portlypedaler

I recently received a Schwinn Criss Cross from some friends (see album for pictures). It's been in their basement/garage for the past 20 years, gathering dust. It was likely only ridden a few times.

After lubing the chain and taking it for a test ride, here's what I know:
- brakes may need adjustment (the front will stop me, but not quickly; the rear will slow me, and only grudgingly)
- rear wheel out of true, rubbing rear brake
- front wheel less out of true, but also rubbing front brake
- both derailurs need adjustment (chain rubs, shifting is hesitant)
- needs a new seat (a matter of comfort, not utility)
- the tubes aren't flat after being aired up and ridden yesterday

My goal here is to have a bike for recreation and utility usage (riding to the store, dinner with friends, etc.), as well as twice-weekly commuting. I've had my eye on the Detroit Bikes Type-A (steel frame, 3 speed IGH, fenders, rack: $550+tax) for a long time, and recently talked myself out of buying a BikesDirect.com Windsor Oxford (steel frame, 3 speed IGH, fenders: $350 + assembly) in favor of the Type-A from my LBS.

So my question is: is the Schwinn a bike or a BSO? Can I put $50 to $100 in it at my LBS and have a safe, reliable machine for the uses outlined above? (recreation, light utility, limited commuting). Or will it just keep sucking money? (I borrowed an old bike from a local Bike Library this fall and dropped multiple evenings of tinkering, replacement tubes for both of the tires, a $20 derailleur adjustment & an $80 tune-up before giving up. The bike's wheels and other components were shot, it didn't feel safe, and only stopped when it wanted to and still didn't shift right. I spent all my free time fixing and trying to make it work, instead of doing what I want to be doing -- riding.)

Money I spend on this bike is money I don't save towards the Type A -- which, in contrast to the Schwinn, should work as soon as I wheel it out of the store. The Schwinn does appear to have a lugged CroMo frame, which really surprised me. From my reading, that seems to be a very good thing. If this bike can be brought up to snuff, I may have no need for the Type A -- although being able to shift while stopped at a light during my commute is a HUGE plus.

For those interested, here is a link to 16 pictures of the bike, and what I've dug up on the Schwinn:
BikeForums.net thread
Schwinn catalog for the Criss Cross



Apologies if this is the wrong subforum; I was torn between this and the Classic & Vintage.

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Background: I rode a Trek hybrid a lot as a young teen, got out of the habit and lost the bike in one of many moves as a young man. Now, fifteen years later, I'm trying to scratch my biking itch -- and get some exercise in the process. My needs are pretty simple: a reliable, ultralow-maintenance bike with fenders and a rack and tires that can handle rain and roads covered with sand. Bonus points if I can also ride it in the winter. So, while I expect that my needs will change as I get more fit and more into biking, I'd like something that will work for me now; I can always get a $100 road bike off of Craigslist if I need to.

wrk101

1. Not a BSO. The Criss Cross was a good hybrid for that era. I would however, rate most Trek hybrids higher.

2. Its a 25 +/- year old bike. No bike shop is going to replace everything that will (or already has) worn out for $100. You can drop $100 just on tires, depending on your choice. Brake pads, cables and housings, tires, tubes, freewheel, chain, bottom bracket, wheel hubs, headset all can need attention. With attention, they can last another 10 years.

3. Only thing that is lugged is the head tube. The rest of the bike is TiG welded.

4. Vintage bikes tend to be an acquired taste, and make more sense to someone willing/able/and enjoys tinkering. My newest bike is 27 years old.

Ultra low maintenance bike? IGH. I do find a lot of bikes where the owners ignored/neglected maintenance for 20 or even 30 years. They were not low maintenance bikes, they were just not maintained.

It is easy to get upside down value wise on a vintage bike, even a free one, if you have a bike shop fully refurbish the bike. It is really easy to get upside down on rigid frame mtbs and old hybrids, as brand new ones are relatively affordable. Racing and touring bikes are much more expensive, so sometimes, having an old version of one of those bikes rebuilt can be cost effective.

For those that do the work themselves, it can be a very affordable option.

Andrew R Stewart 

It's hard to tell from the lacking of good views photos but I suspect the gearing uses Sun Tour Express levers. If so the when the cog/chain finally wear out replacements might not work as well as the OEM as ST hasn't made their unique to their system for many years. Otherwise I agree with wrk101. But no photos of the business side of the bike doesn't really help us help you. Andy.

Homebrew01

Decent bike. Truing the wheels and adjusting the brakes is minor. Go for it.

MikeWMass

I agree with wrk101. If you are willing and able to do the work yourself, most of the bike can be taken apart and refurbished with little more tha degreaser, grease, and elbow grease. You will want to replace the tires whether they need it or not, knobbies are suboptimal for pavement riding. The Detroit Bikes has fenders, which may be useful for your purposes (although you could probably put them on the Schwinn). It also has only 3 speeds, which may or may not matter, depending on the topography of your local terrain.
If, on the other hand, you plan to have the work on the Schwinn done by someone who is being paid, IMO it probably does not make sense.

portlypedaler

Thanks to all -- espicially wrk101 -- for all of the thoughtful replies thus far. I didn't expect to get any replies, let alone so quickly!

For high-detailed pictures, please see here.

dynaryder

For 20yrs old,that bike looks pretty good;it's dirty but not rusty. It should do just fine for what you want. From the pics,it looks like the tires and brake pads are ok,but I personally wouldn't trust them at their age. Slick tires will ride/handle/roll better,and many modern tires have puncture resistant construction. Modern brake pads will also work better(Kool Stop salmons are sort of the default over in the Commuting forum) than those old ones.

For tweaking the shifting,check Park Tool's blog. For the wheels,Google to see if there are any co-ops/bike kitchens in your area. They can help you with the wheels(and other stuff as well) for much less than a shop. Depending on what you get,a set of tires should cost you around $30-80,tubes would be another $10-16(if you need them,if bits of rubber come off in your hands,then replace the tubes),and pads should be like $15-30 for both sets. Possible you may also need a chain(check to see if it's within limits),if so they're about $12-20.

As long as the bike fits you,no reason it can't work for you.

dedhed

Not a BSO - Suntour drivetrain, alloy wheels. Looking at your album, looks like it was barely ridden. Lube the chain and derailleurs, maybe pull the inner cables out and lube them, give the brake pads a good emory cloth scuffing, clean the brake tracks with some alcohol. Research and read about adjusting the brakes and derailleurs. Ride it for a while while you research greasing the wheel bearings, headset, and bottom bracket bearings then do that if you feel comfortable and care to buy or borrow the few special tools you will need. Looks like nothing is worn and should give years of service, but the grease is 25 years old and likely dried out. Got to Park tool and Sheldon Brown to start your research.
Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog
Sheldon Brown-Bicycle Technical Information

billnuke1 

Good bike! It was Consumer Bulletins bike of the year a bunch of years, or at least 2. I've got three of them. Two have weird ass RDs! The third is just a great all 'round bike! Bomb proof! Grease it! Ride it!

Willbird

I had one back when it was only a couple years old. Decent bike really for the time, I think I topped out at 43 miles on it, that ride hurt a little compared to doing the same ride on a road bike :-).

That is a female orientated frame however ?

Andrew R Stewart 

Thank you for the fuller photos. The bike looks to be very clean and little used. So ride it and face whatever service it needs as that comes. Andy.

dsbrantjr

I have a '93 CrissCross and still ride it regularly and like it fine. I am running 700c x 40 Michelin City Tires which work well for me and stand up to crappy city streets. I had no trouble getting Shimano trigger shifters to work with the SunTour derailleurs until I got bored with them and replaced the derailleurs with Shimano also, so I expect that you should be OK if you need to replace something shift-wise. Your brake pads are likely hard and dried out with age, put on some Kool Stop brake pads, they should help a lot. Please do attend to the bearings.

trailangel

Why would you refer to a Schwinn as a BSO?
Something wrong with you?

dabac

Schwinn nowadays isn't a homogenous brand, it comes in several levels of quality. Some indeed at the BSO end of the scale.

For someone who isn't immediately familiar with the model, it's an entirely reasonable assumption.

JanMM

Correct the bike frame style is what the industry used to push as a ladies bike. Not to be confused with WSD - Women's Specific Design.
It's not a BSO and also is not a mixte.
Sheldon's glossary ( Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary M ) refers to mixte as a variation of lady's frame while Wiki calls it a type of step-through frame ( Step-through frame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ).

Willbird

Most ladies who were serious did not buy them though :-) mine came from a friend, his wife and he each had one, hers was not a WSD.

Kopsis

In two weeks I'm going to ride a 60 mile gravel grinder on a '92 CrissCross. Conventional frame, not the mixte, but same obnoxious purple and blue color scheme (Schwinn called it "blue velvet gas"). I also did a half dozen SSCX races on it this year, so yes, it's a pretty darn solid platform. If the drivetrain and shifters are in good shape, then change tires, tubes, brake pads, and cables if needed, service all the bearings and you should be able to put quite a few trouble free miles on it.

fietsbob

They got worse later , as they abandoned the bike shop, for Mass Merchandiser sales .. those Big Box Stores ..

those were not Bad, Girls Bikes Dont get the Abuse Boys dish out, unless they borrow their sister's Bikes.

Wilfred Laurier

Definitely from the pre BSO years of Schwinn. There might be some compatibility issues getting replacements for worn SunTour drivetrain parts, but hopefully the bike can still be refurbed and ridden for many hundreds of miles by the new owner.

As for 'step through' or 'ladies' frames (as opposed to mixte, which this one is not), I am a tall man, and if they made step-through frames in my size I would definitely consider getting one for some purposes - like a cargo or utility bike that gets loaded up too high to swing a leg over the back. The original design, of course, was to allow ladies to wear a dress while riding, as any 'proper' lady should.

sonatageek

A very nice older hybrid bike. The new Schwinn models sold at bike shops are fine.

Jicafold

I had one just like that. It was a good ride although the Suntour shifters seemed a bit sluggish on the downshift. I liked it.

kingsting

1992 model. We sold a ton of those things thanks to the Consumer Reports top pick recommendation. About $340 new. We had comparable Giants and Treks on the floor next to them. The Giant was a better value and the Trek was a better bike but customers wanted these. Hateful bikes to set up thanks to the entry level Suntour components and the fact they came out of CBC (China Bike Company) but once properly dialed in they rode nice and stayed in tune. We had a few customers that commuted on them and they held up well with minimal maintenance.

practical

First, clean everything very thoroughly. Get every bit of grime off. The tires look fine to me and if the tubes hold air, that's great. You can adjust the brakes yourself. If you have the tool and know-how, you can tune the wheels but it might be easier and done better at the LBS and I don't think it would cost much. Adjust the shifters as well as you can, but if you're not pleased, have that done at the LBS too. Use the bike to get some wrench skills if you're interested in that. If the bike fits you and you enjoy riding it, keep it if you can. This bike might teach you a lot about yourself as a rider. If it's a good bike, you'll outgrow it because it will make you enjoy biking.

billnuke1 

Men's Schwinn crisscross bike -LIKE NEW - $100 (North Chatham ) < >

billnuke1 

Note weird ass RD!