Hank3

Hello. First post on these forums. Happened to stumble upon it via Google. Been riding avidly for about 5 years now. I purchased an Iron Horse Mtn. Bike on clearance back in '99...didn't ride it a whole lot until '05. Ever since then, I've been wanting a hybrid bike. I don't really want to go all out and get a road bike. I figured a hybrid just might be the ticket since I'm so used to a Mtn. Bike frame. I do 100% of my riding in my neighborhood...can easily muster up 10 - 17 miles depending how much light I have during the different seasons. Even though I've switched to road tires for my 26" rims, I feel like I can benefit from a hybrid.

I don't have a lot of money to purchase. But that's OK, I just need a good starter/entry to the hybrid bike world. Wondering if the bike below is decent for the money?

Schwinn Varsity

I've been to my local bike shops and it seems like the lowest price is in the $300 - $400s - all name brands (Specialized, Trek, etc.) Only thing I would swap out would be the pedals so I can continue to use my biking shoes. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

kaliayev

I'd suggest looking into a used hybrid. You should be able to find a better bike for less money. In my area CL is flooded with really nice hybrids in the $100-$200 range. I got a mint Trek 720 for my daughter for $50 a couple of summers ago. If you don't like it you can sell and not lose any money like you will with the bike you are looking at.

xoxoxoxoLive

I would recommend against it, I have an internet Pen Pal that we stay in touch about Big Box Store bikes. He has seen this one in the store,
and if you look under the questions section of this bike on ( sizing ), you will see a really detailed review about it. There are better ones
out there, and Craigslist is another good option. But buying from either one you really need to be able to due your own bike work, or I
would stay with your LBS. Richard : **

sonatageek

So is your mountain bike rigid of does it have a front suspension? I have been using an older rigid mountain bike as my all around rider for the past 3 years. I have road tires on it and trekking bars (butterfly shaped handlebars --- they give more hand positions). Post a picture of what you have --

If you do decide to go the hybrid route I would second and third checking Craigslist and garage sales and picking up a nice used one.

rumrunn6

not a hybrid - straight bar road bike - good for kids

kaliayev

Nothing wrong with taking an used bike into your LBS if you can't work on it yourself. Buying new will give you a limited warranty and a couple of free tune ups though.

Hank3

Thanks for the feedback. My current Mt. Bike has a suspension fork up front. I kinda wanted another bike so I can keep the Mt. Bike in case I ever did go on the trails again.

I've been checking my local CL every day for the past month and haven't really seen a good one pop up. I'll keep searching though. I guess what I really wanted is a road bike in a Mt. Bike frame? Not really a hybrid huh?

xoxoxoxoLive

That bike is very close to my son's Schwinn Tourist, much better for the money though, I call it a flat bar road bike, but others will
say different, the Tourist is a nice bike for the same price, but from Target with better components and close to the same
geometry, he is fast on it, can manage 20 MPH for a good distance, and I can not without drafting him on the Trailways,
but his bike is 27 pounds, no extras, and mine is 32 plus extras, and 15 pounds of trunk bag stuff....Here is a short video
of the two...
Richard

xoxoxoxoLive

I had lost the draft on the flats, (LOL), but caught him on the down hill 35 MPH..Richard

Hank3

Great vid. BTW...I'm 5'4" with an inseam of 29". So small frames are preferred - LOL.

Sixty Fiver

I would pass on the Schwinn as it is a Schwinn in name only and is just a re-badged version of many other similar bikes that are sold by the x-marts of the world.

The bike is heavy and the parts are low end; you could not ask for poorer brakes and those paired spoke wheels are bottom of the barrel as far as quality goes... is is essentially a disposable bike.

Spend a little more at an LBS on a better quality bike and you'll be happier, you will have a better warranty and customer service which is something x-mart does not provide.

Or... try and find a decent used hybrid that isn't an x-mart bike.

Hank3

Don't know much about the quality of components that come with bikes from X-mart vs. LBS. I'd believe whatever people told me I guess. I mean, I'd assume the components that come with bikes from LBS would be better, but I'm just using the logic of more $$$ = better.

What's the deal with paired spokes vs. ones that are spread around evenly? More weight load?

xoxoxoxoLive

Same size as my son...Bike fits him great ! Here is a video of the Tourist, ( not mine ), Kinda long, but a good
look at it. Here is my video of it, I have
Cannondale F4 coverted to a Hybrid, a Trek MTB converted also, but ride my Schwinn Trailways everday,
unless it is raining, then I ride the Trek.

Go figure, Richard

xoxoxoxoLive

65er I have all 3 types, Avid Juicy 5's, Tektro on the Trek, and Raduis on the Trailways, for a normal rider
like me, it is hard to tell the difference, Tourist 27 pounds, Cannondale F4 27 pounds, Trailways 32 pounds,
Trek 34.....Richard

Hank3

Richard - so you're saying that Schwinn Tourist from Target is better than the Schwinn Varsity from Wally World?

xoxoxoxoLive

I had to true the front wheel on the F4 after 2 months of riding my rough 1/2 mile down hill gravel drive, have
not touched the Trailway rims in almost a year, and it has seen some rough riding this past summer, but mine
are the 32 hole style, not 24..... Richard

Sixty Fiver

People usually pay me to build bicycles and give them good advice on parts but I am not one to suggest or sell people stuff they don't need... most of my customers are average people who use their bikes for commuting and touring and they ride on a budget.

And xox says I am almost never wrong on anything...

The paired spoke wheel has fallen out of favour on higher end bikes as to make a good wheel like this you need to use a heavier rim and the spoke tensions have to be set quite high so any spoke failure will result in a wheel that is un-rideable. It was a bit of a scam by marketers as less spokes would imply that a wheel would be lighter but in the end you often get a wheel that is just as heavy a a conventionally made wheel that does not require such a heavy rim.

The paired spoke wheels that come on entry level bikes are built with low end components and have a very high rate of failure... but they resemble the higher end racing wheels.

One of my customers has a Schwinn Tourist and it's a good bike now that it has new wheels and better brakes and it will be coming back for a new bb and crank in the spring... this bike gets ridden 20 km a day as a commuter and winter bike so it does see some hard use. If the lady who owns it had bought a better bike she would have saved money as the wheels and brakes would have been better quality.

This lady bought this bike to see if she would like cycling and likes it so much she just bought a new Specialized mtb to serve as her summer bike and tow vehicle for her bike trailer as the Schwinn was ill suited for this use.

If you buy a $400.00 Trek the component spec will be decent and that extra $150.00 will get you better wheels, better brakes, and a better warranty and service and it won't be a disposable bike.

The best deal is always going to be a gently used bicycle and there are lots of people who buy nice bikes, ride them a few times, and decide they don't like cycling but when you buy used you should know a bit more about bikes so you you can identify parts and evaluate condition.

I also volunteer at our local bike co-op and if you have one of those in your area pay them a visit... you might find a gem of a bike and not have to pay much at all.

You have been riding and know you like to ride... you need something better.

Sixty Fiver

The 32 spoke wheels are much better and I am impressed that you have not had to true these but had to true the wheel on the F4... especially since it was the front.

If you saw the abuse I dished out to my mountain bike you'd cringe but those wheels have never had to see a spoke wrench... they were pulled off my old Rocky Mountain Hammer and were hand built by someone at RMB who knew what they were doing. They are among the few wheel sets I have that I did not build up myself and do have a nearly mythic reputation for being bombproof.

I have a thing for wheels... I build them and figure that if you have to true them before you wear out the rims then I did something wrong.

Hank3

Thanks for the additional feedback SF. I'll definitely keep all those things in mind.

kaliayev

Paired spokes also have a tendency for the rims to crack around the spokes, even in high end wheels. Know this from first hand experience with a set of Bonty X Lites.

xoxoxoxoLive

I admit, your advice has always been on the mark. Guess I have just been lucky with mine, and my son has the
38 hole version of those on his MTB, I had them built in Peru, more common there though. Richard

Sixty Fiver

They make 38 spoke rims ?



Those Bonty x lites are one of the reasons the new Treks have 32 spoke wheels... they had too many recalls.

But this is another reason to buy at an LBS... your x-mart bike's limited warranty does not cover the wheels.

My friend had the rear wheel fail on his 4 year old Trek touring bike due to rim failure, it was a 36 spoke with offset drillings and these are known to be very problematic... his bike might have had 1000 km on it and had seen no hard touring use.

Amazingly... despite the cracks in the rim the wheel was still true but it was an accident waiting to happen.

I called the dealer for him because I deal with these guys a lot, they called Trek, and they provided him with a brand new rear wheel for 0.00.

Sixty Fiver

One more...

Had a lady come into the shop wit some of those Bonty wheels on an upper end Trek hybrid and she was very displeased with them as they would not stay true and told me that the shop had sold her the bike telling her how light and strong these wheels were.

I was working on my fixed gear bike and handed her the front wheel which is a 36 spoke single walled rim and she swore it must have weighed half of what her modern and more expensive high performance wheel did. My front wheel has also seen over 10,000 miles of road riding and commuting and is still straight as an arrow.

Had to facilitate with the LBS a little more but they ended up replacing her wheels with some conventional 32 spoke models (which were lighter) and this was right when the recalls started with those paired spoke pieces of crap and when dealers were convinced these were better wheels.

Guess I have some good cred as I am not a Trek dealer and don't sell any new bikes but when I call shops to discuss what I think should be warranty issue they tend to be pretty helpful.

xoxoxoxoLive

OOPPS ! My Bad 36 spoke..LOL Richard

rumrunn6

I'm getting my kids flatbar road bikes next spring so I like them. I also like the Trailway but I roadified mine with bars; saddle and tires (in this picture it has studded snows)