# How to convert beach cruiser to commuter



## I3erto (Mar 30, 2007)

This might be the wrong place to post this question, but it gets the most views, so here it goes. I have a beach cruiser i use to get around where I live, but i still drive to work becuase it is up hill the entire way (about 3 miles straight up). I dont really want to ride my nice mtn or road bike, b/c ill have to leave the bike outside all day. So.. that leaves my beach cruiser, which is geared to high to make it up the hill.. What is the easiest way to re-gear the thing lower so I can make it up the hill. The cruiser is this bike 
http://www.3gbikes.com/bikes/orange_mens.html .. Has anyone done anything like this, or can it be done?? I dont really want to buy a commuter bike if this can be done cheaply. Thanks for any advice..


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## Pabs (Aug 4, 2007)

The easiest would be to put on a smaller front ring or bigger rear spocket and re-size the chain accordingly. Use an on-line gear calculator (like the one on Sheldon Brown) to get the right gearing. You can coast home.

You could also try to find somewhere to leave your bike indoors.


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## C-Fed (Jan 1, 2008)

I was itching to ride a few weeks ago on vacation and rented a beach cruiser. My wrists were killing me after 10 miles or so with that strange handlebar/grip angle. If you can replace or modify the handlebar angle at all, it will probably help.


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## BFinlay (Jan 12, 2004)

if you wanted to keep the cruiser look you could always put a roloff hub in the back.

fixed cruiser look with the benifit of gears


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## stealthmarin (Jul 31, 2004)

BFinlay said:


> if you wanted to keep the cruiser look you could always put a roloff hub in the back.
> 
> fixed cruiser look with the benifit of gears


I have a Schwinn beach cruiser and am looking into internal hub gears. Seems to be the answer to fried quads due to hills.

To convert a beach cruiser to a commuter:
-fatter white wall tires so other drivers can see you (kidding.... or not)
-slicks for better traction
-wooden basket to put your spare change of clothes in or emergency kit. and the basket adds to the beach cruiser look.
-if you go with the internal hub gears, you might as well get the ones that allow for a rear disk brake for improved stopping power esp needed in city conditions.


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## wheelbender6 (Sep 25, 2007)

The possibilities are only limited by your budget. Three speed coaster hub wheels are easy to find and economical on EBay (around $100). It looks much cleaner than adding a bolt-on derailleur, derailleur hub and bmx brake. (Too many cables)
I run a bolt-on derailleur and drum brake hub on the back of my Specialized cruiser (around $20 for the hub and brake on EBAY). 
Internal seven speed hubs with rear drum or disc are generally over $150 on EBAY. I prefer the internal hubs but by the time you pay somebody to lace a rim to it, my budget is long gone.
There is a "cruiser" thread on the Vintage, Retro and Classic forum where you can view a huge assortment of multigear cruisers. Link follows:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=154717


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