Best playa bike mods for generic Huffy Cranbrook Cruiser?

[Strata]

Hey beautiful people! I just put together a pair of Huffy Cranbrook Cruiser bikes, which will be our new playa bikes. I have been taking my good bike to the playa and having many problems with it, so I decided on the K.I.S.S. approach of the Cranbrooks. Found a discontinued color on sale for a substantial discount, so I got them.

Besides not being darkwads (bike lighting!) and the ubiquitous tennis ball kickstand mod, what are folks favorite playa mods for a generic cruiser bike? The chain cover looks sharp, for instance, and I'm thinking of gluing a chunk of pool noodle over the part where the back of my calf might scrape it. Ideas?

cheers,
BearHug / Strata

[fernley1]

I used the same bike for 9 years on the playa. I feel the most important thing to do every year is to grease all bearing, especially the crank bearings. The bikes usually come from the store with little or no grease for the bearings. I also just remove the chain guard to make it easier to clean the chain a couple of times during the week, be sure to use a good dry lube on the chain.

[Elorrum]

Basket 🧺 and if the chain is clean, consider a wax or “dry” lubricant before you go.

[Strata]

Thanks, since the bikes are new out of the box, I will definitely give the chains a good treatment with the dry lube that I have before riding them.

I looked at a lot of bike baskets and I ended up going with a little cloth basket that velcros on and is lined with reflective material so that it can be used as a mini cooler. A lot of the time when I toss a cold coconut water or two into my backpack, and bike off to see the art in the morning, I forget about the drinks in my backpack and just sip from my Camelback. If I put them in the front that will be better. And there's also a pocket for my camera since I don't want to keep it in my actual pockets, things don't stay in there reliably when I'm cycling.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W14Z4V8

[Popeye]

A mod I've been thinking about but haven't tried is to install a zerk fitting on the wheel axle housing and the bottom bracket. It would take a good amount of grease to fill them at first but once filled a quick squirt every day would keep them full and lubricated.

[Elorrum]

I looked at a lot of bike baskets and I ended up going with a little cloth basket that velcros on and is lined with reflective material so that it can be used as a mini cooler.

sounds neat, not a car scraper, easy access, and the warmed beverage on a hot playa day is no fun.

[Skuzzy61]

I changed the hub gear to a smaller tooth count gear (reduced gear ratio), replaced the chain with a better quality chain (thicker side plates and stronger rollers), used a wax based penetrating lube on the chain, use a lithium based grease for the hubs and bearings, replaced the tubes with heavier tubes, and replaced the tires with some balloon tires which roll over the playa like they were on air.

After about 5 days on the playa, I just wiped the chain down with some more of the lube and that was it. Both bikes do great and are easy to ride. The reduced gear ratio really makes a big difference.

[Canoe]

... The reduced gear ratio really makes a big difference.

Particularily for how hard vs. soft (dunes, serpents, dust ponds, etc.) the playa is (or sections get beat up to dust), and takes more pedaling force.

[BBadger]

So first of all, as mentioned above, get your bike gear bearings packed with bearing grease. I had my bearing cages break apart and needed some on-playa repairs with some grease to fix. I had greased up the bearings, but that was after a really dusty year that sucked the grease out.

If you don't have someone else do it for you you need to get the tool bearing grease, and a master link for your chain.

Baskets are great, but I don't like having one in front. Instead I have a milk crate or some other storage on a back luggage carrier, which you might need to get aftermarket.

For me, the out-of-box Cranbrook, and many other cruisers, are just too difficult to pedal, especially if stuck in dunes, etc. I was not sold on cruisers until I tried one with much better gearing.

So one of the best mods I made was to switch out the sprocket and chainset gears for some that produced a lower gearing (larger number of teeth for sprocket, fewer teeth for the crankset gear.

I used a 36T crankset gear, and a 20T sprocket. Try out the crankset gear first as it's easier to install.

The lower gearing means it is effortless to bike and I can often glide around with just letting my leg weight push the pedals. I can also power through dunes with ease.

After that, I also got some longer apehanger handlebars and a seat post that could extend further, mostly so I could fit the bike better.

After all this, I wonder if it would've been better to just have bought a better bike, but now I have the experience, knowledge, and tools to fix bikes, so it's been good overall.

[motskyroonmatick]

As others have said. Open up those bearings where the pedals go through the frame enough to get a good amount of grease in there and then tighten things back up but not too tight. Those crank bearings are the first thing to go on those bikes.

[Canoe]

P.S.
True for all DSBs (Department Store Bikes)(alleged design criteria: last a year when driven on the flat in good weather by a 97 lbs. woman getting one bag of groceries a week) major YRMV - all across the map
* Ideally you get them still in the box, not "assembled", so you know no one has ridden them (put their weight on them). This allows you to remove & replace all of the grease from the wheel bearings and bottom bracket before they're ridden, as that grease often contains dirt or even metal bits from the factory floor. Ridding them with such contaminates in the grease can quickly or even instantly trash the bearings & bearing seats. Should check the steering stem bearings too; they're assembled in the same factory and can be contaminated too.
* Known for untrued wheels that can taco (fold/collapse). Truing a wheel can be a major pain if you try to tighten too much at once, but once you get the knack (or find instructions on how to do that easily & reliably), it's actually rather fun. (I've been known to build wheels for free just for the fun of doing it...)
* Also known for spokes that extend from the rim nipples into the inner tube (check, add a good rim "tape").

On Huffy, in the "bike world": "If Huffy made an airplane, would you fly in it?"
Seems to have originated as a Huffy comment, but appears with just about all DSBs.

[Captain Goddammit]

Bolt on the most comfortable seat you can find.
Taller handlebars.
Lower gears, which is most easily accomplished with a smaller front crank sprocket ("chainwheel" to the purists).
GREASE!
Rear carrying rack. You'll end up wanting to carry stuff.
Spare tubes/patch kit.
Lights.

[Strata]

...
* Known for untrued wheels that can taco (fold/collapse). Truing a wheel can be a major pain if you try to tighten too much at once, but once you get the knack (or find instructions on how to do that easily & reliably), it's actually rather fun. (I've been known to build wheels for free just for the fun of doing it...)
...

Especially appreciated this tip; getting the wheels trued by the local bike shop, also having them take care of the greasing while they're at it, and going over the bikes in general. Wheel truing is not something I felt I could learn by watching a few YT videos.

[Canoe]

... * Known for untrued wheels that can taco (fold/collapse). ...

Especially appreciated this tip; getting the wheels trued by the local bike shop, also having them take care of the greasing while they're at it, and going over the bikes in general. Wheel truing is not something I felt I could learn by watching a few YT videos.

If you haven't taken it in yet, make sure they know to remove all of the old grease first. Too many DSBs turning up with debris from the factory in the grease.

Learning truing would take some investment in developing that skill. Although, the biggest thing is getting good instructions. Makes it a lot easier. If you ever get interested, I'd recommend "PROFESSIONAL GUIDE TO WHEEL BUILDING - A Complete Reference for Cyclists - Roger Musson" www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php ~$12.
Truing is only part of the book, which covers building a wheel from parts.
"Roger Musson’s wheel building book review and my application of its lessons" www.youtube.com/watch?v=irBiOQ9s8Rg

With a nicely trued wheel, the feeling of positive control while riding goes up too. My nephew is a Clydesdale, so he had a fair amount of wiggle in his ride with the from-factory wheels, and was surprised at how nice the ride became when I trued his wheels.

[BBadger]

Oh yeah, get some no-flat inner tubes. They're cheap and easy to install. I remember going out with a group one evening, only to later have one person's bike tire develop a puncture. We had to walk the bike to some bike camp to have them help us (which was lovely of them at that hour). The puncture ended up taking the wind out of the tire -- and the evening.

Bring the tube you replace to the burn as a spare, or use it to bind monkey hut PVC joints instead of those expensive PVC couplers that shatter.

[Mathew23]

P.S.
True for all DSBs (Department Store Bikes)(alleged design criteria: last a year when driven on the flat in good weather by a 97 lbs. woman getting one bag of groceries a week) major YRMV - all across the map
* Ideally you get them still in the box, not "assembled", so you know no one has ridden them (put their weight on them). This allows you to remove & replace all of the grease from the wheel bearings and bottom bracket before they're ridden, as that grease often contains dirt or even metal bits from the factory floor. Ridding them with such contaminates in the grease can quickly or even instantly trash the bearings & bearing seats. Should check the steering stem bearings too; they're assembled in the same factory and can be contaminated too.
* Known for untrued wheels that can taco (fold/collapse). Truing a wheel can be a major pain if you try to tighten too much at once, but once you get the knack (or find instructions on how to do that easily & reliably), it's actually rather fun. (I've been known to build wheels for free just for the fun of doing it...)
* Also known for spokes that extend from the rim nipples into the inner tube (check, add a good rim "tape").

On Huffy, in the "bike world": "If Huffy made an airplane, would you fly in it?"
Seems to have originated as a Huffy comment, but appears with just about all DSBs.

Oh I didn't know such information before, even though I have been using the bike for a long time, the tip is very interesting and useful
fnf dordle

[hooker]

One thing I think no one has mentioned is that you can buy a sealed bottom bracket and replace the one that comes with the bike. These will keep you from having the BB seize up on playa. It happened to me and I swore I'd never bring a stock bike again. I also bought sealed pedals. If I could only buy a sealed set of wheels for a cruiser I'd be all set. To buy the right bottom bracket you need to remove the old one and measure it's width before picking a new one.

Here is an example on Amazon:

[Elorrum]

One thing I think no one has mentioned is that you can buy a sealed bottom bracket and replace the one that comes with the bike. These will keep you from having the BB seize up on playa. It happened to me and I swore I'd never bring a stock bike again. I also bought sealed pedals. If I could only buy a sealed set of wheels for a cruiser I'd be all set. To buy the right bottom bracket you need to remove the old one and measure it's width before picking a new one.

Here is an example on Amazon:

Does the cranbrook have a single piece crank?