The Rise of the Cruiser

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At Planetizen, they take note of the increase number of cruiser bikes around cities as a sign of the increased acceptance of bicycles. It's now acceptable and easy to bike around on a silly bike designed simply for getting from one point to another, instead of on an expensive performance bike:

For the last few decades, the cruiser all but disappeared as bikes became big business. Road bikes claimed the market, and you rarely saw someone biking who wasn't in full spandex. A revival of the cruiser began in the mid-90s as people began to reconsider biking as a transportation mode.

As a pretty obnoxious bike snob, I find cruisers to be mostly annoying and in the way as I attempt to bike very quickly. But if they're getting more people to bike, I will happily allow them to lollygag in the middle of the bike lane and force me into traffic to get by them. But only grudingly.