Cruiser Bicycles

Cruiser bicycles, also described as beach cruisers used a combination of balloon tires, single speed gears, upright seating stance and a simple heavy weight frame with an impressive style became the most popular bike in the United States during the 1930s through the 1950s.

The cruiser bicycle was developed by Schwinn during a period of time that U.S. bike sales were in a decline due to the Great Depression. Not many bicycles were bought by adults as they were seen as a luxury item. To counter this problem Schwinn introduced a new more affordable and durable bicycle designed with the youth market in mind. The first of these soon to be popular bikes was the Schwinn B-10E Motorbike which looked like a motorcycle but had no real engine was produced in 1933. Using features from the Excelsior and Henderson motorcycles which were produced by Schwinn during the 1920s a bicycle was developed that could endure abuse that would damage the lighter built models of the time. These bicycles used a heavy steel frame and balloon tire being made in Germany.

In 1934 a restyle of the B-10E was brought out, named the Aero Cycle. This cruiser bicycle had no technical improvements, however the new streamlined frame, fake gas tank and a headlight became the cruiser look copied by many manufacturers trying to compete with schwinn.

Although popular throughout the 30s and 40s they became even more so during the 1950s. The combination of large tires,single speed geartrains and heavy weight made these bicycles best suited to flat terrain riding. These tough bicycles became very popular with bicycle couriers and paperboys of the time.

Other builders of bicycles such as Huffy,Columbia,Monark and others added their own styling features to attract the younger buyers. The famous cowboy models named after Gene Autry and other western heroes of the day were a big seller, with fun details like saddle bags and holsters for a popgun. Motorcyle type horn tanks, lots of chrome and spring suspension were common on many of these bikes. Even an AM radio could be had with the Huffy Radiobike and a quacking horn on the Donald Duck bike.