I have a Schwinn Varisty 700c 21 speed Hybrid bike (flatbar). I bought it at wal-mart for $200 about 6 months ago to commute back and forth to work. I have put about 300 miles on it so far and enjoy cycling more than i thought i would. I would like to buy a new bike (road) but cant really put up that kind of money right now for a new bike. But i can afford to do some upgrades on the bike to get through.
It is an aluminum frame with shimano quick shifters and a shimano tourney derailleur.

What upgrades do you guys recomend? (carbon seat post, carbon fork, better derailleur, ...)

thanks!

What's wrong with it at the moment? 300 miles isn't really even run in yet

For any lower end bike, they are normally not worth upgrading, unless it's for fit / comfort.

would suggest saving your money, and waiting till you can afford a bike with Carbon parts / better components factory fitted, as it will work out cheaper in the long run.

Nothing is really "wrong" with it. I was just wondering if it would be worth upgrading to a carbon fork, carbon seat post and/or a better derailleur. I have seen those items on ebay for under $100.

Ducker, I understand where your coming from and Jim is just trying to save you heartache down the road.. when you realize that the frame is junk. That being said, you can still do exactly what you wanted but I would keep a couple things in mind, will that fork you want work in a better/newer bike more like you want when the time comes? The answer is probably no since your current is a hybrid.. seatposts are a lot more universal so almost no worries there. Now keep in mind your derailers are paired with your shifters, they're intended for each other and your cogs and crankset, now I could be wrong about this part but the hybrids I've seen tend to have mountain bike components and I have heard of people using those parts to setup touring bikes but it doesn't seem to be common I'd even go as far as going against it since your budget seems limited and probably your wrenching experience, so tell me though why do you want to upgrade a derailer? or both? or what? But considering you could probably buy a nice vintage road bike for 100 in decent shape (probably not high end) but much better suited for roads then a hybrid.. hopefully I've given you some info you can use.

Usually not worth upgrading department store bikes. You don't really get much benefit for the added cost and hassle.

Carbon bits are not necessarily an upgrade.
If you are using it as a commuter then buy a rack, fenders and things that you can add to a touring frame at a later date. In the mean time ride your bike and maintain it until you can afford a better one. Dept. store bikes get a bad rap from bike snobs, but they get the job done. I see a lot of poor working stiffs who use them for tranportation.

I am somewhat new to all this and was reluctant to buy a bike from wal-mart. But the price was right and the frame really seems to be legit as far as aluminum frames go. It is a lil heavy (36 lbs) but its not too bad. Some of my biking friends said it was a decent frame and were really surprised it came from wal-mart. I think schwinn wal-mart "ized" it by not using great components.
You guys can check it out:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-Va...Specifications

But this is all good info and what i was looking for. Thanks guys.

Oh don't misunderstand I'd probably even like your bike Ducker I think my high timber is actually a very similar bike and I had the same kind've hopes for it that you seem to have for yours and although the bike functions great and is good for what it is.. it is far from being worth my time upgrading and then trying to swap the components to a better quality frame at a later date... but results will vary!

+1

This is good advice. Your Schwinn is NOT worth upgrading in the sense of shifters, derailers, carbon parts, etc. It's not a bad idea, however, to get things like a rack that you can transfer to a future bike. 36 lbs? A carbon fork won't even put a dent in that number. Save your money or look for a decent used road bike on craigslist. I have an old Trek I bought for $200, there are good deals out there sometimes.

Schwinn caused a stir some years back when they were sold to Pacifica and went "department store" with some of their lines. It sort of crossed two worlds together and left people wondering whether Schwinn was going cheapo or were department stores going upscale. The biggest problem with department store bikes (IMHO) is that they are assembled by an unskilled and probably unmotivated temporary laborer. Way too easy to get poor assembly. Cause when you get poor assembly --you make an ass out of em and bly :-{

If that were my bike I would keep riding it as is. The things that would be cheap and perhaps make it a bit nicer might include:
koolstop salmon brake pads for better stopping power

new cables/housing for the brakes -- not sure what quality these things are on that bike, but many department store bikes really cut corners on these and could impact braking power

if the shifting is not so great replacing cables and housing could help here

a nice set of tires

Next year you might be ready for some of these consumables -- replace them then. Save you money and a year or so from now buy yourself a better bike. If you start watching Craigslist, and are not in a hurry, you will have a good chance of finding a gem for a pittance.