Their younger siblings have begun building their own custom “lowrider bikes”. Lowrider bicycles are usually built on old Schwinn Sting-Ray or other “muscle bike” frames, but the entire lowrider look of “old school” accessories such as springer forks and bullet headlights is in the cruiser tradition. Several manufacturers offer “chopper” style bikes in their cruiser range.
I was forced to buy Arianna after a homeless person stole my other Huffy (it’s customary in Santa Monica to blame virtually everything on the homeless). But I went to a few bike shops and all the cruisers cost between $300 and $1,000. Arianna has held up remarkably over huffy trail runner the years, especially considering the abuse I have subjected her to. She has been left for days in the rain, sleet and snow in both California and Aspen. She has been vandalized by homeless people and has taken a few spills on late-night rides home from the bars.
Kind of like the reverse of Bill Belichick’s scientific explanation for Deflategate, if you will. Indeed, on the steepest downhill stretches, I crouched as low as possible to futilely try to eek out the maximum amount of speed from the Huffster. Strava later revealed that the maximum velocity attained was a mere 35.8 mph, or less than what Peter Sagan would casually crank up to in a flat sprint finish in the Tour de France.
After making a stop at Gould to resupply with water and buy a can of Coke and mini-donuts—the ultimate anti-bonking combo—it was smooth sailing down to Walden. This was because all the aerodynamic drag from the upright cruiser position and rolling resistance from the bike’s beach tires acted as a second and third brake. It features a comfortable saddle, basket for carrying your items and is easy to put together. These bikes are well-built with a steel frame and raised handlebars to reduce aches in your joints during long rides.
The release of the 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure[15] highlighted the main character’s cross-country search for his lost custom-built heavily-accessorized horn-tank bicycle. Only two blocks away from Walden’s Shell gas station—the official turnaround point of the ride—I rode by three guys having a chit chat in front of someone’s garage when there was a loud bang. It sounded like a gunshot but I instantly realized exactly what it was when it happened. My butt knew from the way the rear of the bicycle was squirming around. Wearing glowsticks on the neck and wrists and reflective orange bands on the calves, I set out onto dark roads illuminated only by the super-bright headlight of the cruiser.
So the night before I inflated the tires right up to what I thought was the “safe threshold,” which experience told me was 40 PSI on this bike (still 15 PSI under the maximum pressure labeled on the sidewalls). I wanted to have the lowest possible rolling resistance for this ride, after all. The Electra Townie 7D offers an upright huffy trail runner riding position like the Huffy Nel Lusso cruiser bike. This position results in a lower center of gravity and allows you to place both your feet on the ground when you stop. The wire basket at the front of the Nel Lusso cruiser bikes is hollow and spacious for carrying items like your phone or sweater when riding around town.