Originally Posted by
hybridbkrdr
The Schwinn CrossFit is on the list partly because of the cost. It means you could always switch out some parts and maybe be close to the other bikes. The strong points to me is that it has an aluminium frame and steel fork and sloping top tube. The only thing is, I don't know if it's hi-tensile steel or chromoly. I'd prefer chromoly.
Other parts, my ideas are going all over the place. On the one hand, the 28 spoke wheels may not be ideal for commuting with a backrack. But I'd like a bicycle like this as a fast commuter without panniers. (I can use another one with panniers.) The hubs are Quando and the rims have a V shape. The V shape rims may actually be strong enough for a backrack after all. Even though manufacturers have different quality levels but I don't know the quality of the Quando hubs. Another questionable part is the Prowheel crankset. Or, not just unknown quality but the fact it's 50/39. My area is VERY hilly. You can't go 5 miles without going up and down a few times. I'm pretty sure I'd be satisfied with the Promax cross-top levers though.
The other ones I find interesting are the Specialized Tricross (base model) and Devinci Tosca S.
The Specialized Tricross has 32 spoke wheels which is the minimum I'd prefer. I don't doubt Specialized uses quality hubs and rims although it's difficult to compare when you don't know exact brand name. And the 12-25T cassette is not ideal for the hilly area I live in. (This is not serious though as it could be changed easilly.)
The Devinci Tosca S is very interesting because not only does it have an aluminium frame and chromoly fork (my own bias here as I don't trust carbon and a steel frame would be heavier) but it also has a Shimano crankset and 11-30T cassette. I have to do research on the Jalco rims and Formula hubs though.
The Opus Spark 3.0 is impressive with the Sora parts but has FSA cranks (which I'm a bit unsure about). For those inclined to go lighter, it does have a 24 spoke rear wheel and 20 spoke front wheel.
Well, Sora or no Sora, I'd likely be changing the brifters for bar-end shifters and regular brake levers.
The Schwinn is a department store bike with all the warts that department store bikes have. It comes in one size and has a poor component list. The frame isn't going to be anything special nor worth investing too much money in to "upgrade" it. Better to start with a good bike with good parts rather than try to upgrade a bad bike with good parts. In the end you'll have a cheap bike that you paid a lot of money for.