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-   -   New Electra Townie Balloon 8i owner (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=1121801)

taz777 09-13-17 02:42 AM

New Electra Townie Balloon 8i owner
 
Hi everyone, I recently bought an Electra Townie Balloon 8i. It was bought new but was a 2015 model so I guess the bike shop wanted to get rid of it to clear some floor space for 2018 models, so managed to get it for half the original retail price. Electra Townies are very rare in the UK so it does stand out quite a bit.

Anyway, I bought it as my leisure bike and a bike to 'enhance' slowly. It's the total opposite of my Specialized road bike that weighs around 9KG. Whilst with the road bike the aim is to reduce the total weight, I've added quite a few items to my Electra Townie. I guess it weighs around 20KG at the moment.

Immediately after buying it I sent it to a bike service centre to have it checked over and prepared properly in terms of cable adjustments, alignment, etc., as I ordered it online so I wanted to be sure that the bike was prepared correctly.

It runs very smoothly and I'm just a little annoyed that we're into Autumn here in the UK so my opportunities to ride it in warm sunshine are dwindling by the day. I can't wait for Summer in 2018!

When I'm able to, I'll post some pictures of the bike with all the current modifications on it.

taz777 09-15-17 09:56 AM

Here's my recently-purchased 2015 Electra Townie Balloon 8i cruiser. I got a great deal on it as it was an older-year model. Since I purchased it, I've added and changed a few things on it.

https://i.imgur.com/BAZ8aV8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/prJuwoU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3fUL48Q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/E4GewuU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VhnFA7S.jpg

Modifications/additions:

1. Added an Electra Townie rear rack (ordered via a UK online bike shop);

2. Added a front Fastar Retro light (ordered via Amazon UK, shipped from China);

3. Added a rear Spanninga Pixeo XB Mudguard Light (ordered on eBay UK);

4. Replaced the stock saddle with a Brooks England B67 saddle (ordered from Wiggle UK);

5. Added an Avantree 10W Bluetooth Bike Speaker for streaming music from my phone (ordered on Amazon UK);

6. Added an Electra Bugle Horn with a Knog Oi Classic small bell (ordered via a UK online bike shop);

7. Added a Brick Lane Bikes London Canvas Saddle Bag (ordered directly from Brick Lake Bikes in London, UK).

tds101 09-15-17 10:12 AM

Wow,...she looks BEAUTIFUL!!!

taz777 09-15-17 12:14 PM

^ Thank you for your kind comment! Indeed, this bike is a labour of love and I'm slowly changing components on it. The next two planned upgrades are to add a retro-style mirror to it and Dutch-bike style rubber pedals.

kevrider 09-15-17 02:16 PM

that's quite the good-looker! wifey just bought herself a 7d townie, they are very nice bikes and fun to ride. fwiw, i think your current pedals look great with the silver crankset, post and bars.

SquidPuppet 09-16-17 12:19 PM


Originally Posted by kevrider (Post 19864127)
that's quite the good-looker! wifey just bought herself a 7d townie, they are very nice bikes and fun to ride. fwiw, i think your current pedals look great with the silver crankset, post and bars.


I agree. Unless those pedals don't spin well, or offer poor grip, I'd keep them. They look perfect on that bike. Kinda sorta old school, with just a smidge of modern, matches the bike perfectly.

taz777 09-16-17 02:10 PM

Thanks for the comments, guys. Yep, you're right - the pedals look fine so I'll keep them. Just wishing for some sunshine here in London, UK to go for a long cycle ride but the weather's very changeable at the moment.

taz777 09-17-17 02:10 PM

Here's a walk-around video of the entire bike, up-to-date with the Garmin Varia Radar rear light that I attached earlier this afternoon. It shows all of the additions/updates that I mentioned in Post #2 with a couple of extras since those pictures were taken.

Here's the full up-to-date list:

1. Electra Townie rear rack
2. Fastar Retro front light
3. Spanninga Pixeo XB Mudguard Light
4. Brooks England B67 saddle
5. Avantree 10W Bluetooth Bike Speaker
6. Knog Oi Classic small bell
7. Brick Lane Bikes London Canvas Saddle Bag
8. Garmin Edge 1000 bike computer
9. Garmin Varia Radar Rear Light


jimmie65 09-18-17 04:47 AM

Stunning bike

taz777 09-18-17 06:40 AM


Originally Posted by jimmie65 (Post 19868968)
Stunning bike

Thank you kindly, sir!

rollagain 11-13-17 11:50 PM

Very nice! Very classy.

What do you think of that front brake?

taz777 11-14-17 01:10 AM


Originally Posted by rollagain (Post 19991642)
Very nice! Very classy.

What do you think of that front brake?

Both the front and rear brakes are very poor compared to what I’m used to. However, that’s the nature of the beast. The bike never gets up to any decent speeds so the brakes are okay in that context. On the plus side, I’m never going to be flipped over the handlebars during an emergency stop!

Philphine 11-15-17 09:37 AM

how well does that little bell work? I've looked at those on ebay and may pick up a few.


also the headlight. I buy those all the time (or some similar copy, also off ebay), but except for one I put on someone else's bike, I don't ever get around to putting batteries in them. have you ever tried or seen them wired to a generator or dynamo? thanks.

taz777 11-15-17 12:09 PM

That Knog Oi Bell is rubbish in terms of volume! I bought it purely for its beautiful design. Same with the lights - I was after a retro look. It’ll never be ridden at night as it’s just for summer daytime riding.

If you’re after a superb Bell then the Spurcycle Bell is amazing. It’s fitted to my hybrid and I’ve posted pictures of it in another thread somewhere - just search my posts to find it. The Spurcycle Bell also looks great, but has one of the loudest Bell sounds too.

I did get the front light off eBay but had to buy the mount separately. The only technically good part on the bike is the saddle and the rear light.

Breitie 11-15-17 02:53 PM

Exceptionally nice bike. Cool, as my children would say. Who makes the Townie? Alongside my Schwinn Meridian Trike I also have a PEDEGO cruiser, also with electric motor that looks very much like this wonderful Townie. Enjoy. I intend to post photos of both once I have passed the 'newbie' status and am allowed to do that.

fourknees 11-17-17 10:27 PM


Originally Posted by Breitie (Post 19995358)
Who makes the Townie? I

Electra is the brand, which is now owned by Trek.

Norfolk Joe 11-20-17 10:10 AM


Originally Posted by taz777 (Post 19994959)
The only technically good part on the bike is the saddle and the rear light.


I'm not so sure about that :D

You've done a superb job with your Townie, mate! ALL your upgrades look great and I like the way the rear rack matches the frame colour :thumb:

Mine has the lights built in (the EQ model), and you will really appreciate them for the extra visibility they provide to other riders and drivers. They will easily see you from either direction.

All best and happy pedaling, Joe

NOLABIKER 11-25-17 08:21 PM

Congrats on scoring a good deal on your bike. I have the Townie 7D and love it. I don't break any speed records but that's not why I am riding. I've done rides up to 23 miles on it and have no complaints.

Mike43UK 11-28-17 10:11 AM

Townie
 
Myself and my wife have recently bought Electra bikes here in the UK. I have a Townie 21D EQ and my wife has an Electra Cruiser 7. We are in our seventies and have been riding bikes since we were about 7 years old. We both have had road bikes and mountain bikes and ended up with Peugeot Toulouse Dutch style step thrus which we sold a couple of months ago. We have had the step thrus since 2002 but they were getting to be a bit on the lumpy side. As we are getting on a bit it is good to get your feet straight onto the ground when you stop. The ride on my Townie was strange at first but I am getting used to it. I might swap the riser handlebars for either North Road or Cafe handlebars. I like the comfort of North Road handlebars. Where I live near the coast on the Romney Marsh in the UK it is as flat as a pancake which is a bonus. Another bonus is that there is a bike path a few minutes away from our place, and also another very quiet route to the sea which is about 4 miles away. I have always been able to fix my own bikes since I was very young, the case being that when I was a kid going to a bike shop was financially impossible so I taught myself from books. I agree with taz777 it seems to be a long time until the warm weather is with us again, but we still go riding when we feel like it. Good luck to all bike riders. I can't remember where I saw a post regarding the Townie handlebar stem I think it was taz777 asking about the polished embellishment above the head nut. I had a look this morning at the collar on my bike. When you undo the stem allen bolt and lift the bars off the collar comes with it. I checked and it seems it is a shiny cover for the head nut. I used a thin piece of hardboard on edge and tapped this with a small hammer and it just moved. I put the stem back into the bike, tightened the allen bolt up again and tapped the collar back in place again. Hope this helps.

taz777 11-28-17 09:13 PM


Originally Posted by Mike43UK (Post 20019505)
Myself and my wife have recently bought Electra bikes here in the UK. I have a Townie 21D EQ and my wife has an Electra Cruiser 7. We are in our seventies and have been riding bikes since we were about 7 years old. We both have had road bikes and mountain bikes and ended up with Peugeot Toulouse Dutch style step thrus which we sold a couple of months ago. We have had the step thrus since 2002 but they were getting to be a bit on the lumpy side. As we are getting on a bit it is good to get your feet straight onto the ground when you stop. The ride on my Townie was strange at first but I am getting used to it. I might swap the riser handlebars for either North Road or Cafe handlebars. I like the comfort of North Road handlebars. Where I live near the coast on the Romney Marsh in the UK it is as flat as a pancake which is a bonus. Another bonus is that there is a bike path a few minutes away from our place, and also another very quiet route to the sea which is about 4 miles away. I have always been able to fix my own bikes since I was very young, the case being that when I was a kid going to a bike shop was financially impossible so I taught myself from books. I agree with taz777 it seems to be a long time until the warm weather is with us again, but we still go riding when we feel like it. Good luck to all bike riders.

Great to hear of more cruiser owners in the U.K.

MikeyMK 02-04-18 12:23 AM

These really appeal to me, i like to ride with my legs as straight as possible, and to be able to reach the floor whilst seated must be handy. I also like to sit upright - and enjoy seeing the world around me!

I used to run those all-cream Fat Frank tyres. You'd think they'd be a nightmare with dirt, and they do spoil easily from the purity seen there, but once tainted they hold it like the proverbially aged fine wine. They're also available with brown tread, which hide mud well, and i'm currently running an all-brown version due to the current conditions.

https://i.imgur.com/wNON7NI.jpg

Cmaesing 04-18-19 07:55 AM

Just got meself an Electra Delivery 3i - used this thread here for some guidance
 
Will upload some pics once all up and running.

Thanks so far for the detailed explanation re the enhancements. This really helped me in deciding on the ones I ordered at my end.

Cheers!

taz777 04-18-19 02:43 PM

Congratulations @Cmaesing. Looking forward to the pictures!

alloo 04-21-19 06:29 AM

Congratulations on your new bike. How does the bike ride? I went with a sixthreezero EvryJourney!


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