Cruiser bicycle

A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling. Cruisers are popular among casual bicyclists and vacationers because they are very stable and easy to ride, but their heavy weight and balloon tires tend to make them rather slow. Another common feature is their ability to be customized with accessories including fenders, lights and saddle bags. They are designed for use primarily on paved roads, low speeds/distances, and are included in the non-racing/non-touring class and heavyweight or middleweight styles of the road bicycle type. The bikes, noted for their durability and heavy weight, were the most popular bicycle in the United States from the early 1930s through the 1950s, and have enjoyed renewed popularity since the late 1990s. One of the first uses of the term “cruiser” for motobikes may have been in the WW2 era, by Mead Cycle Co., who sold via mail-order bicycles of the brand names Ranger, Pathfinder and Crusader. The Crusader “Cruiser” model was the high-end men/boy’s bicycle, and included additional features, such as front headlight, rear rack, and most importantly, the motorbike tank. The low-end model, (also described in ads' fine print as a cruiser), was the crusader “chaser,” and the ladies’ the crusader “clipper” and ‘cutter” models to complete the nautical theme in the product naming scheme. Art work of U.S. Navy Cruiser ships were depicted in the Mead Cycle Co. ads. So "cruiser" may have originated as one model name used by one distributor of the motorbike style of bicycles. The term beach-ranger never really caught on. In an old catalog from Sears, Roebuck and Company, the Elgin Motor Bike was advertised, and the term motor-bike was explained as follows, "The term "Moto-Bike" has reference only to the type of frame, meaning that it is built on the order of a motorcycle".