April 13, 2005

Bikers cruise around town

Cruiser bikers meet each week for laid-back rides around Traverse City

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       A loosely organized group of cruiser bikers hit the streets again Thursday evening, welcoming spring with their inaugural pedal of the year. What will be a weekly ride through late fall started at Modern Extreme Sports and meandered through downtown Traverse City with one destination in mind: fun.
      "We go to some bars in town, it's a social time," said Pete Lortz, a devotee of the cruiser bike. "It's nothing like outrageous, we're just out cruising. All sorts of people come; me, I'm just 21 years old, and we get old people and young people."
      Lortz, an employee of Modern Extreme Sports, said a small core of riders shows up every week for the social ride. A changing cast of other cruisers go along for the ride whenever they can make it. Each week the group, which usually ranges from 3 to 15 participants, decides where they want to go. Their goal is a leisurely ride that includes an unhurried dinner and drinks.
      The laid-back attitude goes hand in bike glove with the cruiser bike's style: heavier construction, stable ride, comfortable seat, oversized tires, coaster brakes and raised handlebars. The bikes usually have either a three-speed internal hub or just one speed; no fancy shifting required.
      "There's a lot of really cool paint jobs and they're really comfortable," said Lortz of the cruiser bikes. "There's no other bikes like them!"
      Pat Dueweke, manager of Modern Extreme Sports, said the store started the public rides last spring and continued them until cold weather set in. Also a veteran road and mountain biker, Dueweke said cruiser bikes have their own niche appeal: the casual, low-key ride. He's always owned at least one cruiser bike during his many years of biking.
      "There are times when you have to realize that a pair of flip flops is more appropriate than bike shoes," he noted, adding of cruisers: "It's the kind of bike you take to the store to get a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread."
      Cruiser bikes are surging in popularity, finding a niche among families, Baby Boomers, hip riders, retirees - anyone, really. For the most part, the bikes complement the road bike and mountain bike markets instead of directly competing with them.
      Harking back to their heyday in the middle of the 20th Century, the updated cruiser bikes include newer technology in the gears and brakes plus the frames are built of lighter, rust-free alloys. The newer models at stores today sport popular decoration themes ranging from Hello Kitty to racing to punk rock.
      "They've gotten a lot lighter than those from the 1930s and 1940s," Dueweke noted.
      Although bike stores in the area offer many models to choose from, sometimes an aging, vintage model can be a treasure.
      David Bellairs, who works at McLain Cycle and Fitness, found a 1968 Schwinn at a farmer's garage sale last year. Using steel wool and hours of elbow grease, he transformed a $20 investment from a rusty, well-used bike into his gleaming pride and joy.
      "They built the bikes really well in the old days," said Bellairs, a year-round biker who participates in all aspects of the sport. "It's nice to find something like that that's just been sitting around in the barn."
      Bellairs said the mid-century models built by Huffy, a company now associated with budget-priced bikes, hold up like tanks.
      "Even Huffys that people think are cheap because they've been cheep for so long are great finds," he said. "Cruisers are really making a come back."