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Last updated on March 20, 2020

The Best Cruiser Bikes

Picking the best cruiser bikes has never been that easy and challenging, at the same time. With so many new brands on the market, it’s no wonder many of us feel overwhelmed. From deluxe multi-speed models to your most basic single speed coaster brake, there is something for everyone. As you shop for the perfect cruiser, take a look at our selections and top quality features that are bound to get you out and riding!

Sixthreezero Around the Block

The Sixthreezero Around the Block is what the industry refers to as a deluxe cruiser. For the most part, the versions of the Around the Block feature hand brakes and multiple gears. The classic styling of the cantilever-type frame is something many people recognize as a typical design of most cruisers.

Many of its competitors are more basic and only feature 7 gears. The Sixthreezero Around the Block goes beyond with a 21-speed setup, and front and rear rim brakes for extra stopping power. With the 2.125” tires you get a stable and comfortable ride, and they are inexpensive to replace. The seat quick release allows quick height adjustments to the double sprung comfort saddle.

For the price, the Sixthreezero Around the Block is an excellent choice for a deluxe cruiser. The added gears work well for hilly or windy areas, and the dual brakes give you good stopping power.

Firmstrong Urban

When looking at beach cruisers, the Firmstrong Urban is the typical deluxe option. With 7 speeds on the back and dual handbrakes, it is what you think of on a cruiser bicycle. The bright metallic paint makes it shine all the better.

Technically, the Urban is offered in several configurations, not all of them are 7 speed with hand brakes. Firmstrong offers single speed 26” wheel and 24” versions as well. The frame size is pretty typical, although if you are taller you may seek out a bike with a larger frame.

The Firmstrong Urban is a solid choice and competitive on price. These are great campus bikes, and thanks to bolt-on wheels, they resist theft if locked properly. With a variety of colors, the Urban is an easy top pick for 2020.

Sixthreezero In The Barrel

So if you are tall, and frustrated with standard beach cruisers the Sixthreezero In the Barrel is a great choice. This bike features a different frame design that increases the distance from the seat to the bars, precisely where taller cyclists need the space to be comfortable.

Additionally, this bike repositions the cranks forward, allowing longer leg riders to stretch out without having to raise the saddle up a foot. Overall, the geometry of the bike really helps guys 6’ and taller be comfortable and not feel like they are riding a kids bike.

The Sixthreezero In the Barrel features a Shimano Nexus 3 speed hub with coaster brake. This is a solid shifting internal gear hub that works flawlessly for years. Beyond these great features, you get a great bike with a reasonable saddle and great styling.

Sixthreezero EVRYjourney

The Sixthreezero EVRYjourney is quite an interesting bike. It is part cruiser and part hybrid. Some people complain that cruisers are hard to pedal, and not great for commuting, but want the relaxed style and comfort of a cruiser. The EVRYjourney combines the best of a cruisers’ relaxed design with elements of a hybrid so that you can cover more ground on your rides.

One of the first things you will notice is how high the bars are. This allows your body to sit more upright, similar to most cruisers. This bike will work with you, so try to adjust the saddle for your leg length. Once set up, you will find a great riding bike.

A cool aspect of the Sixthreezero EVRYjourney is that there are several configurations of the bike. There are four models with either a 1, 3, 7 or 21-speed drivetrain to fit your needs. Additionally, this bike can come as an electric drive. That can make your commute quite easy.

Sixthreezero Women's Cruiser

When you think of a traditional beach bike the Sixthreezero Women’s Cruiser matches exactly. The step-through frame and low saddle height can allow nearly all riders to feel comfortable and safely put their feet on the ground.

This Women’s Cruiser comes in several configurations and many colors. They all feature the same frame and wheel size but alter gears and hand brakes. You can always go with a simple 1 speed with the foot brake.

Move up to a 7 or 21-speed version and you gain dual hand brakes, but also the gears to get you up hills or ride into the wind. The sprung comfort saddle features deep foam padding in addition to coils to smooth out the road. It is hard to go wrong with a truly classic bike like the Women’s Cruiser from Sixthreezero.

Margaritaville Coast Is Clear

Riding this bike is almost like being in Key West, the Margaritaville Coast is Clear is everything a true beach cruiser should be. It has the basket for your beach things, and the parrot horn to tell everyone that the waves are calling.

This women’s model is quite cute, with the mint green paint, stylish island styling, and other effects showing some great detail that other bikes leave behind. The 7-speed drivetrain and easy to operate hand brakes are standard.

Overall the Coast is Clear from Margaritaville should exceed expectations for most cruiser riders. The step-through frame and reasonable proportions should allow most lady riders comfort and adjustability. This bike is a great choice for an all-round women’s cruiser.

Schwinn Wayfarer

The Schwinn Wayfarer is a step back in time, back to the ’60s, where not everyone wanted a balloon 2.125-inch width tire. The Wayfarer is a throwback bike that has great utility even today. The Men’s and Ladies models look nearly like their counterparts of 50+ years ago.

Like mentioned before, leisure cruisers are dominated by bikes with wider tires, usually a 2.125-inch width, but sometimes even larger. The Wayfarer goes the opposite, and moves to a smaller tire. For easy riding, these tires are easier to get up to speed and cover more distance with less effort. The drivetrain is simple with 7 speeds and powerful V-style brakes for stopping power. Even the included rack screams useful.

The Schwinn Wayfarer should easily be a top choice. Certain bikes stand the test of time, and this style is here to stay. If you are looking for the comfort of a cruiser, but something even easier to ride, this is the bike for you.

Schwinn Huron

It is amazing how many bikes were great almost 100 years ago like the Schwinn Huron. Back then it was a Straightbar or B-6 variant, but the Huron is easy to trace its ancestry. The original bikes were heavyweight cruisers, usually used for work purposes due to their heavy-duty frames and wheels. Don’t worry, the Huron is modern, and certainly not heavy like the bikes of decades ago.

The Huron comes predominantly as a single speed, just like its older cousin. There is also a 3 speed internally geared option as well. These bikes are simple, and no hand brakes, just the coaster foot brake to slow you down.

The Huron hails from the old-style tank bikes. While a tank isn’t on this bike, you can dream as if this was your original cruiser from back in the day, with your paper route, or your way to school. The Schwinn Huron is a hit with that tried and true retro styling.

Schwinn Sanctuary

If you look closely, you will recognize several bikes the Schwinn Sanctuary traces its roots from. It is easy to see a little bit of a Phantom, a Jaguar and some of the tried and true 5 speed cruisers from the ’70s and ’80s in its design.

The Sanctuary is nearly an exact copy of a Phantom, with the cantilever style frame, and similar cranks as a 50’s version. It doesn’t run the paperboy style sweep back bars as they are a bit poor for ergonomics and messes up your tight turning abilities.

In a tried and true fashion, the Schwinn Sanctuary runs a 7-speed drivetrain, with chainguard. The hand brakes are significantly better than any of the old school bikes. The rack is cool, with a Phantom style and shape. It is hard to go wrong with this very retro Schwinn.

Huffy Nel Lusso

The Huffy Nel Lusso might be the most popular bike on college campuses today. It is a favorite with women, as it is a nice simple bike with a weld-on rear rack, front basket, and fenders. The same goes for the guys’ bike.

Overall this is a reasonable bike for the money. It is as basic as they come and functions as expected. The rims are painted steel, where the competition usually has longer lasting aluminum rims. The color-coded plastic pedals do ok but could be an upgrade option if you use the bike quite a bit.

This bike has been popular for years, perhaps with over 100,000 made. It ticks off all the boxes on what a useful cruiser should be and is fairly economically priced. If basic transportation is your goal, the Huffy Nel Lusso is a great choice.

Huffy Panama Jack

If you are looking for the blueprint for a cruiser to build, the Huffy Panama Jack is your answer. For many years, the main competing companies building cruisers have built copies of the Panama Jack, it is what most people picture when you say cruiser.

The Panama Jack has the tried and true cantilever frame pioneered for nearly 100 years now. It comes as a single or 6-speed drivetrain. At nearly 50 pounds, the extra gears come in handy.

This bike is all about style. With wood grain accents, an integrated rear rack, a front carrying basket, and several other accessories, this bike is all about looking good at the beach.

Retrospec Chatham

The Retrospec Chatham beach cruiser comes in as one of the more budget worthy bikes and still retains a reasonable level of quality. This is a very traditional cruiser, with Retrospecs version of a cantilever frame, sweep-back bars, and a very typical cushioned wide saddle.

This bike comes with all the features you would expect from a good cruiser. The frame is a standard 18”, with 26” wheels, one-piece cranks, and coaster foot brakes. There are men’s and ladies’ models, as well as upgraded 3 and 7-speed versions.

With over 4 colors available, it would be easy to find something to your liking and your budget here. At this price, you won’t be getting fenders, but they get bent up easily and can be annoying with rubbing. Overall, the Retrospec Chatham is a reasonable choice for the budget-friendly cruiser bike in 2020.

Retrospec Beaumont

There are many ways to describe the Retrospec Beaumont. This ladies’ bike is a little bit cruiser, city bike, comfort, and definitely leisure. It is a well-designed bike that is quite modern in its approach to fitting the rider’s needs.

The Beaumont features a very high handlebar position. These are set an easy 4-6” above the seat, which many leisure riders seek out as they want to be upright as possible. The very low step through height makes it easy for riders to mount the bike.

The Retrospec Beaumont looks very retro, but it certainly is not. The larger 700c sized wheels roll great, and the easy to operate V-style brakes have good stopping power. Overall this is a great bike for that seasoned older rider, it delivers on their needs easily.

Margaritaville First Look

For an entry-level bike, the Margaritaville First Look is a great place to start. The great thing about cruisers is they can be simple, or complicated and the First Look is the former. No need for multiple gears or hand brakes, this bike goes with the tried and true single speed coaster brake.

The khaki color is pleasing as are the graphics throughout the bike. What this bike lacks in gears and the like makes up with a basket, drink holder and cute horn. Everything you need for a cruise in the neighborhood or to the beach.

Kent International Kiawah

Like many, the Kent International Kiawah takes a tried and true approach to the beach cruiser. With a single-speed coaster brake, and the typical cantilever style frame, you get what most people define as a beach cruiser. While a basic single speed, what more do you need?

Offered in men’s’ and ladies’ models, these easy to ride bikes have everything you would expect in a basic cruiser. A wide saddle, swept-back bars, chain guards and tasteful colors polish off these two models. The simplicity of these bikes makes both of them an easy purchase choice.

Firmstrong Urban Man Deluxe

Stretch cruisers are starting to gain some popularity again, lead by the Firmstrong Urban Man Deluxe. In some areas of the country, it has been popular to stretch out a bike, like a custom motorcycle. The Urban Deluxe is done in that style.

Not only is the frame stretched, but it is lowered by moving the seat back and the cranks forward in a chopper motorcycle style. Add the old school springer front end and you get a very unique looking bike. The drivetrain is a simple single-speed with coaster brake. Anything else would look out of place.

If you are tired of cookie-cutter bikes that all look the same, check out the Urban Deluxe from Firmstrong. It will be the most unique bike in your neighborhood.