CigTech

Hey Guys and Girls,

I have moved once again and am now in Ohio. No more flat sea level rides for me LOL.
I am looking at a 35.6 mile commute to work and back, So that will be a 73.2 mile commute every day.

I went and got a new bike just for this. It's a Schwinn Empire XL. Yes I got it from Wal-Mart (I can see it coming now LOL). It is lighter then the Denial I had at 31 LBS. The XL is 22.5 LBS.

There not a lot of info on this bike on the net so I thought I give you guys the low down on it. It has a 42/52 no name Chainring. Schwinn says on their web site Schwinn Approved Alloy 42/52t Road. The Cassette is a DNP 7 speed with 13,15,17,19,21,24,28 (that makes this a type M Cassette). The Crank Length 172.5mm. The Tires are Innova 700x25 (looks real cheap). The Shifters Shimano A050 Bar Mounted. The Brakes Dual Pivot Road (no Name). Pedals Road w/ Toe Clip and Strap (no Name). Brakes Dual Pivot Road (no Name). Brake Levers Alloy Road (no Name). Handlebar Road Shallow Drop (no Name). Stem Schwinn Road Ahead. Headset 1 1/8" threadless (no Name). Chain KMC Z-51, Black. Grips Foam Wrap. Bottom Bracket Sealed w/ Ball Bottom Bracket System. Derailleur’s Shimano TZ-40, Road Double. Saddle Schwinn Padded Road. Seatpost 27.2 Alloy. There was real nice sticker on it that says made in China LOL. Frame Schwinn Alloy Drop Bar Road. Schwinn Unicrown Road Fork. Price is $249.00.

I did not get to ride it today. Had to tear it down and make sure it was put together right. You know how the Wal-Mart guys put them together LOL, if you want to call it that. All so removed the mud the Chinese call grease and regressed all the bearings with WHITE LITHIUM GREASE. Got it all together and ready to ride tomorrow or should I say later today.

any ways I'm back and glad to see all the is going good for every one.

hueyhoolihan

OT (if that's even possible in this thread, ):

where in Ohio?

Robert C

Is this a picture of it?

If so, the specs are here.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up under long term use.

Schwinnrider

That is going to be one hell of a commute. Good on ya!

Myosmith

Agreed, one heck of a commute. Let us know how you like the Schwinn after a couple of months. I'm very interested to see how some of these new "higher end" BBS bikes perform.

I'm actually pleased to see that some better entry level bikes are showing up in the BBSs. I'm not saying they are competing with the LBS brand bikes, but at least they aren't the crapfest they were not too many years back. I've seen a few Schwinns come out with budget priced bikes that have acceptable entry level parts like Shimano Acera and Altus. Unfortunately there is still a lot of low end BiltBroke stuff on the market but at least now there are some under $300 options that I wouldn't be afraid to ride in traffic.

For someone just getting into cycling, light commuters, or occasional fitness/recreational riding, I think some of these bikes will prove to be adequate or even enjoyable.

no motor?

Great to see you back, this is going to be interesting.

enigmaT120

Dang. I'm tired if I do a 35 mile day.

boro

Can someone explain the scheduling of something like this?

Andy_K 

I'd hold out for something with these:

Schwinnrider

It is good for the consumer that better bikes are showing up in the big box stores. I don't know how good that is for the local bike shop, though. We may get to a point that the quality of a high end Target bike will be equivalent to that of a low end LBS bike. The LBS bike having the benefit of being assembled correctly and having after the sale service, of course.

alexaschwanden

cool shifters.

Schwinnrider

I did a 44 mile round trip for a while, so I imagine you just have to get up earlier and plan on getting home later....

billyymc

Let's see...35.6 * 2....carry the one, divide by the coefficient of momentum, add Pi....nope, I'm still getting 71.2 miles round trip. Did you add 2 miles for badass factor?

CigTech

Hueyhoolihan: what the hell is OT? I'm in Columbus.

Boro: it's easy to go where you want, you just have to know your limits. I can do 35 miles in about 1hour 45 minutes on a good day. But I've been off the bike from last July untill now. So I have to build back up to that kind of commute.

I did 12.76 miles today in 41 minutes. Not to bad. But boy can I tell I'm not in my best bike shape. had a avg ride speed of 18.67 mph.

Had a hel of a time getting the tires up to 100 psi. See I tried a 12v car air pump. But could not get it off the steam fast enough to keep air in the tire LOL. So I used a Plant Bike Ozone ATB Mni Pump With Gauge to get them to 90 psi. That was no fun. But it did the trick.

So Far I think I like this bike better then the Denial. It's lighter and a little faster, due to the gearing. it handels good as the Denial or better.

nashcommguy

Yeah, I had a 42.2 rt for awhile and one must consider alot of prep/travel time.

rumrunn6

I overpump the tires knowing they will lose as tiny bit when removing the connector. it's about the connector and your technique. good luck with the bike. having put many miles on a target schwinn I would suggest having a pro check the wheels and spokes. money well spent.

no motor?

You probably explained this elsewhere, but what happened to the Denali? Did you finally wear it out?

chipcom 

Now go back and do it again with better grease (marine grease is better and usually cheaper)...white lithium grease is ok for bolts, seat posts and such...it sucks for bearings.

hueyhoolihan

OT = off topic.

columbus and thereabouts is an excellent place for cycling . you are surrounded by rolling hills everywhere but the flatlands to the north and east . plenty of low traffic country roads too. i'll be back there this summer to visit my lovely sisters and their (ahem) husbands .

i keep an old SS stumpjumper with one of them for my yearly visits. can't wait to ride it again.

MattFoley

I don't know man, I wouldn't want to do a 35 mile commute with no-name components...seems like you're just asking to break down at mile 17.5. In the summer, that's no biggie, but in the cold weather it can be dangerous. I know no components are fail-proof, but the odds of good components giving you trouble are so much less that I'd rather just pay more and feel safer. Also, as the saying goes, "buy cheap, buy twice".

dcrowell

I'm not going to join the upcoming dog-pile of WM bike discussion. What calls out to me in this thread is:

1) 73 miles!? How many days per week? Winter is going to be a b*tch.
2) Denial? Is that an inside joke I missed on your earlier threads, or did you just consistently misspell Denali?

no motor?

Chip! Good to hear from you again.

bigbenaugust 

Wait a minute, chipcom is back?!

AdamDZ

Are you serious about commuting 73 miles per day??? Unless you're some sort of Ironman I don't see how you can do that AND work the same day Yeah, that's a weekend dayride for me.

bigbenaugust 

CigTech is also the man who rode a Denali from WalMart 20 billion miles at an average speed that would make Contador jealous and the Schleck brothers cry.

He is a legend.