BigPolishJimmy

I think the main difference in the Schwinn of yesteryear and the dept store bike of the time was the robustness of the frame welds and wheels. I base that conclusion on the number of classic schwinn I see around today vs. the number of huffy's and murrays of the same vintage. I know several people who had old huffys and rode them around town in the 90's until the frame broke or pedal broke off. I've not heard the same stories from schwinn owners, however I don't know as many schwinn owners. I will also temper this by saying I've not been all that impressed with the "schwinn approved" material qualities of brake components and derailleurs. Too many of these things have crumbled in my hands, but the electo-forged frames, man those are tough. Also anecdotally a friend of mine bought a Kent bike from a big box retailer a few years ago, rode it for a few months and ditched it right away. He is a metalurgist and was telling me about how badly the metals were in the dept store frame vs. what you would find in a nicer bike. The stuff they use in clips, nuts, bolts & etc. were just complete garbage. The bike looked cool, but mechanically it was a toy. If I were to guess what the difference in dept. store schwinn vs. bike store schwinn, I'd guess this is where the 'savings' really lie. As always, take this all with a grain of salt, I am not a metalurgist, nor do I play one on tv. It will be interesting to see how our throw-away society values longevity in the next few years. With a down economy--measured in job loss and reduced wages, not GDP--people might start looking for durability and value vs. whatever is cheapest. You're not saving money if you have to keep buying the same thing over and over again. I learned that lesson the hard way after the 3rd cheap chain tool I bought, I kept thinking I wouldn't need the tool very much, but then I'd need it again. I have a good one now, we'll see how it holds up, so far so good as it's a pleasure to use.