A beach cruiser is typically a single geare bicycle that you reverse pedal to brake. Made popular in the 1950s by Schwinn, they have since greatly increased in popularity relative to other bicycles on the market. They are best used on flat surfaces and at low speeds and have been known to work on hard packed sand as well. The term "Beach Cruiser" started in 1976 at Recycled Cycles in Newport Beach when Larry Mc Neely Coined the phrase and used it as their Trade Mark for the production of the modern Beach Cruiser.