Bikes

[becida]

The 4" fat tires are thorn magnets....if there is a sharp nail, screw or cactus needle anywhere along your path, those 4 inch tires are sure to find it.

Be sure to carry along an extra tube or two, maybe an extra tire, and some tools for changing or patching the tires, and I put Slime in my tires...it does help.

The winter I stayed at a park in Quartzsite and rode my bike all over the place and I did have problems with the tires. I ended up with the plastic guard between the tube & the tire, the heavy duty tubes and slime inside the tubes. That worked pretty well for me.

 

[Zythophile]

After putting one side of the new tire on the rim he took my old tube after cutting out the fill valve and around the inside where the spoke protector would normally touch the tube and laid it in the new tire to act as a liner.

There's varying solutions for that normally - rim tape or even huge rubber bands essentailly. And yeah, if the rim-end of a spoke is exposed, it can cause a failure in the tube. I like this solution; dirt cheap, and involves re-use of a dead tube!

Back on the general topic; with my eventual project, I intend to take both a road bike and a mountain bike. I'm loathe to throw a hitch rack on and have them visible to the world, though. My plan is to stash them in a garage space under the bed.

I've got to do more measurements, but basically, if you remove the front wheel and lock the fork in a fixed mount, and drop the seatpost all the way down (or better yet, pull it out entirely), with my bikes it's about 32, 33 inches vertical that's needed. Lengthwise, it's about 54" with either of my bikes, from handlebars to back of rear tire. With two bikes, if you stagger them front to back a bit so the handlebar of one bike slip through the triangle of the other, you can get them pretty close together, so you're not using too much room horizontally. Building in a sliding tray for all this will eat up a bit more vertical room (no more than a couple of inches, I'm guessing).

Another potential space-saver would be to loosen the headset (which keeps the front stem and handlebars in place) and rotate the handlebars/stem 90 degrees so they don't stick out as much.

 

[iVagabond]

I just bought a used step through cruiser bike because I want the comfort and experience of riding like when I was a kid. I'm having my brother work on mounting it to the front of my '93 Chevy G20 van (tire & ladder in the rear). I'm not stealth anyway but I'm wondering if it's practical to ride on the desert roads near Quartzsite this upcoming winter?

 

[user 22017]

I just bought a used step through cruiser bike because I want the comfort and experience of riding like when I was a kid. I'm having my brother work on mounting it to the front of my '93 Chevy G20 van (tire & ladder in the rear). I'm not stealth anyway but I'm wondering if it's practical to ride on the desert roads near Quartzsite this upcoming winter?

I don't know about Quartzsite, but those retro cruiser bikes need gears for shifting. Many don't come with them.

Without them, riding on anything but fairly flat terrain is difficult because they are heavy. Flat, smooth concrete is what you want with those.

 

[eDJ_]

I've seen some with a 5 or 6 gear cluster on the rear wheel. Only 1 gear on the pedal crank and that is usually enough. It isn't a difficult modification to perform on a Cruiser Bike.

Schwinn used to offer this as a Schwinn Suburban 5 speed.
The ones I remember seeing were all 5 speed bikes.

Vintage Schwinn Suburban

 

[user 22017]

I've seen some with a 5 or 6 gear cluster on the rear wheel. Only 1 gear on the pedal crank and that is usually enough. It isn't a difficult modification to perform on a Cruiser Bike.

Schwinn used to offer this as a Schwinn Suburban 5 speed.
The ones I remember seeing were all 5 speed bikes.

Vintage Schwinn Suburban

I was thinking of ones sold at Walmart costing under $200. Just noticed the ones there over $200 do have speeds .

At any rate, they are hard to pedal without gears. Heavy with fat tires. Just a heads up. Might depend on age and fitness too.

 

[RonDean]

When I was young I didn't think twice about a few hills on my bicycle. I have found that as I aged (as has been said here) anything beyond flat and paved is work! Before spending $$$, try borrowing or renting one that you can use on equivalent terrain. It could save you from making a bad decision Now, if it has an electric motor assist, that might be an entirely different story.

 

[Sage]

I just bought a used step through cruiser bike because I want the comfort and experience of riding like when I was a kid. I'm having my brother work on mounting it to the front of my '93 Chevy G20 van (tire & ladder in the rear). I'm not stealth anyway but I'm wondering if it's practical to ride on the desert roads near Quartzsite this upcoming winter?

I rode a single speed bike from the 50's and my children had that kind, too. We rode all over the steep hills of northwest NM. It may not be easy all the time, but you can do it. I found it as easy as my 21 speed Schwinn mountain bike. Large gravel can make bicycling harder than hard packed surfaces. You have the bicycle. Try it out for yourself and see if anything they mention is an issue for you.

 

[iVagabond]

I don't know about Quartzsite, but those retro cruiser bikes need gears for shifting. Many don't come with them.

Without them, riding on anything but fairly flat terrain is difficult because they are heavy. Flat, smooth concrete is what you want with those.

Mine has 3 speeds. Yes, I'd have preferred at least 5 but it was within my budget. Looks like I'll just have to get in better shape!

 

[Deryk MacLeod]

Try it out...I have heard that the fat tire bikes do well in the sand.

 

[Sage]

Mine has 3 speeds. Yes, I'd have preferred at least 5 but it was within my budget. Looks like I'll just have to get in better shape!

Maybe it makes a huge difference for some having more gears. It wasn't that big of a difference for me. With only three gears you can develop great leg muscles to show off in shorts.

 

[user 22017]

Maybe it makes a huge difference for some having more gears. It wasn't that big of a difference for me. With only three gears you can develop great leg muscles to show off in shorts.

We know what exercise can do for our muscles, Sage Not everyone can physically exert that much energy. Some ppl have back problems (me), some have heart conditions (me) and maybe some want the bike ride to be more of a leisurely stroll.

If you are a senior citizen biking up mountains with no speeds... more power to ya!

 

[Sage]

We know what exercise can do for our muscles, Sage Not everyone can physically exert that much energy. Some ppl have back problems (me), some have heart conditions (me) and maybe some want the bike ride to be more of a leisurely stroll.

If you are a senior citizen biking up mountains with no speeds... more power to ya!

Carla, I've been a senior citizen for many years now and I, too, know about back and heart problems first hand. I know that as any of us are able to bicycle we will help our back muscles to do a better job and have fewer issues than we were having. I'm looking forward to getting my 30+ year old mountain bike out and running. I live in very hilly country with basically no near level places to ride that are not in traffic. I avoid traffic as I have had many close calls where drivers didn't see me (or us including 2 children near adult size) or deliberately drove across walk lanes with us in them. Therefore I only ride dirt oil field roads to the motorcycle paths that go across the hill tops. I have not ridden in years because of responsibilities (I no longer have) and now that my heart issues are improving I'm looking forward to getting out there and strengthening my back muscles. Take care of yourself as you venture out there and don't over do. I'd hate for you to have a set back because you over do. I say that, not because I know you but, because I know me and it is easy for me to over do if I'm feeling well. Hope to hear how things go as you build up your strength and endurance. Happy trails and blessed travel.

 

[iVagabond]

As a 71 yr. old retired gymnastics coach I no longer get cocky about pushing myself. I know when to get off the bike and walk it, lol! Thanks for all the info.

 

[velojym]

A cruiser with an internal gear hub would be just about ideal for this, and it isn't the number of speeds that makes it easier, but the gear range. More gears will reduce the "step" between speeds, allowing you to maintain a comfortable cadence, however fast you're going.

My travel bike is a folding Montague Paratrooper, with a full 3x9 derailleur gear set. Mine is folded and resting comfortably in the trunk of my '08 Elantra right now.
If you wanted to easily add power, you could do a hub/wheel conversion.

 

[user 22017]

A cruiser with an internal gear hub would be just about ideal for this, and it isn't the number of speeds that makes it easier, but the gear range. More gears will reduce the "step" between speeds, allowing you to maintain a comfortable cadence, however fast you're going.

My travel bike is a folding Montague Paratrooper, with a full 3x9 derailleur gear set. Mine is folded and resting comfortably in the trunk of my '08 Elantra right now.
If you wanted to easily add power, you could do a hub/wheel conversion.

That bike costs over $1,000.00. Can you recommend a budget version?

 

[velojym]

They do have less expensive models, but bicycles, as with so many other things, are one of those things that can be had easily, cheap... but it's usually heavy, clunky, and nearly worthless. A thousand dollar bike will be a joy to ride (once you're in shape for it), and can last the rest of your life with proper maintenance.
I was once a Huffy rider, and recoiled in horror at bikes that cost anything more than $200. I eventually learned better, and was humbled.

That being said, if you know someone who knows bikes, or you are willing to learn, there are bargains out there. I bought my younger brother a third-tier racing bike, which was only a few years old and had very few miles on it, for $150. Most of the bikes in my quiver have only a few hundred in em, but that's more a matter of my being a bike mechanic to start with. I've occasionally seen a deal on folders, but a crappy-cheap folder is not something I'd stake my life on, except for extremely low speed RV park toodling.


The Beer Virus panic, and subsequent inevitable inflation, has had a large effect on the bike industry. For a while, even parts were hard to find, and I built a couple bikes with parts that weren't really intended for the type. An interesting exercise, but fun.

 

[sithigh]

That bike costs over $1,000.00. Can you recommend a budget version?

Wow, such upgrades. I never seem to use a pedal bike for more than a hundred miles total. So last new bicycles were Huffy. After that I have gone used for every kind. But I haven't had an electric because my license is for motorcycles.

 

[Frood]

Wow, such upgrades. I never seem to use a pedal bike for more than a hundred miles total. So last new bicycles were Huffy. After that I have gone used for every kind. But I haven't had an electric because my license is for motorcycles.

I don't think you need a license for electric bicycles... as long as they fall under the rules for your area (too powerful of a motor can push them from electric bicycles into the range of electric motorcycles... at least in the areas I've bothered to look up the specifics). Do you need a different license for an electric motorcycle in your area than you would for a gas motorcycle?

 

[VanFan]

I have a Zizzo folding bike. I would encourage you to look into what they offer. Great company, IMO. Although compact, they are somewhat ackward to handle. I liked not having to mess with a rack.

Sadly I've had to know when to fold, and know when to hold. Mine is "held" in a stationery trainer (works nicely), since my husband had an accident on his and fractured his hip on his first trip. He heals extremely well(!) and recovered quickly, but his bike was returned (Target made it easy) and mine parked. The irony: he always loved bikes. I was terrified of them. He talked me into trying again with a "right-sized" bike, and I loved it! This little folder is a joy, but they are a bit "twitchy" at first.