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RXXL

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what the heck is the deal with thruster cruiser bikes??? i have the opportunity to buy a 26" from the 1970's era, but i can't find ANYTHING online about them. the bike is in nice condition. are they worth a dang? i thought maybe it was just a retro wannabe lookalike from the 80's or so going by the forks and the reflectors. should i jump on it? are they as nice as say a schwinn for the same price? or is it not even worth the time and effort to restore and/or pimp out? the guy who owns it knows nothing other than what i just told you. that it is from the 1970's (he managed to checkthe serial number) but that's all he knows. and like, i said, i can find nothing. i don't live close enough to him (2 hrs away) to just swing out and check it outhere's the bike. any help would be welcome so i can make a decision asap. thanks!
http://rochester.craigslist.org/bik/896539059.html
 
never heard of them, but it looks like the same frame the "western flyer" "gran trophy" used in the late 80s. id pass.
 
really? why do you say pass? i can get it for $40 bucks. irt seems like a good solid bike. they made many bmx bikes back in the day. what should i be looking for that a schwinn has over this frame?
 
I'm with CCR in that it definitely looks to be late 80s rather than late 70s. But for $40, I say go for it. Don't expect great quality in a newer cruiser style bike, it's probably made in Asia somewhere, and has inferior steel and components compared to an older, American made bicycle. However, by the late 80s, the same was true of Schwinn and all the other formerly great American brands too... So whatever. As long as you're looking to customize it, this is a good candidate. It's never going to be worth too much scratch, and no one will cry if you repaint it or whatever. If you've got a spare $40 to drop on it, and you're not too far of a drive, go nuts and have fun with it!
 
you guys are on the money. 1980's mainly bmx stuff.

Thruster-Originally manufactured by "Speed Unlimited" the company lasted 1980 thru 1988 approx.
In fact, Speed Unlimited made the early Hutch frames.
The Thruster "Tri Power" Frame and Fork set, was the main product,
although Thruster made bars, cruisers and even pedals.
There has been some debate about if the extra bar actually adds any strength to the frame?
Lee, the owner was a fairly dynamic and innovative designer (came from a drag racing innovation background)and had many drawings, sketches and ideas for products. All the products were to be marketed as the Power Series. After a partnership with Hutch, He tried but was unable to resurrect the Thruster brand (last framesets I remember were the Bi-Powers). In the end all the Thruster stuff was auctioned, much went to TNT and Lee went to a federal resort.
 
RXXL said:
really? why do you say pass? i can get it for $40 bucks....
Click to expand...

the reason i said i would pass is the listing says $65, and you said it was 2 hours away

that = $65 + $15-20 bucks in gas = $80 plus 4 hours to go get it

$40 sounds better though :)
if you look long enough id bet you could find one similar that is closer, cheaper and maybe a little nicer chrome. thats why id pass. but sometimes you have to have something :mrgreen:
nothing wrong with it though and theyre great bikes for doing a custom job on too.
 
yeah ic, i read that article two. i loved hutch bikes when i was young so i can't say i's nt intriguing that thruster was in conjunction with them. and if they are anything like hutch bikes then i'd like it. but i still dunno. shady there is no real info on them. do you guys think thrusters are the 80's equivalent of the walmart special these days? R.
 
supposedly the guy checked the serial number and found it was from the 70's, but who knows. if it was made by speed unlimited like that paragraph said then it is american made i think right ? that's at least something. i'm 6'1" 205lbs, the bike is 26". should fit fine i imagine. and i'm still looking at a schwinn tiger fot $70 as well. might get them both. is it easier to find parts for the thruster (if it's newer) than the older schwinn (here's a link to it http://syracuse.craigslist.org/bik/879547085.html ) supposedly it's a 26", though i'm not sure. might get both. but i don't want to be stuck with a bike i can't find parts for, or that may not fit. i've been told the thruster is plenty big enough. R.
 
There's a pretty large aftermarket for custom bike stuff, so finding parts for either shouldn't be too difficult. Keep in mind, Schwinn had its own size system for tires, and odd sized seat posts, etc, so that may make things a little more difficult, but check ebay, and repro stuff is widely available. I'm 5'11" and 180 and 26" cruisers fit me just fine. Keep in mind, if you find the ride a little cramped, you can always put on a layback seat post and some ape hangars to open up the ride a little. If you've got your heart set on the Thruster, I say go for it. You could do much worse for $40. The Tiger definitely looks like a pretty good deal though, and that's what I'd go for. In fact, if I lived a few hours NW, it'd be in my trailer already. :mrgreen:
 
icyuod2 said:
you guys are on the money. 1980's mainly bmx stuff.

Thruster-Originally manufactured by "Speed Unlimited" the company lasted 1980 thru 1988 approx.
In fact, Speed Unlimited made the early Hutch frames.
The Thruster "Tri Power" Frame and fork set, was the main product,
although Thruster made bars, cruisers and even pedals.
There has been some debate about if the extra bar actually adds any strength to the frame?
Lee, the owner was a fairly dynamic and innovative designer (came from a drag racing innovation background)and had many drawings, sketches and ideas for products. All the products were to be marketed as the Power Series. After a partnership with Hutch, He tried but was unable to resurrect the Thruster brand (last framesets I remember were the Bi-Powers). In the end all the Thruster stuff was auctioned, much went to TNT and Lee went to a federal resort.
Click to expand...
No offense, but there is no such thing as Thruster pedals. In fact, that is an inside joke that has been going around the vintage BMX community for years.
 
i said screw the thruster and went with the tiger. the thruster guy was shady and a ...... the tiger is what i wanted anyway. got a rollfast for a girlfriend of mine for 10 bucks too. here's the link, check it out and tell me what you think. it's the bike on bottom right . i'm new to all of this. so any info and help you guys can give it much aprreciated! you all on this forum are my only dource of info and mentoring thus far. where to start, what to do exactly. etc. thanks alot! R.

http://rochester.craigslist.org/bik/895960690.html
 
i know! i really wanted to grab them and was hoping she could fit the bf goodrich, but it was a jr and just too small. the guy was cool as heck and i bet he'd ship them to whomever if you guys wanted to snatch them up. i have enough trying to figure out what i'm doing with the rollfast and my tiger. lol. don't want to bite off more than i can chew. if i haven't already. :)
 

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