I'll be the first to admit I'm not a big Schwinn fan, but this price point almost looks intriguing. Alfine rear with an Alfine dynamo front and Avid hydro discs to boot. Definitely a "turn key" commuter

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1_20000__61000

Nice looking bike and well equipped for the sale price.

That bike looks real good. More than just interesting.

I think it looks like a pretty good commuter right out of the box. Compare it to REI's commuter though...

Avid Hydros versus Tektro mechanicals at first glance puts the Schwinn way ahead in my book. Schwinn also has the better Alfine crankset, Alfine wheels, and the Novara is a single front chainring. I think the Schwinn wins here.

hey, i like my schwinn lol

Somethings funny. The specs don't match the photo at all. The specs say that the bike has an internal eight speed rear hub, but the photo clearly shows a derailure. The specs also call for a dynamo front hub, but the photo shows a standard hub with disc brake. Although these are critical features, even the "features" section doesn't mention them - only the specs. Could the marketing people be so daft?

So, something doesn't add up.

However, going by the specs it looks like a lot of bike for the money. Today's Schwinns have gone the route of the made-in-China Big-Box retailers in terms of availablilty. I have noticed that the Schwinns are still much better made than the garden variety Chinese bicycles sold at the department stores.

Schwinns have always been heavier than their elite-grade competition, but have also been an affordable and reliable machine. They are typically weill designed for the type of rider who will be using them.

If per the spec, this looks like a good commuting machine. I still have to wonder WHY most commuters have mountain bike geometry. At least change the hand-numbing fllat-bars to randoneer drop bars or upright bars for God's sake. When will fashion finally give way to function?

That looks like it could be a chain tensioner as stated in the PB ad

Spec lists an Alfine chain tensioner. That does look like whats in the pic. The front Alfine dynamo hub is actually quite small, and does appear correct in the pic. Also has two cables going to it which would be brake and electric

Honestly? I don't care about the frame, if PBK drops a % off sale and still has the bike at that price point I might pick one up, if for no other reason than to strip it for parts to convert one of my other bikes. I prefer a more agressive geometry, which that bike doesn't have.

I don't think that's a rear derailer. It might be a tensioner for the chain, that gives it room to work the front derailer.

Odd, in my opinion. From my history, the problem with derailer's is the front one--that's the one that causes the chain to fall off and gets the pants dirty. The rear one typically works well and provides enough range with good efficiency.

If you're going to an IGH, why install a front derailer? The true transportation bike is one with a low maintenance set up that keeps your pants clean. To me, it needs a chainguard and an IGH, but it's at some degradation in performance compared to a derailer set. This defeats the purpose of the IGH.

Your answer lies in the other thread about the Breezer IGH bike. Some people apparently want more than 100 gear-inches for "fast" commuting.

My complaint would be with the alloy fork. Ouch.

But they can have that with front and rear derailers, and the rear wheel will roll faster!

If I'm riding a bike that looks like that, I won't be wanting 100 gear inches on an upright bike...Sorry, but trying to push high-mph averages with an upright bike in anything but the flattest of terrain is silly. If you want that, get something that allows you to actually be a bit more aero - making yourself into a wall doesn't seem to be the way to go. If I wanted a bike like this, I'd have a single front chainring and an 8-9 speed derailleur - you can still use a chain guard, and you have the gear inches you want, depending on the chainring. Honestly, a 48 tooth ring with a 13-27 7 speed rear is all that I would need (and all that I use)...

Trust me, I agree with you guys. Just relating something from another thread that was a bit of a head-scratcher to me.

Looks like a good choice for someone who wants a out of the box commuter which is most people. Does the fork accept a front rack/basket?

IGH, the un-stoppable force in cycling today. Get ready, they'll be everywhere. Since when is a crummy set of hydros better than mechanical discs? I'd go for the REI.

I think you're right in that they wanted to provide a wider gear range than the IGH would provide on it's own, - maybe just to make it look good on paper.

This bike and the Breezer however, are different beasts. The Breezer is supposed to be a performance commuter. It has an extra long top tube to stretch the rider into a more aero position. They custom designed the rear rack to save weight. It looks to me like Breezer is targeting those folks who want to go fast but don't like drop bars. The relatively low gearing seemed inconsistent with the bike's niche and I'm guessing they just decided to live with it.

This Schwinn looks more like a typical hybrid/upright bike and would be fine without a front derailleur. Like the others have said, having a front derailleur detracts from the advantages of having an IGH. This bike might be an exception to the rule: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts".

I like their comeback, but I don't know why you say they're such a force. The force is with transportation cycling, if you want to change people's habits and create a revolution of sorts. But an IGH with a front derailer? Where's the beef?

I'm just observing, I have no input into the revolution. There will be some bad examples. Front derailliuer and hydro brakes on this bike is proof.

You can have your Novara with it's oh so wonderful 10 cent brakes and $3 crankset. Sorry, spec for Spec the Schwinn has it by far. And I'm far from a Schwinn lover.

The Smithsonian called. Said you failed the "progress" test But there's still a place for you in the dinosaur room

But it weighs 28 lb (probably not much less than this Schwinn - a pound or two?) and smart people are sizing based on top tube length anyway, so the top tube is longer than what? Seems like you just end up on a flat-barred bike that is too big for you, which for me at least is a recipe for wrist pain.

Anyway, I don't care either way I guess. I also don't understand the need for hydraulic brakes, but whatever.

That's what retro is all about! Naked consumerism isn't my religion....

LOL. Ya know if it wasn't for the fact that the bike was full Alfine, I'd probably tend to agree with you on the FD issue. But I'll give Shimano (and Schwinn on this one) the benefit of the doubt, since the groupset is complete. These parts are all designed to be used together, and without the engineer here that did it to explain the reasoning it's all a SWAG anyway.

I'm not rushing out to buy the Breezer, those are just my observations. If you want to be aero and don't like drops, you need to stretch your body out another way. Either through a longer stem, bar ends, or a longer top tube. Personally I'd opt for drops so you can be more aero or not depending on whether or not you feel like it and still be able to brake either way, but that's just me ;-)

As for the brakes I think they are there just make the feature list more impressive rather than adding much in terms of practical value, - just like the front derailleur.