Sixthreezero Around the Block beach cruiser an unsponsored review

[@WalkingYoshi]

Hello 🙋‍♂ Greetings from Japan🗾 that's a great bike great form Thank you for your detailed review 😊🙇👉🔔

[@Del350K4]

Hello! Thank you very much for watching the video and for commenting. I think there is a company called Electra which sells beach cruisers in Japan. Some of them are quite beautiful. It is very, very difficult to find them in Europe.

[@RC3DPrintAdventure]

Well done Del. A fine looking comfortable bicycle. The angles within the frame make it it look nice & relaxed. it's a shame about the quality control. Good job creating a cone spanner for the front wheel. They are a handy tool long term. It does conjure up nice images of a gentle ride to the beach...! Last time I rode to the beach it was part of an 80 mile round trip...!

[@Del350K4]

Hello, Guy! I struggled to get Sixthreezero (daft name!) to sell me this thing. I emailed them in the US and they replied, saying that they have no interest in selling any bicycles outside the States. As a cash-waving customer I was amazed to be given such an offhand brush-off. I had given up and was looking at another brand, Electra, when I saw that a private entrepreneur had brought 20 bikes into Britain and was flogging them on Amazon. I actually got the very last one! Its styling reminds me a little of the Pashley Parabike, which is based on a BSA bicycle made to be dropped into Europe with paratroopers in WWII. I love the styling of the Around the Block (daft name!) and the relaxed, comfortable nature of the chassis geometry. The quality control problems are a nuisance on a £400 bicycle, but easier to forgive when one remembers that in the States this thing sells for somewhere around half that. I have four bicycles, and I do try very hard not to have favourites, but this one really is an utter peach. I'm utterly nonplussed by the manufacturer's reluctance to sell them outside the US.

[@brakk727]

Hi Del, greetings from California. I am happy for you getting a beach cruiser. To ride it properly you need to lower the seat and tilt the handle bars farther out. Think of it as riding a reclining chair. Only one hand on the handle bar, wear a big full brim straw hat, put on some long board shorts with no shirt, and you will be cruising just like you are at Huntington Beach. I love the box on the rack, and that’s a perfect light. Enjoy!

[@Del350K4]

Hey - thank you for taking the trouble to comment! I did have to learn not to mind being overtaken by young men in garish attire, and now I think I'm around halfway to developing the proper laid-back attitude. The box is great - it can manage a bicycle lock, a towel, a bottle of water and a book, though when I actually use the bike to visit the beach I'm too concerned about theft to leave it locked up, and solemnly struggle to get it down to the waterline so I can guard it with my life if necessary. It no longer possesses the smooth, accurate gear change ability which so impressed me in this review - it's become as hit'n'miss as my other bikes, but I still love it. I actually wanted a 3-speed model, but here in Europe we have to be grateful to get any real American cruisers! I'm glad you agree about the headlight!

[@brakk727]

A classic cruiser are one speed with no hand brakes. Safe travels my friend!

[@Del350K4]

@@brakk727 Yes, I wanted a single speed bike with just a coaster brake, but I could only get my hands on this 7 speeder with wheel brakes. However, I was riding along recently when a police car pulled out in front of me. It would have been absolutely their fault if I had been unable to stop, but I was still very relieved that I coukd to grab a big fistful of both brakes and stop just in time.

[@thecontractor365]

Hi Del and what a cool cycle - glad you finally got your dream bicycle. Shame about the initial issues, but at least everything got sorted in the end. I particularly like the storage box that you added to the rear. Enjoy...👍🏻🙂.

[@Del350K4]

Hello! I'm glad you think it's cool - I absolutely love the thing. It's so curvaceous! The box is really handy. As the bicycle's so good looking I couldn't bear to shove a plastic box or shopping basket on the back - it had to be a period-looking wooden box. I even stained it and gave it several coats of matt varnish.

[@thecontractor365]

@@Del350K4 Yeah, using wood was key and definitely a classy touch.

[@riveradahouston]

Great video. Informative and enjoyable to watch 👽👍

[@Del350K4]

Hey, Teddy. Thanks for commenting - I have four bicycles, and this one still feels sort of...special, every time I ride it. I love looking down at those curvy side frame tubes and at those awesome handlebars, and thinking: "I did it! I really did it - I got one! A real American beach cruiser!"

[@hollyhillrc]

Very interesting video Del. It was good to see your leg working well my friend. I'm pleased you're happy after the initial, and in my opinion, unacceptable, problems. Comfort is important at our age and I liked the upright riding position of this bicycle. It can be very beneficial for people like me with back complaints. That's one of the things I wanted when I was looking at motorbikes, and why I chose the one I bought. 🙂👍🏼👍🏼

[@Del350K4]

Hello, Derek! Yes, if I have to take any of the weight of my upper body on my wrists I get vicious shooting pains in my arms, so I want to sit bolt upright. On motorbikes I usually fit motocross handlebars to my road bikes - this gives immediate relief. I just love the styling of the frame of this pushbike - so much that I'm prepared to pay twice the original asking price and put up with the hassle of missing parts.

[@satorrotas]

It's a beautiful bike, very good buy. It's a bit of a shame that the saddle and the tools were missing, but your bike shop was able to find what you needed and in addition there is the saddle shock absorber which makes it even more comfortable. Very good test, it will be a pleasure to ride with it 😉

[@allancooking1771]

Great video Del. New subs here stay in tune. Informative and enjoyable to watch 👽👍

[@Del350K4]

Thank you, Allan. I'm still besotted with this bicycle - I'm very impressed that Sixthreezero can produce these for $239!

[@vogman]

On your bike Del! You're never in Surrey! I always had you pegged as a colonial. 😁 Be careful when thinning down your tool. One size does not fit all 😉

[@Del350K4]

Hello, Geoff! Yes, you sussed me out there - I shoved the thing on a plane and took it to my dad's house in Spain. The unrelenting rain in England drove me to resort to this rather extreme way of getting the footage for a video. At last I could assemble and fiddle with my new, hopefully less painful to operate, upright-posture bicycle. I now really wish I'd recorded the making of my first attempt a beating copper to make the steering head badge. Actually, I think I should make another, and record it. Perhaps it's time I did some more metalwork vids. As for my tool, thank you for your kindly interest in my well-being during the thinning down procedure. I find that basic (very basic) cleanliness and a regular pattern of typical tool use can be really helpful here.

[@vogman]

@@Del350K4 Genuinely the bike impressed me. It's been many years since I dared sling a leg over a metal frame, but it's good to see what looks to be a reasonable size saddle. Most bikes now seem to come with razor blades. I guess this is a sign of growing old. 😁

[@Del350K4]

@@vogman Back in the 1960s these beach cruisers were favoured by laid-back young surfer dudes, but now I think they're the preserve of middle-aged people hoping to do a little gentle exercise without too much discomfort. Being American, this bike comes with its brakes connected the other way round. I applied a little rear brake yesterday as I was going round a bend in the rain - the front wheel locked and suddenly I was crashing into the unyielding tarmac. I went home and sat there wincing while my wife picked bits of grit out of my knee and elbow. I didn't get much kip last night, and must still finish the task of sorting out the mangled derailleur. I managed to straighten it enough to allow the chain to stay on at the scene, avoiding the ignominy of having to push it home, but it no longer selects all the gears.

[@vogman]

@@Del350K4 Now that's a real shame, not only because you mangled yourself, but because you loved how well the gears selected.

[@Georgieframe]

Coolbike! Good review! I prefer the mountain bike concept for my own use but still like the beach cruiser style. I have actually seen quite a few such bikes here in Sweden, they exist but are not that common. I see the suspension seat post as a bonus, I bought one for my bike that has a suspension fork and rigid rear frame, and it increases the comfort a lot on bad roads! 👍👍😊😊

[@Del350K4]

When I try to ride mountain bikes for more than a short while I first get pins and needles, then shooting pains in my arms. I find that this doesn't happen on bicycles which don't put any of my upper body weight on my wrists. Also I love the styling of the beach cruiser frame. Having said that, I love a good off-road downhill run on a mountain bike!

[@VEGITAS4]

Greetings from the US. Please stop riding on the wrong side of the road.

[@Del350K4]

I know! Crazy, isn't it? And if we do try to get with the program and ride on the right, they arrest us! Go figure...