one of our bikes after a hard week of work
We often get asked about why we’ve made particular decisions as it relates to our equipment. We aren’t easy on our gear, it gets hauled in an out of schools and it’s not unusual for a single bicycle simulator to have 18 students utilize it during a day of programming. throw in the fact that it gets hauled all across Central Indiana and we have to load-in and load-out in 30 minutes and anything we use must be durable and reliable.
When we were developing the program concept, we needed a bicycle that was durable and highly adjustable. We’re working with students as young as 8 all the way through teenagers and even adults–and we wanted to avoid having multiple sized bikes on our trailer.
After a lot of research, we settled on a need for a 24 inch wheeled bicycle that was a single speed/coaster brake design. Those are few and far between in terms of manufacturers, and luckily for us, one of the coolest bike companies around, Sun Bicycles, made exactly what we needed.
We elect to use the Revolution 24″ Beach Cruiser from Sun Bicycles for all of our programs. The 8 bicycles we’ve had since launching programs almost 3 years ago have held up better than anything we could have expected with the abuse and torture we put them through every day. The only changes we’ve made to the bikes are a skinny rear tire to fit onto the trainer and a heavy duty seat clamp that can handle 100+ adjustments per week. Everything else is stock and has held up beyond expectations.
We’re fortunate that these days, Sun Bicycles is a supporter to Nine13sports both in terms of equipment and vocal advocacy. They make a variety of models that are similar to what we use, including adult 26″ sized bikes, 3 speed and 7 speed versions. You can find more right here at their website and also find a dealer.