Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Schwinn madison, is it an O.K. bike?

I found a dealer who has two madisons in stock. A medium and a large. Rode both yesterday to see which one fits me best. This bike has a very nice feel and ride to it. The brakes are also very good. One thing I dislike is the lack of water bottle braze on's and I wish the bike was maybe 2 pounds lighter. Im not familiar with track bikes. When I took the medium size one for the test ride, I noticed the rear cog slipped 45 degrees trying to pedal forward. I know the tires had enough air because he aired em up. This schwinn bike shop hangs on by a thread with one employee, and is a very small part of a larger business that sells gardening supplies. The initial slipping cog scares me a bit.

The cog slipped probably because it wasn't installed correctly or even rode. Did you mention it to the employee? They ought to tighten all of that down. That's a shop issue, not the bike itself.

The bike is fine quality, and on a track bike you generally don't want bottle braze-ons (Schwinn allowed people to preserve the track look if you decided to remove the brakes).If you check fixedgeargallery.com there is an article where a bunch of Madison owners posted their experience. It's regarded as a good quality bike with everything ready to go (aside from the bottle cages you want).

If that and the weight matter enough to you there are other options for a prebuilt fixed gear.

I rode the Madison (XL) the other day. When I rode it, it appeared the store didn't tighten all the parts.

I believe I was the first to ride the bike after it was shipped to them and built (I had to hold the bike with a deposit just in order to ride it - the store only got one in each size).

I bought a Raleigh Rush Hour instead.

Steve

The problem with the Madison (I've built a couple of them) is that they didn't put housing mounts on the frame so you have to zip tie the brake line down... assuming you're going single speed. I'd upgrade the chain, wheelset, and cranks, but other than that it's not bad. It's made to be a fixie though. I bought myself the 2007 Langster... badass bike my friend. Badass.

I found a dealer who has two madisons in stock.


Where is this dealer with Madisons in stock?!

What are the equivalent sizes in cm? I'm assuming a medium is something like 54-56cm.

specs on the schwinn website.

I am riding a small size one borrowed from a friend, which I htink is something like 51 or 53 cm---anyway it is damn small for me at 6'4''. still a fun bike to ride though.

http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=724

M has a 545 top tube.

http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=724

M has a 545 top tube.

Ah, I see. My road bike is a 50cm (compact geometry) and it fits me great, but my fixed gear is a 58 (standard geometry) and is just a little too tall. Is 54 the right size for me? I'm going by a shop today so I can ask what they think.

I have had mine for a few months now. The spray paint job I did to my conversion is holding up better than the paint job on the Madison it seems. I'm still running the stock wheelset, only trued once since hitting the street.

Where is this dealer with Madisons in stock?! Straders garden center on riverside dr in Columbus, OH. The guy said he would even knock off $40.00.

is it closer to grandview or dublin?

what?

You can always use the water bottle cages that attaches to the rear of your saddle.

no

is it closer to grandview or dublin? I live in grovetucky, and am not really familiar of that area. I think it's kinda between the two.

I live in grovetucky, and am not really familiar of that area. I think it's kinda between the two.
gotcha. I know nothing of the area either.

I can be vague when focusing on two different topics, so my question made zero sense to many.

As for the bike, I'm not to fond of them just because i feel they are overpriced for what you are getting. If you are looking for a budget fixed gear I'd go for a mercier kilo tt(my buddy just got his and it rides nice), or the motobecane from ebay/bikesdirect. I have been riding my motobecane close to 140-150 miles a week since last november and I have had very few problems with the bike.

edit: I have not ridden the Schwinn, I am basing my opinion off the specs. Also the motobecane has waterbottle braze ons, just a little extra.

gotcha. I know nothing of the area either.

I can be vague when focusing on two different topics, so my question made zero sense to many.

As for the bike, I'm not to fond of them just because i feel they are overpriced for what you are getting. If you are looking for a budget fixed gear I'd go for a mercier kilo tt(my buddy just got his and it rides nice), or the motobecane from ebay/bikesdirect. I have been riding my motobecane close to 140-150 miles a week since last november and I have had very few problems with the bike.

edit: I have not ridden the Schwinn, I am basing my opinion off the specs. Also the motobecane has waterbottle braze ons, just a little extra.

Well the Schwinn isn't too expensive but I wouldn't say it's a budget model. The Windsor doesn't come with brakes and the whole component setup is lesser than the Schwinn.

Most people here probably don't really care about the brakes though. :)

i must say if grovertucky is a real place i would like to visit

schwinn madison----- is it a cheaper BareKnuckle frame?

the madison is 520, and the bareknuckle frame is around 580.

yea the madison is cheaper than the bareknuckle.

i must say if grovertucky is a real place i would like to visit

grove city + kentucky - the fact that it's still 100 miles from kentucky = grovetucky.

i don't know.

all i know about that area is so many crappy metal bands came from there and used to play with my band and throw **** at us because we didn't scream.