Best Cruiser Bikes for Relaxed Riding in the UK

The first world tour by bike around the world had taken place in 1884.

The man who first accomplished the feat was an Englishman, Thomas Stevens. Since his childhood, Thomas read a lot about travels and adventures. He was thrilled. In 1872, he left his home and went to America, where he began working as a miner in Colorado. The traveller started from San Francisco on the old bike model called "penny-farthing". It is noteworthy that the bicycle had a five times bigger front wheel than the rear one. He took with him only a pair of socks, his shirt, and a revolver. Then Thomas set off and after covering 3,700 miles he reached Boston. So it was the first transcontinental journey by bicycle. The traveller spent winter in New York and then continued his riding through England, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Iran. It's interesting that the traveller wasn't allowed to travel through Siberia, so his route was changed and he continued across Afghanistan. Then the hero rode to India, from Calcutta to Hong Kong, southern China, and Japan. His historical world tour ended in December 1886, when Stevens came back to San Francisco from Yokohama by ship.

Phenomenal cycling speed.

An absolute record for speed when riding a bicycle is a 268 km/h. This truly stunning result was set in 1995 by a Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelberg.
He gained the maximum speed riding behind a specially equipped racing car with a special dome for minimum air resistance. An interesting fact is also that at the time of Fred's record he was already 50.

When was the first cruiser bike created?

The history of the cruiser bike dates back to 1895 when the first sample of this bike type was manufactured. The first company that released a cruiser bike was the Schwinn, owned by a German bike developer Ignaz Schwinn, who founded the company in the United States. The interesting fact is that the founder had died before the first cruiser bicycle appeared. This type of bike gained a great popularity in 1933, during the Great Depression that America experienced at that time due to the severe economic and social crisis. The first popular and recognized model was the Schwinn B-10E, which all the Americans liked because of its comfort and excellent riding dynamics.

The world's most expensive bike.

Butterfly Trek Madone! This is the most expensive bike in the world created by the famous artist Damien Hirst. In order to beautify his creation, the British artist grew more than one hundred butterflies to use their wings as the decoration of bike's frame and rims. Such creative bike looked very impressive but was exposed to a lot of criticism from societies of nature and animal protection. This bike was created so that Lance Armstrong could ride it on Tour de France, in 2009. People predicted that the price of this bike would make incredible $1.3 million, but the Sotheby's auction selling stopped at $500 thousand. Nevertheless, it is still the highest price that has ever been paid for a bike. All the money went to the Lance Armstrong's charity foundation.

The numerous benefits of cycling.

The bicycle is not only a means of transportation but also a sports trainer. In fact, cycling is proved to improve sleeping. That's because the stress hormone cortisol leaves the body during the riding. Another important advantage of cycling is that you can lose weight faster: 1 hour of active cycling and you can burn up to 600 calories! Also, cycling enhances stamina, so you'll feel more energetic throughout the day. Moreover, cycling does wonders to your digestion, since the metabolism increases when you are riding, and it improves your appetite. One more benefit of cycling is strengthening muscle tone. If you ride a bike regularly, you will be able to tone muscles of your legs, chest, back, and arms.

How many bicycles are there in the world?

According to statistics, there are about 1.6 billion bicycles in the world. Few of us know that the Netherlands is also called the country of cyclists as almost every citizen of this country has a bike, to be more precise, 99% of Netherlanders ride this type of vehicle. But compared to China, the number of Netherlands' bikes is a drop in the ocean, as more than half of all bicycles in the world are widely used in this country. Impressive? Yet, it's not surprising since more than a billion people live in China, and more than 50% of them pedal to work every day.

Q: How to find the right size for me?

A: When it comes to cruiser bicycles in terms of sizing, there seems to be the least amount of available information. Unlike road bikes and mountain bikes, there are no special sizing charts for cruisers. However, most manufacturers indicate what leg inseam the bike is good for. So, you should figure out your leg inseam to find the right bike size. Take off your shoes and stand with your legs about 15-20 cm apart, and then measure the height from your crotch to the ground. That's it. If a manufacturer doesn't indicate what leg inseam the bike suits, you can calculate the right size by yourself. Leg inseam (cm) x 0,685 = your frame size.

Right saddle height also plays an important role. If it’s overly low, you won’t have enough power to pedal. Even when the seat falls a few centimetres down from normal, you can lose about 25-50% of your leg force. The easiest way to adjust it properly is to lean yourself to the wall with your elbow when sitting on a bike. Next, stretch your leg to the lowest point but parallel to the ground. And then move the seat up or down until you get nice bend behind your knee. The bend should be around 30°.

Q: How to care for my bike?

A: The following guidelines will help you keep your bike in a good working condition:

• The best way to prolong the life of your cruiser is to keep it clean. For this, you don't need fancy cleaning kits. Just use a sponge, an old toothbrush, some soapy water, and a degreaser.
• Keep your tyres always inflated, as poorly inflated tyres tend to get punctured.
• Check your brake pads regularly. You can figure out that they are worn if you can't see the grooves.
• If the brakes squeak, the chances are that they are just dirty. Clean and dry brakes and wheel rims, however, if that doesn’t work, you might need to re-adjust them.
• Once your brakes have become too sluggish and lacklustre, you need to tighten them up. Twiddle the barrel adjuster by the brake lever.
• Oil all parts of your bike where metal touches metal with a bike-specific lubricant on a regular basis. Before oiling, clean every part properly. We recommend you to buy latex gloves, as bike oil is extremely difficult to get out from under the nails.
  
• Check whether your wheels are “true”. Turn your bike upside down and spin the wheels. If they wobble a bit from side to side, they need to be fixed by professionals.
• It's advisable to get a professional service at least once a year.

Q: How to inflate tyres properly?

A: The right tyre pressure really matters. If you find that your legs are feeling heavy and you’re riding slower than usual, you might need to pump up your tyres. Usually, the pressure range for a tyre is printed on its sidewall in psi (pounds per square inch). Generally, the tyres of hybrid and cruiser bikes need to be inflated up to 50 – 70 psi. Though it’s usually a pretty wide window, and the "right" tyre pressure depends on the terrain you are going to ride, the weather conditions, and your weight. And here are some tips how to make your ride comfortable.

• It's a well-known fact that the higher the tyre pressure is, the lower the rolling resistance is. For example, you can run your tyres a bit softer for extra grip if the trail is muddy and the weather is bad. But remember that continuous low pressure might lead to tyre wear.
• If you have a wide tyre, you may also play around with pressures. Wide tyres with low inflation pressure absorb bumps better and, thus, are ideal for mountain rails. For super fast riding on smooth roads, it's advisable to inflate tyres to the maximum permitted pressure. Keep in mind that the pressure you put on your tyres will always reflect the ride quality you want.
• A light rider generally needs lower pressures, while a heavier rider should go for the higher end of the scale.