Got the Schwinn Loop for birthday!
 

Happy birthday to me - got the Schwinn Loop folder!!

Actually got it almost free - have been submitting old textbooks to Amazon for trade-in value (most of which I found at used bookstores, thrift shops, etc.) - and worked up enough credit to cover the $177.00 Amazon price for the bike! :thumb:

Hubby's going to put it together for me, replace the seat, tweak as much as possible. I know I'll like it because (a) it does have that low step-through and (b) I have been getting a lot of enjoyment from the single-speed Schwinn folder I already have.

In fact, I'm on my way to Lake Balboa to do a birthday ride on the older bike, so if you see me, wave! :D

Will post more info (and photos) of the Loop once it's put together!

Congratulations! Looking forward to the pics.

Congrats on the new bike. Funny though, when you said you wanted a bike with a low step over, and a limited budget, I was going to suggest the Loop. I thought for certain you would wind up with a Barcelona, but I think you'll be quite happy with the Loop. It does have good reviews on Amazon, some even more positive than the Dahon.

Enjoy, and Happy Birthday!

Exciting!! Please do post pictures! I looked at this bike when I was shopping around and I really liked it!

The Loop is still in the box, but here's a photo from this morning of the Schwinn Hinge, which took me to some nice places in the Sepulveda Basin today:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=168030

Nice lookin bike! Looks like it would ride well with those tires. Have fun.

You will likely get a lot more attention riding the Loop - it has a very 'swoopy' look, and it is hard to miss. I spotted one in Santa Barbara, CA this Summer from two blocks away.

From TV weather reports, it's going to be too HOT in the Valley for bike rides for the next couple of days - prediction is for 104 degrees!!! By contrast, it's chilly and foggy here at the beach in Ventura right now - 45 miles away.

Lou

Congrats on your new folder!

Congrats on the BD present. I was wondering what it looked like and found this mini review. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pab3zu4qDq0 Looks like a cool folder.

As promised, here are some photos of the bike - featuring my wonderful husband and personal bike mechanic, Steve, who took everything out of the box, put it together and took the first test ride!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=168320http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=168321http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=168322

First impressions:

(1) as others have mentioned, it looks great and I LOVE the swoopy design - AND the fact that it's a bright cheerful red!

(2) as expected, the seat SUCKS big time so that'll be the first thing to be replaced.

(3) In spite of the seat, it really has a smooth, comfortable ride - I didn't ride it very long due to the 105-and-rising heat! But both Steve and I rode it around the block and enjoyed it.

Except for the seat! But as I said, a replacement has already been ordered!

So far I am very pleased with my cheap NEW folder, and also want to put in a good word for my cheap OLD folder, which, as I mentioned earlier, has accompanied me on some very nice rides around Lake Balboa.

I'm so lucky to have a husband who knows how to "tweak" the bikes for me to make them as safe & comfy as possible!

My wife introduces me as her "Bike Boy" - looks like you are lucky enough to have one, too.

As you likely know, Lake Balboa was on the L.A. News last night. I was glad to see it was an 80 yr old man in a Mercedes, not a woman on a Folding Bike, that drove into the lake by accident. (Some bystanders pulled the gentleman out - luckily, the water was only about 3' deep in that portion of the lake.)

Lou

Those socks are loopy! But I like the bike.:D

The new bike looks good Stoogeswoman. And kudos to your husband Steve for his bike assembly skills.

I did notice that the Loop's frame has been updated from the photo in Amazon. To me it looks much better IMHO. Also many reviewers like the bike's ride quality, and solid feel. I guess you, and Steve were able to experience that as well.

Please keep us updated, and more photos would be nice:)

Oooh! It looks great. And knowing it's affordable, too, makes it even more awesome. Maybe I need one... Everyone needs more than one folding bike, right?? :)

I read your comment to my husband and he said (in a very forbidding tone of voice), "WHO said that??" :D

Those are his work socks - he works around heavy machinery! So don't diss the socks! :D

It's resting comfortably on the back porch right now: I just ordered a more comfy saddle from Amazon so will be waiting for that

Actually ordered this weird-looking "Schwinn No Pressure Seat", the one without a horn. Have had it on my "Wish List" for a while, and now that I actually have THREE, count 'em THREE bikes*, figured for $20 bucks it wouldn't hurt to experiment a little!

Will take more pics once that seat's installed & do a review of that as well!

(* The Electra Townie, the Schwinn Hinge, and the Schwinn Loop.)

I actually have one of those seats. It is on my lady friend's adult trike. It's pretty comfortable but it does feel a bit weird at first because of the lack of a horn. But as in anything, you should be able to get used to it.

Good luck with your new bike!

UPDATE: Sorry for the delay; our computer has been down and we've been getting by with my Palm Centro and his Netbook, neither of which is really adequate for long forum posts!!

Anyway, here's what happened: Steve put the Schwinn No Pressure Seat on the new Schwinn Loop and I rode it down the street. It felt AWFUL. But it turned out it wasn't the seat - it was the bike itself.

Here's the problem: I've been riding my Electra Townie more and more, for longer distances, and basically getting spoiled by that super-comfy crank-forward, flat-foot technology.

The Schwinn Loop has the crank DIRECTLY under the seat post (rather than a few inches forward) so it felt like I was almost standing up, and that there was hardly any room for me between the seat and the handlebars. We tried swapping the nice padded saddle I'd been using on the Hinge onto the Loop and it still wasn't very comfy - for ME.

HOWEVER - Steve rode it and found that it actually felt comfortable for him. Now he's taller than me (I'm 5'2" and he's 5'8") so perhaps it is meant for a taller rider.

And - after Steve did that, we put the No Pressure Seat back on my original folder, the Schwinn Hinge, and guess what? It felt GREAT!!! I rode for about ten minutes around the neighborhood and it felt SO GOOD on my back!

(Interestingly, I checked and although the crank on the Hinge is also at the bottom of the seat post, the post itself seems to be tilted back just a little bit more than on the Loop - wihch almost makes it seem like "crank forward", at least to me.)

So here's the bottom line:

The Schwinn Loop, with the nice padded seat that used to be on the Hinge, is now my early birthday present to Steve, for all the work he's done on my bikes.

The Schwinn Hinge, with the more comfy Schwinn No Pressure Seat, goes back in the trunk of my car as my "travelin' bike".

And we both have "regular" bikes (he has a Rally and I have my Townie).

So we are now a four-bike family!! With less sore butts! Yay!!

Well....all's well that ends well.:lol:

Well other than a recumbent, the Townie and it's "flat foot" geometry would be hard to beat for comfort.

I agree with "Stoogeswoman" that all ended well for you and Steve.

Whoops!! That's what happens when I spell phonetically!

That's Raleigh, not Rally!! (don't even know what a Rally is!) :o :lol:

I know this exact feeling--I've tried out bikes that by all appearances should have been amazingly comfy, and this is the feeling I end up with. Glad it got sorted out, though!! :)

I recently bought a Schwinn Loop for about the same price from Amazon (I didn't know they took old text books). I've been enjoying it for riding around with my kids and generally playing around.

Where can I find information on this Amazon textbook trade-in?

Did you try Googling "Amazon textbook buyback" or some such phrase? Should pop right up.

Also, it's not just textbooks. Next time you're looking at books, check to the right of the listing - if it's a fairly popular/desirable book it'll say how much Amazon will pay, along with a little button that says "trade in here".