Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Beach Cruisers
Reload this Page >

New Electra Townie Balloon 8i owner

Notices
Beach Cruisers Do you love balloon tires and fenders? Do you love riding the simplicity of a single gear and coaster brakes or a single gear cluster? Do you love the classic curves in the tubing of a cruiser that takes you back to the 1950's and 1960's, stylistically? Here's your home! Welcome to the Beach Cruisers and Cruisers forum!

New Electra Townie Balloon 8i owner

Old 09-13-17, 02:42 AM
  #1  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
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 is offline  
Old 09-15-17, 09:56 AM
  #2  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
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.











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).
taz777 is offline  
Likes For taz777:
Old 09-15-17, 10:12 AM
  #3  
tds101 
55+ Club,...
 
tds101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere in New York, NY
Posts: 4,265

Bikes: 9+,...

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1085 Post(s)
Liked 821 Times in 570 Posts
Wow,...she looks BEAUTIFUL!!!
__________________
If it wasn't for you meddling kids,...
tds101 is offline  
Old 09-15-17, 12:14 PM
  #4  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
^ 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.
taz777 is offline  
Old 09-15-17, 02:16 PM
  #5  
kevrider
Senior Member
 
kevrider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: northern nevada
Posts: 360

Bikes: way too many

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 61 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 3 Posts
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.
kevrider is offline  
Old 09-16-17, 12:19 PM
  #6  
SquidPuppet
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
 
SquidPuppet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Coeur d' Alene
Posts: 7,862

Bikes: 3 Chinese Gas Pipe Nerdcycles and 2 Chicago Electroforged Boat Anchors

Mentioned: 75 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2358 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 26 Posts
Originally Posted by kevrider
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.
SquidPuppet is offline  
Old 09-16-17, 02:10 PM
  #7  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
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 is offline  
Old 09-17-17, 02:10 PM
  #8  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
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

taz777 is offline  
Old 09-18-17, 04:47 AM
  #9  
jimmie65
Proud hobo biker
 
jimmie65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Schertz - New Braunfels area
Posts: 804

Bikes: 2019 Surly Ogre, 2016 Giant Anyroad 2, Lightspeed Roadrunner trike, SE Tripel (in process)

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Stunning bike
jimmie65 is offline  
Old 09-18-17, 06:40 AM
  #10  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
Originally Posted by jimmie65
Stunning bike
Thank you kindly, sir!
taz777 is offline  
Old 11-13-17, 11:50 PM
  #11  
rollagain
Lopsided biped
 
rollagain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 736

Bikes: 2017 Day 6 Cyclone (the Buick); 2015 Simcoe Deluxe (the Xebec); Street Strider 3i (the not-a-bike); GreenSpeed Anura (the Black Swan)

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 316 Post(s)
Liked 160 Times in 97 Posts
Very nice! Very classy.

What do you think of that front brake?
rollagain is offline  
Old 11-14-17, 01:10 AM
  #12  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
Originally Posted by rollagain
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!
taz777 is offline  
Old 11-15-17, 09:37 AM
  #13  
Philphine
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 832
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 90 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 18 Times in 16 Posts
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.
Philphine is offline  
Old 11-15-17, 12:09 PM
  #14  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
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.
taz777 is offline  
Old 11-15-17, 02:53 PM
  #15  
Breitie
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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.
Breitie is offline  
Old 11-17-17, 10:27 PM
  #16  
fourknees
Senior Member
 
fourknees's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 126

Bikes: currently: electra townie 21d and 7d,i, durban bay pro 7, raleigh hybrid (2001 c40), burley trailer, a few kids bikes. Former: Townie 3i, weehoo trailer...

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Breitie
Who makes the Townie? I
Electra is the brand, which is now owned by Trek.
fourknees is offline  
Old 11-20-17, 10:10 AM
  #17  
Norfolk Joe
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Downtown Norfolk, VA
Posts: 6

Bikes: Electra Townie Balloon 8D EQ

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by taz777
The only technically good part on the bike is the saddle and the rear light.

I'm not so sure about that

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

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
Norfolk Joe is offline  
Old 11-25-17, 08:21 PM
  #18  
NOLABIKER
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: southeast Louisiana
Posts: 124

Bikes: Electra Townie 7D, Electra Rat Fink, Electra Ghostrider, Nirve Cannibal, Firmstrong Urban Deluxe

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
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.
NOLABIKER is offline  
Old 11-28-17, 10:11 AM
  #19  
Mike43UK
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Romney Marsh-Kent-UK
Posts: 5

Bikes: Now Electra Townie 21D EQ and Electra cruiser 7. In the past I had a Raleigh team special and many different mountain bikes, and Dutch style step thrus.

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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.

Last edited by Mike43UK; 11-29-17 at 04:36 AM. Reason: To add more
Mike43UK is offline  
Old 11-28-17, 09:13 PM
  #20  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
Originally Posted by Mike43UK
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.
taz777 is offline  
Old 02-04-18, 12:23 AM
  #21  
MikeyMK
Cycleway town
 
MikeyMK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Milton Keynes, England
Posts: 1,402

Bikes: 2.6kw GT LTS e-tandem, 250w Voodoo, 250w solar recumbent trike, 3-speed shopper, Merlin ol/skl mtb, 80cc Ellswick

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 169 Times in 117 Posts
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.

MikeyMK is offline  
Old 04-18-19, 07:55 AM
  #22  
Cmaesing
Newbie
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 1

Bikes: Electra Delivery 3i

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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!
Cmaesing is offline  
Old 04-18-19, 02:43 PM
  #23  
taz777
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
taz777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 865

Bikes: 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 25 Times in 19 Posts
Congratulations @Cmaesing. Looking forward to the pictures!
taz777 is offline  
Old 04-21-19, 06:29 AM
  #24  
alloo
Full Member
 
alloo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 490

Bikes: 2022 Priority Coast, 2022 Priority Current

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 175 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 99 Posts
Congratulations on your new bike. How does the bike ride? I went with a sixthreezero EvryJourney!

Last edited by alloo; 04-23-19 at 09:52 AM.
alloo is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mixtemiss
Commuting
48
10-11-17 11:09 AM
EnjoyinTheRide
Beach Cruisers
34
04-16-17 08:09 PM
NOLABIKER
Manufacturer, Retailer, Survey and Consumer Feedback
0
05-13-16 05:08 PM
Yury
Manufacturer, Retailer, Survey and Consumer Feedback
0
08-27-15 05:14 AM
RVD72
Southern California
15
08-26-10 12:31 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.