Any ideas on how to retro-pimp a modern cruiser?

[tiboltrider]

You could do with some brakes.

I was thinking the same thing. It's got coaster (hub) brakes but I'd like to have proper hand brakes on it.

I think you'll struggle getting brakes on it. I can't see where the front one will fit on the fork and there's currently no guides for the rear brakes sleeving. Keep it brakeless and smooth.

I'm not sure where to get a tank made up, it's probably a very simple job but some engineering workshops charge and arm and a leg for any job because they charge by the hour not by the complexity of the job.

I like the idea of getting the frame resprayed in black but I expect that would cost close to £100 unless I take the bike apart myself. I can take the forks off but I'm not so confident about removing the crank.

With the filling in the top tube area to make it look like a tank, have you not got a mate who's a car / bike mechanic or shop fitter etc. Or you could make the cardboard cut out yourself, cut it out of the sheet and hire a welder.

You've got a bmx type bottom bracket on that bike. They're easy enough to take apart. You just need an adjustable spanner to undo it then the cranks will come out and a hammer and punch (or hammer and big screw driver) to knock the cups out of the frame, the same as a headset. Get you're local bike shop to put it back together if you don't fancy doing it, or buy some new 1/4" bearings and grease and press the cups back in with a vise!

 

[tiboltrider]

Hi.

Update required please!

 

[Cool Mint]

Hi Tibo, not much to update on yet.

Between the rain and my weird landlady (how the hell does she do it? she vanishes without notice for 4 days to Morroco or maybe just down the street and then turns up at at 12:15am within 2 minutes of ... well, it's not an appropriate subject for this forum) all I've done so far is collect the bike, give it a test ride and buy a saddle. It's bigger than I expected, just about my size but I have to drop forward over the frame when I come to a stop instead of just putting my foot down - I think that's common with cruisers.

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It seems cheaply made, the struts holding the mudguards are tin and the chainguard is much the same - the one on my old Raleigh Chiltern is more solid. The bearings on the forks (or headset or whatever it's called) are probably cheap, they're some far-east asian/china make. But the frame, forks and wheels seem okay and there's not much to go wrong with a single gear bike. The seller had to fix the hub brake (he paid for it - £35) but I don't know if that was normal wear and tear or because it was a bad bike.

I'm not too happy trying to ride uphill, OMG it's hard work without low gearing! But I suppose that's par for the course with single speed cruisers.

I don't think the bike is good enough to spend much money on (the saddle I can swap to another bike later) but it does look good, in fact it looks very good so overall it was worth buying.