Find a bicycle in The Villages
 

This is not a classified post, it's a informative post. I want to buy a men's cruiser or comfort bicycle suitable for a 5'6" man. There are none, over the last 10 days I went to the bike stores, 2 Walmarts, Kohls, Target, Sam's, and several places that sell used bikes, I also called several out of the way bike stores to no avail. I went on line, and spent a few hours looking for one but all have frames with crossbars too high for a guy my size or they don't give the dimensions. I will note that there are bikes available that are about the same cost as a decent used car which is not the price range I'm looking at. I understand that everyone has been wanting to get out of the house and riding a bike has become very popular but I would think that a bike shop owner would search suppliers high and low to fill the voids in their shops, most however are probably made in China.

After thinking about this and seeing how empty the shelves are in the big box stores that I had to walk thorough to get to the bike sections, I see that there is a shortage of a lot of stuff and can see inflation on the horizon. Anyway, if you know where I can get one, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Men's Cruiser Bikes, Beach Cruiser Bicycles - Huffy

Least expensive was $99. Most expensive was $363.29. Most of them are under $200. Huffy bikes, like most affordable bicycles, are made in China.

You won't find any affordable bicycles that are made in the USA. You also won't find many high-end bikes made in the USA. Most of them are made overseas (though not all out of China).

There are many American bicycle companies - but most of the bikes they make are made elsewhere.

So basically - you can get an affordable bike made in China, or pay about what you'd pay for a used car for some other bike also made outside of the USA.

As for sizing, at 5'6" you'd probably be fine with a 26" bike. The seat is adjustable, and cruisers come in different styles - one of which has a steep drop on the crossbar toward the pedals. If you have shorter legs and a longer torso, you might want to look into that dropped-crossbar design.

The point I'm trying to make is there are none available. Huffy makes a men's bike with 24" wheels that is sized for me but they are not available anywhere that I can find, Amazon for example has only 20" or 26" available, one too small and one too large. It don't have a problem with a Huffy or Schwinn or Kent, new or used, just can't find the right size. There are 26" bikes make with lower cross bars but again can't find any that are available.

Have you looked at bikesdirect.com?
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/cruiser_bikes.htm

Admittedly, they have only a limited inventory at this time. I bought a cruiser from them last year.

I did check out their site and almost everything on there is sold out until July. I think in a year or so when everyone gets somewhat back to normal there are going to be a lot of lightly used bikes for sale.

26" bike with a lower crossbar available for pickup at Lady Lake Target. Frame size 21" $159

https://www.target.com/p/huffy-men-s...e/-/A-54150248

Here's a step-thru, it's more expensive but still affordable, currently available at Dave's in Wildwood in "spring green":
Electra Cruiser 1 Step-Thru - David's World Cycle | Florida

Not sure why you would have trouble with 26" wheels. I'm only 5'2" and that's the size of my wheels. I can't sit on the seat and put my feet on the ground, I have to get off and stretch my toes while perching on the crossbar. If you're 4 inches taller than I am you should have no problem at all.

I went to that Target on Mother's Day because of them showing the availability of that bike, it was not there, they had two bicycles in the entire store was was a mountain bike for a person 4'6 to 5'2 and the other was a child's smaller bike. I went also to Dave's on Saturday, they only had the one Electra however it was a Lady's bike in a Lady's color, I asked if they had any others and the answer was no, same thing at The Villages Cycle. To answer your question, there are lots of different sized frames that have 26" wheels, trying to find one that I can swing my leg across is the problem, they are out of stock everywhere, the ones that are available are all for taller men and they would not be safe for me to ride. I've tried many of them hoping I can get my feet on the ground and so far nothing.

Have you tried the classified section in our forum?

I have and made several calls, most of the ads are old and have never been removed.

Have you tried a Trek bike? They cost a little more but they are better quality. They make many types and sizes. There are a few Trek dealers for new bikes near TV. You may be able to find a used one on Facebook Marketplace or on Craigslist. Good luck.