Condensed Answer: Pegs can be installed on a cruiser bike as long as its hubs have solid axles or female BMX axles. If the cruiser bike uses regular hollow axles, pegs are not only unsafe to use but also impossible to install due to the presence of a quick-release lever.
What Are Pegs?
Pegs are short, hollow tubes normally installed on the hubs of BMXs to enable riders to grind ledges and perform diverse freestyle tricks.
However, pegs can also serve as a way to transport other people on a bike. There are two methods to do that:
a. Upright Position
If the bike has pegs installed on the rear wheel, the passenger can step on them and grab the shoulders/traps of the rider for extra support.
b. Seated Position
If the bike has a strong rear rack, the passenger can sit on it and use the pegs for foot support.
In that case, the pegs won’t be stressed as much, but the method requires a cargo rack with very high capacity.
Requirements To Install Pegs on a Cruiser Bike
1. Solid Axles
The number one requirement to install pegs on a cruiser bike is to have hubs with solid axles.
A solid axle represents a thick, threaded rod around which the hub rotates. The wheel is secured to the axle via nuts with a serrated coat designed to minimize the chance of untightening.
The image above shows a rear hub that has a male axle and the ability to accommodate a freewheel.
To install the pegs, the user will have to perform the following procedures:
- Remove the track nuts.
- Slide the peg onto the axle.
- With the help of a long socket extension tighten the track nuts.
In short, the peg is “sandwiched” between the track nut and the dropout.
The graph below illustrates the principle:
Option 2: Female BMX Axles
Female BMX axles are very strong and permit the installation of pegs even though the axle itself is hollow.
In that case, the installation of the peg is slightly different. Instead of tightening the peg to the frame with the help of an axle nut, the rider uses an axle bolt.
The graph below illustrates the process.
When Are Pegs Incompatible With a Cruiser Bike?
1. Quick-release Skewers
Quick-release skewers require the use of hollow axles. However, unlike the BMX version, standard hollow axles are thinner and often made of weaker materials. Also, the axle is not reinforced by a thick axle bolt which is the case for female BMX axles.
Thus, standard quick-release axles aren’t strong enough to be used with pegs.
But even if they were, it’s not possible to install pegs on such axles because the quick-release skewers will get in the way.
2. Internal Gear Hubs
Internal gear hubs aren’t compatible with pegs either because one side of the axle is hollow so that the gear linkage can pass through it. This structure makes the installation of a peg impossible for safety and functional reasons.
FAQ: Can I install pegs by using the frame’s fender and rack mounts?
Technically, some peg models can be attached to the frame by using the fender and rack mounts in the rear. However, this solution is not optimal because the peg is attached via a small M5 bolt which would bend due to the long moment arm the second the peg is used to transport a passenger.
The aftermath could include damage to the frame. Thus, this option is not recommended either.
Alternative Peg Models
If you intend to transport passengers on bike pegs, you could also look into “passenger pegs”.
Passenger pegs attach to the bike in a similar fashion but have two major advantages:
- The axle nuts remain easy to access. This reduces the need to use a long socket extension to install or remove the pegs.
- The pegs have a platform on which the passenger can step. This makes the journey more stable and comfortable.
Summary: What You Need To Know
- Pegs can be installed on a cruiser if the bike uses hubs with solid axles.
- BMX female axles can accept pegs too.
- If the bike has hubs with quick-release skewers or an internal gear hub, it’s not possible to safely install pegs due to safety and mechanical issues.
