Best Beach Cruiser Bikes

Although summer is long gone, if you live near a beach, chances are you can still enjoy a bike ride. Beach cruisers are the best options for casual or more sporty beachside bike excursions.

These types of bikes are all about elegance and comfort. In fact, they’re widely considered two-wheeled therapy sessions with a form of exercise as a bonus. But choosing a beach cruiser is a bit more complicated than you’d imagine.

This is why we’ve decided to round up a list of the best beach cruiser bikes on the market.

5 Best Beach Cruiser Bikes

Schwinn Perla Women’s Beach Cruiser

Thanks to its reasonably-sized frame and lightweight structure, the Schwinn Perla is a trendy beach cruiser choice for women.

At first glance, the seat doesn’t look that much different compared to other beach cruisers – just regular steel springs below. However, the Schwinn Perla features another padding layer inside the seat itself. This means even more comfort and softness for those long beach rides. Plus, the leather used to cover the comfy foam is soft in itself and water-resistant.

This beach cruiser bike model was not made for competitive events or sports. It doesn’t try to break out of the norm. This cruiser, however, is a 7-speed model, with twist shifters. The gears here are used to make those climbs easier. It’s all about comfort and performance.

The Perla’s frame is made out of lightweight steel, meaning resilience, sturdiness, safety, portability, and comfortable rides. Plus, the steel frame can hold more weight attached to the bike, which is ideal for those cruises that turn into picnics.

When it comes to maintenance, a regular wipe-down will do the trick.

Sixthreezero EVRYjourney

At first, the Sixthreezero EVRYjourney looks sleek and modern – it’s black, matte, and gives off a bit of a sporty vibe. On closer inspection, you’ll get to see how much thought and effort has gone into designing this bike.

This model is one of the best beach cruiser bikes out there for a reason – it outperforms most of the pricier models.

The Sixthreezero EVRYjourney is marketed as a “one-size-fits-all” kind of hybrid bike. You’ll see this kind of marketing for many bike models, but this one lives up to the name. As long as you’re an adult from 5’4” to 6’5”, you’ll be able to enjoy a comfortable and safe ride.

The 7-speed Shimano transmission is another thing that the Sixthreezero has got going for it. Thanks to a quality transmission system, the EVRYjourney can truly go everywhere. Although it’s very much a beach cruiser bike, you’ll be able to take it to the trail, comfortably ride it on the pavement or the asphalt, and even have a go at gravel.

The brown leather seat is both sleek and comfortable, in addition to being resistant to wear and tear.

The frame is made out of aluminum, which is very lightweight and fairly sturdy. However, aluminum frames are more brittle than, say, steel frames, so there’s a weight limit here. The official limit for the Sixthreezero EVRYjourney is 300 pounds.

Margaritaville Coast Is Clear

This beach cruiser bike model is exceptionally weather-resistant, which is one of the things that make it perfect for beach use. But the Margaritaville Coast Is Clear is built with comfort in mind. First of all, you get a front fork, as well as rear suspension here. This makes the ride much more comfortable, regardless of whether you’re on the pavement or beachside gravel.

This bike is a real cruiser model. It’s not made for sports, and it’s not a performance model. The Margaritaville Coast Is Clear features a small basket in the front for quick storage, but this is far from the only perk you get. There’s a battery storage system in the bike’s handlebars that enables phone/tablet charging.

The padded seat is soft and squishy, so don’t expect any soreness or pain, even after long cruises. Granted, it’s not the most ergonomic seat on the market, but it’s more than enough for beach cruising purposes.

Even though the Margaritaville is not a performance model, it still boasts a 7-speed Shimano drivetrain with twist shifters. No matter what kind of a beach you’re cruising on, regardless of whether there’s asphalt or gravel beneath your wheels, this model is a comfy ride.

The frame is made out of aluminum, ensuring a lightweight bike. You don’t get steel-level resilience, but it can take a punch.

Maintenance-wise, the Margaritaville is easy to clean, as long as you do it regularly. You will have to assemble it when you get it, but the entire process is straightforward.

Firmstrong Urban Man

Beach cruiser bicycles aren’t the most design-centric bicycle group. Yes, they’re all about functionality, but the style aspect shouldn’t be overlooked. The Firmstrong Urban Man is a beach cruiser bike with a very simplified design. Still, it manages to look sleek and aesthetic overall.

The frame is made out of steel, which means resilience, straight out of the box. Granted, this is not the most lightweight option for beach cruisers, but the Urban Man’s frame is just the perfect weight.

The simplicity of this model is also reflected in the fact that it’s a single-speed bike. 3-speed and 7-speed versions exist, but we’ve found that the single-speed model perfectly matches the Urban Man’s style.

The seat boasts added springs and cushioning, meaning that it’s plenty comfortable. It’s plush, and won’t leave you feeling sore.

Maintenance is made very easy, thanks to the simplistic design.

Schwinn Sanctuary 7

The Schwinn Sanctuary 7 will take you back decades into the past with its eccentric, classic-looking design. Make no mistake, though; this is very much a modern cruiser, feature-wise.

First of all, the reinforced steel frame is sturdy as they come. It’s not the most lightweight option, but thanks to the 7-speed gear mechanism, you’ll be able to choose how easy a ride you want.

The seat is queen-size and features double springs for maximum support and comfort.

Keep in mind that this model doesn’t do well off the road, though.

Best Beach Cruiser Bikes Buyer’s Guide

Before you choose your ideal beach cruiser bike, it’s crucial that you understand what you’re looking at, feature-wise. Here’s a list of what you should take into consideration:

Gears

Although many biking experts will tell you that the gear aspect is the most irrelevant part of buying a beach cruiser ride, you should know that they’re wrong.

Of course, the exceptions here are fixies, or single-speed rides, like the above-mentioned Firmstrong Urban Man.

With that said, when it comes to multispeed bikes, beach cruisers or not, you need to understand how the gears work.

If the beach that you plan riding on is flat for the most part, you don’t need to think about gears that much. Still, gears can make a difference, even on a flat shoreline. In short, it all depends on what type of rider you are. The rider’s cycling should always determine your gear selection choice, and not the other way around. For instance, if you’re a cyclist who likes a challenge, you’ll want to be able to shift between gears. This goes especially for bumpy beaches with potentially rugged terrain.

On the other hand, if all you care about is having a casual ride on straight beach terrain, you can opt for a single-gear model. Ultimately, a ballpark cadence of somewhere between 80 and 100 rpm is a good place to start.

Bike Frame

The bike frame is potentially the most important factor you need to consider when choosing a beach cruiser bike.

Bike frames are a real rabbit hole many cyclists have gone down, never to return. They are probably the most widespread discussion subject among experienced bikers. But still, the centerpiece of the discussion is the weight.

The simplest way to put it would be – a light frame is good, and a heavy frame is bad. The reasoning behind this isn’t complicated – a lighter frame means faster, easier rides with less energy spent. However, a bike frame needs to be strong, resilient, durable, and sturdy, as well. After all, it’s the frame that carries the rider and accounts for all the wear and tear.

As you’d expect, light and resilient frames are more expensive than the heavier ones.

As a rule of thumb, beach cruiser models tend to be strong and are generally built to withstand crashes. When buying a new beach cruiser bike, pay attention to the bike’s weight. Then, take a look at the frame build. If it’s made out of lightweight steel or durable aluminum, it’s probably a good option for you.

Maintenance

The number one cause of wear and tear for beach cruisers is the sand. After all, you’re going to ride it near the shore, and even if you never cross onto the actual beach, the sand in the air will get into all the nooks and crannies. Regular wipe-downs, ideally after each ride, are a must. You’ll want to pay special attention to the gears, the drivetrain, and similar components. If the sand builds up, you’re risking component malfunction.

Every once in a while, you should have the chain removed and cleaned up with a dedicated cleaning device or rag. You’ll also need to lubricate the chain to make sure it’s running consistently.

Now, the one-gear beach cruisers are a tad easier to maintain, given that they don’t have a gear switching system. This, however, is in no way a factor that should deter you from getting a beach cruiser with multiple gears.

In general, the more quality components will be more resilient to the outside particles (sand, for example) and general wear and tear.

Seating

Yes, bike seat comfort is important with every bike type, whether you’re riding them on mountains, gravel, trails, or beaches. With that said, beach biking is rarely focused on performance – it’s more about low-speed, low-impact rides on tarmac, dirt paths, and paved lanes. However, you’ll probably want to spend some time in a beach cruiser’s seat once you set off, so a comfortable seat is vital here.

Everyone has a different anatomy. Similarly, everyone has different sit bones – the tailbone points that sit against an object (bike seat in this instance). Your sitting posture and angle is different from others, so there’s no ultimate bike seating option.

Know your riding style – will you use your cruiser for exercise or just as a means of commuting? If you want to exercise, look for a seat with a thin gel layer on top, which alleviates the pressure. If you’re more of a casual rider, you’ll want something that will remove numbness or pain while biking. If that’s the case, think about getting a seat with a cutaway.

More than anything else, it’s important that you test-drive a seat on a beach cruiser bike before making a purchase. If the seat doesn’t gel with you, know that you’ll probably want to swap it for a different one.

Judgment

All five of the listed models perform great in their respective ways. However, the Sixthreezero EVRYjourney takes the cake. With its true one-size-fits-all design, 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, sleek, comfortable, and wear-resistant brown leather seat, it is one of the best beach cruiser bikes on the market.

If you’ve set your eyes on a cruiser that’s not on our list, keep our buyer’s guide in mind. Pay attention to the model’s gears, frame, seating, and maintenance options.