Beach Cruiser Update 2...

After helping my grandmother move into her new apartment today, I came home and did a bit more work to the beach cruiser. I had thought I was going to have to sand and paint the chain guard, but it turns out those ugly graphics were just a sticker and they weren't under the clear coat, so a quick removal of the guard, some heat, and some Goo-Gone and the thing was clean with no decals.

I had gone to the store to get the Goo-Gone because we were all out, and while I was there I found some graphics that I thought might look good on the chain guard. They are just some tribal decals that were in the junk in the automotive department, but they go well with the design on the seat and the handlebars, and will go well with the Tiki head cup holder when I get it.

This is what the chain guard looks like all cleaned up with the tribal graphics on it.


Doesn't it look all nice and pretty??

And here's what it looks like on the bike...don't mind how dirty the bike looks in this picture, I still haven't had a chance to take it to the car wash and actually wash it off. I think you can get the idea of what it will look like, though.


I also added one more tribal decal to the front of the steering tube, but that wouldn't come out very well in pictures in the dark garage. I also added a new and nicer kickstand that does a better job of holding the bike up, and some red anodized valve stem caps to the tires. About $20 worth of stuff makes a world of difference.

Next up?? I have to order a laid back seat post. That's a seat post that effectively moves the seat back about 6 inches to open up the cockpit and give you a more stretched out riding stance. They look like this, and pretty much every beach cruiser that's this style of bike has one.


That should complete the overall look that I'm going for. Other than these items, the rest of the parts will be replacing things that already work but just don't look so great, like the wheels and tires. On closer inspection tonight, I don't know if I'll be able to get the wheels to the point that I want them to be, so they may end up having to be changed out after all. Not a big deal, and I still might be able to get them cleaned up enough, but it will be a bit more work than I had initially thought. The tires will probably be changed out just because they're ugly.

Other than that, the only other thing I'll probably be replacing anytime soon are the pedals. I'll probably be looking into getting some barefoot pedals. They are covered on both sides with rubber to help with grip when wearing sandals, flat skateboard shoes, or no shoes at all. They also look kinda cool.


Overall, I'm really happy with the way this project is turning out so far. I didn't think it would be quite as much fun as it has been, but I'm having a blast finding the stuff and then putting it on. I even took the bike for a quick spin around the block today even though it was only like 25 degrees outside. It rides really smooth and comfortably. It's actually a bit of a workout pedaling it uphill as well, probably because it doesn't have any gears.

I'm looking forward to getting it done, getting some warm weather, and then riding it up to the ice cream place. Good times.