Bill Rhodes cruises down Louie Avenue on a recent summer day. Rhodes says he feels like a kid on his cruisers. This is his latest custom bike, the Ghost Rider. Rhodes and his wife, Judy, own six cruisers. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Cruise Control

You've seen them around Lodi. Flashes of color and smiles are left in their wakes. The popularity of the retro style cruiser bicycles is growing and putting Lodians on the go.

Lodi man Bill Rhodes views his city from behind chrome handlebars. He says hello to the people he passes with a wide smile and a few rings of his bell. Wearing shorts, sandals and a cap, Rhodes is known around town as the man everyone sees sitting outside the coffee shops or grabbing lunch at A&W restaurant. It's not his long gray hair or laid back personality that makes passersby take notice. It's his bikes — the Rat Fink cruisers that are a cross between classic bikes of the 1960s and the popular Chopper motorcycles. Rhodes has three Rat Finks — one for his wife, two for him.

With cruiser bikes, bike riding is no longer restricted to mountain trails and spandex suits. It's not about leaning forward. A goal doesn't have to be competing a marathon, but completing a trip to the market. All you need are flip-flops, sunglasses and a set of fenders.

"The lure is the pleasure of a slower pace," Electra bikes spokesperson Elayne Fowler said. "It's making bicycling fun again by kind of going back to the basics."

Cruiser bikes are about creating comfort and an identity. From the boardwalks of Santa Monica and Santa Cruz to the streets of Lodi, people of all ages are pedaling into the trend of owning cruiser bikes. The sit-up-straight bikes combine wide and high handle bars, fenders, streamers, baskets and flames and hibiscus flowers to create a modern bike with an old school look. With Lodi's flat streets and fair weather, locals — from young to old — are finding that cruising is not only cool, but it's therapeutic.

"High school students who wouldn't be caught dead riding a (vintage looking) bike 10 years ago now think they are the coolest things ever," City Bikes owner Eric Copeland said.

An Electra Cruiser seat at City Bicycles has the company's logo "tattooed" on the surface. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

It was around the year 2000 that Copeland says cruiser bikes started becoming popular. At this time, Schwinn, the original makers of the bikes filed for bankruptcy, leaving other companies like Electra to produce high quality cruisers. Electra started making bikes to fit personalities with cream, pastel and bright colors and design elements like tattooed seats and flame tread on the tires. Now, the bikes that average about $350, make up between 35 and 45 percent of City Bike's sales.

"It's a self-expression of who you are," Bill Rhodes said. "It's an extension of a person."

In his garage, beside the two-toned mint green '57 Bel-Air station wagon, Bill and Judy Rhodes keep their six cruisers. They agree that bikes are definitely a favorite hobby. Like a kid showing off his baseball card collection, Bill Rhodes lines his bikes in the driveway. Under the sun the bikes glisten different shades of blue, pink, green, silver and black. Most are accessorized with baskets, a bell, fenders or a fancy paint job. But it's obvious, the Rat Finks' are the babies of the family. Riding one can make anyone look like a carefree beach bum.

City Bicycles owner Eric Copeland explains the ins-and-outs of the popular cruisers in his shop on Ham Lane. The bikes are available with one or three gears. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Bill Rhodes, retired from the Pacific Gas and Electric Co., rides his Rat Fink every day, when he's not busy working on a painting or doing chores around the house. He would like to see Lodi have a bike day, where everyone could get together for rides and repairs. But for now, he rides alone while Judy Rhodes works. He cruises everywhere from coffee shops to Lodi Lake, waving at the people who have come to expect his daily wave.

"I have to say, 'Honey, where do we know him from?'" he said.

"And I have to say, 'We don't, darling,'" Judy Rhodes said.

Until a couple of weeks ago, Bill Rhodes was known for his bright green Rat Fink that matches Judy's. Now, he has a new black one.

"You just feel like a kid on one of the Sting Rays," Bill Rhodes said. "It brings the kid out of older people. You don't ever want to lose that."

Bill and Judy Rhodes — who laugh at each other's jokes and complete each other's sentences — admit their cruisers keep them young. After knee surgeries, Bill Rhodes couldn't ride a standard bike because they put too much pressure on his injured knees. Because of their long bodies and wide handle bars, Bill Rhodes is able to ride cruiser bikes that allow his feet to be in front of him, not beneath him.

Bill and Judy Rhodes both own Rat Fink bicycles made by Electra. Now Bill has a new bike called the Ghost Rider, also made by Electra. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

"This is my wheelchair," he said.

When it comes to cruisers, the idea is comfort and fun.

"The name cruiser says it all," Copeland said.

Unlike the rusty Schwinn hiding in your grandma's garage, cruiser bikes sold today are improved. They usual come with three gear options. Hand brakes are available on most bikes. Most of the Electra bikes come with a mechanism that releases the wheel from the frame when a tire needs to be repaired. The choices in bikes are now endless — there are styles for girls and boys, with flames or pajama party theme or pink hearts. The options are endless.

"It's a lifestyle anymore," Bill Rhodes said, smiling as he grips his hands to the bars where leather streamers dangle.

Contact Feature Writer Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com.