52telecaster

I bought a Schwinn peleton for 100 bucks just to see if I could make something out of it I might ride and let me say it's a tad underwhelming at first blush. Frame, fork and all minus wheels and seat are as heavy as my old school Columbus and Reynolds 531 stuff. No idea how it rides yet but I think 28s and no fenders is max. I will say the 32 hole ultegra hubs are smooth as silk. At the very least I have brifters and derailleurs that match. Kinda weird/cool for me. Anyway after bringing it home I took a ride on the grand record to cleans the palate. I love motos!!!!


Broken spoke and wheels need truing but not bad for a c note.

The palate cleanser!

USAZorro

Weird. I have an 853 Bob Jackson with 9-speed Campagnolo Daytona and it's a featherweight.

52telecaster

Im sure bob Jackson made the most of the tubing. I will eventually get this up and running and who knows how I will feel. Just a first impression that probably has more to do with whomever Schwinn was at the time than reynolds 853.

USAZorro

No doubt. Schwinn clearly had a culture of overbuilding many models into the 80's, but I thought they had applied lessons learned in creating lightweights by the 2nd half of the decade.

Kilroy1988 

I have the same bike with a 58cm frame, which is a tad small for me on the seat tube but the darn top tube is rather long - definitely proper criterium geometry. I really enjoy how it rides and have no major concerns about the aluminum fork feeling stiff on rough roads despite being forewarned... I've put nearly 1,000 miles on it though a couple seasons of on-and-off riding.

It was my "modern" bike until very recently, and with Look Keos pedals, empty bottles and cages it weighs in at about 21.5 lbs. I also find the Ultegra hubs to be very smooth rolling and of course the 9-speed shifters work as smoothly as any of the newer Ultegra I've tried (which includes both ten speed editions). I was only tempted to replace it with a carbon fiber frame after realizing that I can lay down enough power to rather noticeably flex the OS 853 out of the saddle or climbing, and lately I have a right proper need for efficiency...

Enjoy it!

-Gregory

52telecaster

Excellent! Now you're making me want to do something with it!

Classtime 

My 853 LeMond was 17 pounds but carbon fork, Race Xtra Lites, Dura Ace, etc.
As cool as your GR is right now, I'd like to try it with the Ultegra bits from the Schwinn.

Mr. 66

I like the tubing, I have it in the Rocky Mountain Sherpa. I think the 853 has a higher ping than most tubing, if you want a tuning fork comparison. I had a Lemond with it as well, rode great but the toptube length was to much stretch.

steelbikeguy

Based on the era, I'm going to guess that it has oversize tubing??
That might contribute to a dead feeling (which is how I'm interpreting the term "underwhelming"), especially if you are accustomed to a standard diameter 531 frame.

...or, as suggested, Schwinn might have opted for heavier gauge tubes too, which would make it even worse. ...
That's definitely a problem that I run into, as a tall-ish skinny guy (6 feet, 155 pounds). The manufacturers want to design the frame to safely handle the heaviest possible rider, so the frame ends up being hugely overbuilt for the lightweights.

Still, it sounds interesting!

Steve, also in Peoria

cudak888 

When the competition looks like that Moto, I'd be hard pressed to find any performance metric that would make me forget those looks.

Put simply, I'd be biased towards the Moto, regardless of whether it rides better or not than the 853 Wondermissile.

-Kurt

Drillium Dude 

Offering another perspective on weight, my 853 Davidson came in at 22.4lbs:



At the time it was wearing steel NR pedals and a heavier wheelset, but I seriously doubt I could get it much lower. After all, most of the parts were drilled, the seatpost is Record Ti - and the saddle is a carbon-shelled, Ti-railed Flite Evolution.

Btw, that Moto is beautiful

DD

Dylansbob 

Which 853 sticker does it have? My lemond is 3 tube, but I've heard rumors that Schwinn used less than that.

Velo Mule

The problem is that Schwinn sticker on the down tube. Just knowing that it is a Schwinn adds weight. Maybe that fork is an Ashtabula looking like aluminum?

Hey, I've got a bad idea. Send the frame my way and I'll paint it a candy apple or other Schwinn color of your choice and put Schwinn Continental decals on it. It will be a sleeper.

cb400bill

Catalog specs indicates main frame is 853.

52telecaster

The triangle is 853 and really I think it's very well made. I'll eventually get it up and running but it'll be a while.

52telecaster

That is a lovely bike.

52telecaster

I think I am too. Something about how great it rides with 35s too. It was intended to be my around towner but I may do an overnight on it. I've got 23-93" gear range so it's fine for reasonably loaded touring.

Kilroy1988 

I would add to my earlier post that I really enjoy riding the Schwinn Peloton for its responsive behavior in particular. I can throw it into corners confidently, power up and through stoplight sprints at 33-35mph without trying too hard and keep up a sustained pace for 30-40 mile rides without getting uncomfortable. I have since dropped the handlebars a bit and repositioned the shifters so that it looks more like a proper '90s racing bike, but this is how I had it set up for most of my riding.

Comfort and efficient power transfer are important for me because the range and average speed of my rides can differ greatly. Although I definitely gained some efficiency switching to a newer carbon frame, I can't say the carbon is any more or less comfortable than the Peloton. Despite its steel frame it is not like most classic DB 531 frames whatsoever - with tight geometry and OS tubing it can be a bit jarring on uneven pavement.

-Gregory

jamesdak 

I had a 1999 Circuit, same basic frame. These were from the era when Scott owned the Schwinn name and built these. Mine was running a 105 triple setup but the addition of some 1500 gram Williams System 30 wheels really improved the ride quality. I took it on a 3 week trip to Mississippi where I got to ride it on perfectly smooth paved roads. It was a total joy. Back home on rough, broken chipseal the front felt harsh. Mine was also just one size smaller than I preferred. Love to find a Peloton like yours in my choice. I may have the weight of mine recorded somewhere, I'm thinking it was under 21 lbs when I put the Williams wheels on it.

Enjoy!

daverup 

52telecaster I think you got a great deal on the Peleton! The 853 might ride better than you would think on the 28's. I can't remember ever riding the Peleton, but I've got a couple of other 853 bikes that ride nicely on rough pavement. That Ultegra group works well too.

52telecaster

I'm not giving up on it yet and it does have some lovely components.

bargainguy

Two very different rides. The Circuit is more of a crit bike, tight rear triangle, short wheelbase. The Moto looks to be the opposite, relaxed head angle, longer wheelbase, etc.

No amount of 853 will make up for what you have in the Moto's geo. Not all of us are made for race bikes.

smd4

This recently-posted review indicates the Circuit is much more of a triathlon bike, than a crit bike:

Schwinn Circuit Review

I wouldn't call the rear triangle "tight," nor the wheelbase particularly short.

bargainguy

Um, the review you posted is for an '86 Circuit with SL and a Tange aero fork. The OP's bike is right around 2000, 853 frame with an alu fork. So not even close to the same design as they're 14 years apart. Nice try, though!

52telecaster

Correct on the date.