Electra Cruisers

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Electra has stood the test of time by staying true to our commitment to bring you the finest cruiser and comfort bikes in the world. We have always gone with our instincts; to marry great designs with the best technology available and create bicycles that are meant to be enjoyed, ridden and treasured, not just admired. Our technical data is proof positive that an Electra is more than just a pretty face.

Why an Electra?

In the old days cruisers were very cool looking, very heavy, and very hard to pedal. Built only for a short cruise around the neighborhood. Our "Original Modern Cruisers" are an evolution of the classic designs that defined America in the 1940's and 50's. We kept the cool stuff; the style and the attitude and discarded the bad stuff; the weight and the lack of maneuverability. We began with the look, chose lightweight materials, engineered a better frame and then added state-of-the-art components. So now you can look great, ride comfortably for any distance and enjoy a classic Electra for life.

Electra Bikes in Bicycling Magazine

Electra specializes in cruisers, so it's no surprise that its Townie commuter bikes have the same swoopy styles as many custom beach bikes. But the Townie design is more that just fashion. It mixes a comfortable, back-friendly riding position reminiscent of a recumbent with it's own curved cruiser style. The result is a sexy bike with a function and fashion all its own. It offers an upright seating position from Electra's one-size-fits-all frame with plenty of stand over clearance. The laid-back seat tube lets riders plant both feet firmly on the ground at intersections yet still allows full leg extension while pedaling.

Modern Cruisers (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
At the time, there were very few cruisers, the classic “fun” bike, on the market. “Back in 1993, there were no cruisers available,” Erforth told the Carlsbad Local News, “You could buy a $99 Huffy at Wal-Mart, or you could try to find an old one and restore it, which is very expensive,” Baenziger decided there was a market niche for a stylish, affordable cruiser bicycle for twenty somethings and began working on designs that combined old school looks with contemporary technology. About this time, Baenziger met Erforth, a fellow German transplant who was selling pieces of the Berlin Wall. Erforth said he could sell the kind of bikes Baenziger was designing, so the two pooled $30,000 in personal savings and founded Electra Bicycle Company. The two remain the firm’s sole shareholders.

The new Electra cruisers were manufactured by a Taiwanese contractor and the two partners began trying to sell them to bike shops. At first, "Dealers laughed at us," says Baenziger. "But people realized they didn't need a mountain bike to go to the grocery store." However, when bike shops tried stocking the Electras, they began to sell, and word-of-mouth convinced more dealers to sign on. In fact, the fledging company’s cruiser sales were so strong that larger firms were spurred to start offering their own cruiser models. Today, Electras are available in bike shops throughout Europe, the USA, and Japan.

Electra advertising in the early days focused on the company’s combination of classic looks with more modern features, such as aluminum frames and multiple speeds, with the tagline “Modern cruisers, with modern components, for modern people.”

Flat Foot Technology  (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Ladies' model Townie. In 2003, the company introduced a major new design: the Townie. This bike’s innovation was what the company calls “Flat Foot Technology.” Simply put, when the rider is sitting on the saddle, his or her feet can still stand flat on the ground, making the rider feel much safer and more comfortable. At the same time, riders can still get full extension when they pedal. Baenziger achieved this breakthrough by combining the cruiser frame with some of the geometry of recumbent bikes, moving the pedals forward and the seat back. Although ads claim that the design is easier on the back and knees than traditional bicycles, the real advantage is that novice riders feel at ease on the bike. The Townie is the embodiment of the “bikes for people who don’t ride bikes” Electra philosophy.

The design has won wide acclaim and has enticed many older Americans back onto a bike. The Townie is an ideal first bike or re-entry bike for lapsed riders, because it is easy and comfortable to ride, and the “flat foot” design overcomes the number one fear of many non-cyclists: falling off the bike. "The bike had to be easy to ride and put a smile on your face," Baenziger says.