fenders to protect you from water spray, mud, and other debris, try our city bike collection. Almost all of these bikes come equipped with sturdy front and rear fenders.

Purchasing the right size bicycle is crucial for comfort and performance. Like all bikes, beach cruisers are sized by measuring inseam (the distance between the bottom of the foot and the top inside of the leg). At the bottom of every product page, you’ll find a “Sizing” tab to help you measure. If trying a bike in person, when you stand over it, you should have around one inch of clearance from the bike’s top tube. This means your inseam measurement should be one inch more than the bike’s standover height.

Regular maintenance is essential to keep your bike running smoothly and safely, and maintenance for a beach cruiser is no different than for any other bike. Keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure, lubricate your chain regularly, inspect your brakes and gears for proper function, and keep your bike clean. In addition, store your beach cruiser in a cool, dry location, out of direct sunlight.

You can purchase retrospec beach cruisers online or from authorized retailers. Remember, retailer inventory may differ from what is available online, but any retrospec model online can be shipped directly to dealers, even if not currently in stock. Please contact your local dealer directly to inquire about their in-person inventory and product availability.

A variety of accessories can be added to your beach cruiser to enhance comfort, convenience, and safety. These include handlebar baskets, front and rear lights, racks, kickstands, phone mounts, and water bottle cages. You can also purchase bike trailers to tow cargo, pets, or children.

It’s recommended to take your bike to a dealer or specialist for a complete checkup after 50 hours of road riding. At a minimum, a professional should service your bike at least once per year. It’s also best to take a new bike in for a checkup 30 days after purchasing (or after 3-5 hours of off-road/10-15 hours of on-road use).

For more information on service and maintenance, see your bike’s owner’s manual. It will arrive with your bike, but you can also take a look at any bike’s PDF manual on the product page before purchasing. We also have a retrospec Owner’s Manual with general maintenance and care information for all models.

While you cannot fold a beach cruiser, we do sell a popular folding model, Judd Folding Bike. Folding bikes like Judd are a great option for those with limited storage space. You can fold this lightweight bike completely in half and stow it under your desk, in your closet, or in your trunk with ease.

When storing your beach cruiser, choose a dry and secure location out of direct sunlight. The easiest way is to keep your bike upright using a kickstand, but if you have multiple bikes, you’ll probably want to purchase a bike rack.

In tight living situations, like a small apartment or dorm, you can always find room for Judd Folding Bike. You could also consider removing the front wheel of a beach cruiser to make the bike more compact or store it on your vehicle with a car bike rack (if your car is parked indoors or in an otherwise safe location). If storing your bike outside, even for short periods of time, be sure to secure it with a bike lock.

Every retrospec bike comes standard with our exhaustive Owner’s Manual, detailing everything you need to know to maintain your bicycle. You can also check out our blog, The Outdoor Journal, for firsthand knowledge from our gear experts. Beyond this, there are many resources available online and in libraries to teach you about bike maintenance. You can also consult a mechanic at your local bike shop.