TIKI CULTURE

Living Retro: The Schwinn Riverside 7-Speed Cruiser Bike

Knock me your lobes, hip kats and swingin’ kittens…’cuz I’m droppin’ you a line on a keen new set of wheels – The Schwinn Riverside 7-Speed Beach Cruiser!

Now this rig isn’t your ordinary coaster. It’s got the kickin’ retro styling of the famous 1950s Schwinn cruisers with a mod-setup 7-speed gear box and a bunch more goodies, can you dig it?

This is bike is in the groove with old-school fenders, rear rack, deco decals and paint job…but it gets hip to new tech with linear caliper brakes, aluminum wheels, padded grips, a spring-action seat and of course that rockin’ & rollin’ 7-gear tranny! With all that going on this cruiser is stellar, Daddy-O!

I’d been spending a lot of time riding my old man’s original late 40s-early 50s Roadmaster Luxury Liner around. That bike is the boss, but it weighs about 400 pounds. You don’t just pedal it, you drive it. And that takes a lot of wind out of this kat, so I decided to go with something that had a few more gears than just one. I wanted to get a bike that looked like the old style jobs, and after a few years of waiting and watching finally found this Schwinn Riverside at the local K-Mart.

My old man's ’53 Roadmaster Luxury Liner

Apparently they only sell them at K & Sears, so if you want one you’ll have to trudge over to your nearest store – or order one online, for an extra delivery charge. (Ain’t that crazy? They charge you to deliver it – and it gets delivered to the nearest store, not your house. Kookie.)

The only thing missing off this bike is a real, retro-matic kool-o-rama tank with a built-in horn, like the Roadmaster. Who knows, maybe some kat will fabricate one and sell it on Ebay…they’re already selling kits to add a gas engine to this baby!

-Tiki Chris for Tiki Lounge Talk, the Tiki Culture Blog for people who are hip to this swingin’ scene.