MEGA POST INCOMING
I expected plenty of haterade coming from this forum on a department store bike, but it's clear that most of the responders have never worked on or ridden the newer, mid-level Schwinns.
Originally Posted by
lostforawhile
replace the tire... All the tires on these chinese bikes seem to be made out of some material that starts immedietly disetigrating
Any bike under $1,000 has parts which were made in China. Or Taiwan or Malaysia or whatever. Doesn't matter if it's a high-end name brand or a department store bike.
Anyway, about the tires, I'm averaging about 500 miles between flats on my bikes which came from department stores. CigTech loved his stock tires too, never flatted after thousands of miles, and was even trying on purpose to get them to flat by going through glass and stuff, just for laughs.
Usually the recent mid-level Schwinns have Kenda tires of some sort, by the way. Those are reputable enough in my book. Plenty of people are having good results with them, at least.
Originally Posted by
dwellman
Once one gets into the new price range of $200 or more, he's getting really close to the used price of very decent used bikes.
True. In a sense, though, it's an apples-and-oranges comparison, because that's comparing a used bike to a new bike. And you can get a used mid-level Schwinn for like $50-$75.
Originally Posted by
frantik
[CigTech's] bike required work after purchase to make it properly roadworthy, including immediately replacing the brakes and adjusting them to actually work. CigTech also complains about the derailleurs going out of adjustment after 50 miles, no matter how many times he adjusts them.
He didn't replace the brakes, just adjusted the pad placement. If you keep reading the thread, the derailleur "settled in" and ended up working perfectly for him. BTW the midlevel Schwinns are way better in terms of parts than the Denali model he rode.
What I agree with you about is a department store bike needing work. The first thing I'd do is rip the whole thing apart, down to the bearings, and set everything up right. Which I'm pretty sure is the same thing Cig does on all his department store bikes, and the same thing I talked about in my first post.
Originally Posted by
dwellman
[to replace] things like the rear cogs (almost always a 7 speed freewheel) you're SOL.
Why do you say that? Most midlevel Schwinns use a common 7-speed freewheel. You can a new one for less than $15. Or get a perfectly good used one from a co-op for $5.
Originally Posted by
Bill Kapaun
Problem is, some of these low end bikes have an oddball, cheap Chinese [freewheel] that you can't easily find a removal tool that fits.
Recent midlevel Schwinns use freewheels made by DNP. You can also remove them with the standard Park FW-1 tool no problem. I assure you the DNP freewheels have all the little ramps and engineering goodies to improve performance and will shift perfectly well once the derailleur is set up right.
I know why you guys are scared of dept. store bike parts, but RELAX. I'm telling you, the newer midlevel Schwinns are good. The cones on the front wheel hubs use 13mm, the rear use 15mm, and the locknuts are 17mm. Just like most any other bike. The bottom bracket uses all the usual stuff with the exception of the adjustable cup taking the
HCW-11, which you can easily find a substitute for (e.g. 16mm cone wrench) if you want. It is all standard stuff.
Originally Posted by
dwellman
So crappily made, [freewheel puller] tool doesn't fit well. . you'll end up ruining your tool.
I must live in a different universe then, cuz I've used my standard Park Tool FW-1 puller on plenty of midlevel Schwinns and everything's rosy.
Originally Posted by
Doohickie
If you have to replace anything, you won't be able to get parts. For instance, if your cassette (the gears on the rear wheel) break, you may end up having to buy a whole new rear wheel instead of just replacing the gears.... that kind of stuff.
FWIW, Pacific Cycle (which makes these bikes) has a good rep for customer service and will replace parts if needed. But you don't have to go through them, because you can put any freewheel you please on it.
I challenge you to tell me a part on this bike which couldn't be replaced, should it be warranted. But it shouldn't, if properly adjusted, because many of the parts are the same ones found on higher-end bikes from bike stores.
Originally Posted by
Skinner
That bike has a low end suspension fork - So its a no no no.
It's an SR Suntour. You know, the same brand used on higher-end bikes like the Trek 8.2 Dual Sport. The 8.1 DS doesn't even have a suspension fork at all...
Originally Posted by
pierce
and too many of those cheap bikes have wheels with badly machined hub flanges that break spokes, and zinc or chrome plated cheap steel spokes that rust in a year or two, and sloppy badly pinned rims that catch the brakes and won't stay true.
I've read some of your posts here, and you might be surprised to learn that a lot of midlevel Schwinns use the same hubs that you, specifically, have on one of your very own bikes.
Originally Posted by
Bill Kapaun
Having to deal with shifting issues is a MAJOR problem with the low end bikes...
Originally Posted by
lostforawhile
the issue is, a heavy walmart bike that doesnt shift worth anything or stop, may convince a new rider that they DONT want to get into riding, if the only experience you had on a bike was a pile of junk, you might think all bikes are like this
They typically use Shimano Tourney derailleurs, and they work fine. The bikes shift perfectly when everything is set up right. I know, because one of my bikes is a dept. store bike, and it is a joy to shift. Also tuned plenty of others' bikes using the same hardware and it's all good. If you want to pay $50 more to save 30 grams on your derailleur, more power to you, but these components can work well and make sense for a lot of riders.
And don't look now, but midlevel Schwinns are creeping pretty close in weight to LBS bikes that run $200-$300 more. Try weighing comparable models sometime if you guys have the balls!