coochie2u

coochie2u commented on Electra STRAIGHT 8 edited a comment

May 25, 2008 at 12:04 pm

coochie2u commented on Electra STRAIGHT 8

May 25, 2008 at 3:46 am

Edited a comment

coochie2u commented on Electra STRAIGHT 8

May 24, 2008 at 10:30 pm

"Electra makes the ultimate bikes for styling and profiling around town and frequenting your local bike path. Nothing else comes close to the cool factor of the Electra Stream Ride series of cruisers. They draw their names and inspiration from 50's era hot rods. I have owned the Straight 8 for 2 years and love it more every time I ride it. I find myself making excuses to take it for a spin - something I never did with any other bike. That means more exercise and better health than if I had bought one of those uncomfortable "racy" models or another brand of cruiser that doesn't look as nice. Sometimes I just sit in the garage and stare at it. It truly is art on wheels. I like the approving looks and comments I get from passers-by too. EVERYONE likes this bike. Don't let the coolness fool you though. The Straight 8 is about style AND function. The low seat and forward pedals is the only way to go for regular people. You get decent leg extension without the associated acrobatics required to mount and dismount other bikes. The wide, springy seat eliminates atomic wedgies and, coupled with the fat tires, make for a smooth ride without the need for shocks. You sit straight up which is more comfortable and less fatiguing. Try it and you will never go back to laying on your arms with your butt up over your head. I even put a set of ape hangers on mine for more comfort and a little more bling. It was an easy swap. I just had to turn the shift housing upside down on the new bars. I can't read the indicator now but with only 3 gears it hasn't been a problem. The nexus hub works flawlessly and eliminates clanky derailers and ugly sprockets and cables. It even shifts while sitting still. I only have a few complaints which aren't as serious as they sound and most are inherent for cruisers in general: 1) The bike IS slow. If blistering speeds are a major concern look elsewhere. The Straight 8 is for cruuuuuiiiiising - in comfort and style. The racer dudes will blow by you so fast you will wonder where they came from. They sometimes scare the stew out of me on bike paths. 2) The 8 ball is only painted on one side. What gives Electra? It gets old trying to arrive from the left all the time. You spend nearly 600 big ones on the sharpest bike around and you want to look your best from BOTH directions. This is my biggest gripe. I now have a nice white "skull" decal on the way for the left side. That should do the trick nicely. 3) The coaster brakes could be better but I wouldn't trade them for the ugly cables and gadgets associated with other systems. Just take your time and plan ahead for stops. 4) It is on the heavy side, but most cruisers are and I expected that. It is plenty manageable and I still love to ride it. 5) The triple clamp forks have been discontinued and replaced with a regular bicycle style fork. I am told you can still special order a bike with the nicer forks for a little extra cash and I would do it in a heartbeat. Besides looking better, they keep your front end from spinning circles every time you park it - stretching cables and causing fallovers. Look the other bikes in the Stream Ride lineup over too. You can't go wrong with any of them. Ask about the triple tree style forks on any of them though as several bikes will no longer come standard with them. " more