DorkDisk

Thanks, yeah its got vintage MTB geometry. In the mid 90s, there was a brief fad with cruiser-esque frames. The most desirable was the Newsboy, but Retrotec made nice steel ones also. This one is Al, with a Girvin fork.

JehD

With the springy Brooks and more upright bars its pretty cruiserier.

OldCruiser

I’d trade my Electra Fat Tire for one .
I rode one of my Electra Cruiser 1’s yesterday , only a mile , around the neighborhood, and my knees hurt today . I don’t think my knees like the pedal forward cranks .
Edit : I figured out it wasn’t the pedal forward geometry hurting my knees . I raised my saddle and moved it forward and now I’m back to riding them .

Jax Rhapsody

I just found a girvin and I hope I can weasel in as the last bidder. I have a cranbrook I want to make a klunker. I also want it to analyze it, so I can make my own for my 80 Garelli SSXL future build. I forgot they were called girvin, my mind went to hossack suspension lol. It's similar, but a girvin is considered a type of girder fork.

ed h

I recently picked up a 1996 Gary Fisher Klunker. This bike is a replica of Gary Fishers mid 1970s mountain bike, which started out as a 1930s Schwinn single speed. At the time Gary Fisher added front and rear gearing, as the original single speed bikes were not suited for climbing hills, most often the single speeds had to be pushed up a hill.
So basically what I have here could be considered a mountain bike that's already a cruiser. So far I changed just the pedals, seat and handlebars. The 1996 model came with a leather Brooks B-17 seat and also very swept back handlebars, neither of which I found to be comfortable.


1996 Gary Fisher Klunker

JehD

I haven’t noticed an issue with the pedal forward on my knees vs the Fatty. I sold my Single Speed cruiser because it hurt to brake. The backpedaling and braking was painful.

That and having the low gears is a must. It’s awkward to stand up and pedal on the cruiser and again my knees won’t take it so I can sit and just spin.

All that said with the wider springy Brooks and the handle bars up and in a bit it’s not as upright as the Electra but close and super comfortable.

it is slow though. I have the tires at 15 psi which is on the higher end and it still requires more work to keep it at speed. If it had slicks like your 7D Fat it would probably roll really nice but I don’t have a lot of pavement where I live and they would defeat the purpose here.

All in all really happy with the bike and it does come in sizes. SML.

OldCruiser

I’ve adjusted the saddle on my bikes higher , almost 2” on some bikes , to where the knee pain has gotten better , until I raised the saddle on one of Electra C1’s and moved the saddle as far forward as possible to try to eliminate the pedal forward position and after riding only a mile , my knees told me me to stop .
As long as I ride a traditional pedal position bike , my knees were getting better .
It may possibly be the changing positions , riding different bikes that could be the problem .
I need to pick one style and stick with it .
I’ve tried every saddle position I can think of with the Electras and my Specialized Roll, and I’m about to give up and get them all ready to sell .
As far gearing , on my C1’s I have 24 tooth rear cogs on them and they are very easy to pedal . The Roll has a 30 tooth chainring, it too is very easy to pedal .

JehD

Too bad, you have some nice bikes.. But if you have to sell its probably a good time as bikes can still be hard to find so you could get a good price for them. It also cheaper to find a bike that works than getting new knees.

OldCruiser

I enjoyed my Electras before I realized what was going on on .
I have a Few bikes that were made back in the early 90’s that seem to be working good for me at the moment, including my Specialized Hardrock.
Wish I could find a couple more frames in this era , but the bike shortage has eliminated that .
You can see the black mark on the seatpost where I first raised my saddle . Once I found the correct height , I put a piece of tape around the post to let me know if the post slips .

2old

I use the "standard" method of determining seatpost height and orientation by pedaling backwards with my heel on the pedal and raising the seat until my knee is straight, then putting the pedals at 3/9 o'clock and determining seat front/back by dropping a "plumb" from the knot below my knee until it bisects the pedal spindle. Works really well for me. Of course, you need to modify for coaster brakes.

OldCruiser

SS MTB , or Cruiser ? Put this one together today , Someday I hope try it out off road .
Has rear coaster brake .

SkinGriz

I like that.
I have the same pedals for my kids bike. Will finish putting bike together next couple days so haven’t used yet.

OldCruiser

Swapped the wheelset out for a blue set with Michelin Country Rock tires . The tires are more cruiser .
Calling this my “Spin-Cycle” . 30 Chainring with a 22 tooth cog . Turned it into a goat on hills .

2old

Kirby, neat bike; try 32/20. It was a perfect gear for me off road for about 20 years when I rode SS almost exclusively. 30/22 is about 9.5 mph @ 90 rpm but who says you need to go faster?

GeezyRider 

kirby999 your bikes all look great but I am curious to know if you ever have hand, shoulder or neck discomfort when you ride them.

OldCruiser

My hands do give me problems, arthritis , especially the left hand .
I have more aches and pains from working on my bikes than I do from riding them .
But I don’t plan on stopping either . 😎

SkinGriz

32/20 on 26’s?

2old

Yes; for me this was a good balance since the terrain was pretty hilly. Plus, the GT Zaskar had a "magic ratio" with the configuration and I didn't need a tension device. I would run 32/19 with tension for a couple of rides when the chain was changed, then switch to 32/20, no device. When the chain was worn, repeat. Then I got old.

OldCruiser

30/22 for me right now . May even go to a 30/24 , especially on the MTB tires .
It’s all about easy pedaling and spinning .
I was recently diagnosed with AFib and the cardiologist told me to cut back on my biking and to take it easy , to not stress myself , until they run some tests on me to determine my treatment.
This SS seems easier than my geared bikes . Just takes a little getting use too .
Definitely a more laid back style of riding .
I’m enjoying it .

2old

Take it easy. I've discovered (and maybe you have too) that you have as much fun riding slowly as before when you were faster, plus you get more saddle time for the same distance.

Jax Rhapsody

Some lowly bastich just outbid and stole that fork out from under me. I'm so pissed.

GeezyRider 

I struck Craigslist gold a couple of weeks ago when I found this nearly flawless early 90's Giant ATX 760 for $45. I put one of my saddles, a single speed conversion kit and an old single speed crank on it and I kind of like the result.

MrWasabi

Nice! I'm doing similar with my mid 90s Giant CFM-4.

SkinGriz

Nice!
CL around here clogged up with dealers and just garbage.

victorm

2001 Kona FireMountain 1x8 table tops and Surly Sunrise Bars