Rusty Spokes Bike Shop owner David Morrow dreamed of creating the softest riding beach cruiser in the world. After eight years, five prototypes and a trip to China, Morrow’s entrepreneurial dream has taken rideable shape in the Softcruise® rear suspension bicycle. Eight years ago Morrow realized roughly 70 percent of a person’s weight is carried in the back of the bike. Shock-absorbing suspensions in the front of the bike does not accomplish much when it only absorbs approximately 30 percent of a person’s weight, according to Morrow. He set about designing a cruiser with a rear suspension system and appears to have finally done it. “It is the only beach cruiser with a shock-absorbing spring in the rear portion of the bike, which cushions bumps and gives a superior ride,” Morrow said. “Nobody has ever done it with a cruiser, and the design is mine.” Morrow obtained a utility patent on the rear-suspension spring design to protect his invention. Utility patents are more difficult to obtain, as they are brand new inventions. “Design patents are improvements or changes made to an existing invention. I currently have five [patents] right now, with four more pending. Of those five [patents], the rear suspension spring is the only utility patent I currently have,” Morrow said. In the pursuit of creating “the softest-riding beach cruiser in the world,” Morrow found his path leading to an undisclosed city on the southeast coast of China. He lived there for two weeks while the bikes were created. “I tested them out, gave them my ok, and had my first container made full of 340 bikes,” said Morrow. “Having bikes made in China is a much more economical solution, and all the bikes in stores around [Pacific Beach] are mostly, if not all, made in China.” Morrow did not disclose the name or exact location of his Chinese manufacturers as a precautionary measure to ensure his design stayed protected. “My design is safe in America, but there are no rules in China. Once other Chinese manufacturers see what I am doing, they will start making the same thing and selling it,” Morrow said. The Softcruise® line of beach-cruisers arrived at the Rusty Spoke Bike Shop five weeks ago direct from the Chinese manufacturer. The new line has been a little harder to sell because people have never seen it before, Morrow said. “I have to get [customers] to ride the bikes, and once they do, they can feel the difference between a regular beach cruiser, and the softest riding cruiser at the beach,” Morrow said. Morrow is originally from Manhattan Beach but has been in the Pacific Beach area for 18 years. His first bike was a girls’ Western Flyer made in the 1940s. After restoring it, Morrow was overwhelmed with the amount of positive feedback he received. “I bought five more old bikes from a swap meet and began restoring them. And that’s when I got the idea to start my own bike shop. I opened up 12 years ago with 35 vintage bikes for sale,” Morrow said. Morrow has since changed gears over the years with his product line and added a litany of different bike styles, most of which he designs and builds himself. The men’s and women’s line of the freshly patented Softcruise® bicycle sell for $379 and come with a basket, lock and lifetime guarantee on parts and service. The Rusty Spokes Bike Shop can be found at 1344 Garnet Ave. and online at rustyspokes.com.