2007 Schwinn LeTour GSX any good?
 

Hi. I rode my first century ride this past weekend (yes, I was the girl on the mountain bike with road slicks!). I loved it! And I'm going to be buying my first road bike as soon as I can decide on one. I don't have too much to spend ($1000 budget), and I've been looking at the Schwinn LeTour GSX, but I don't really know what I'm doing. I've been looking on forums, but have seen varying opinions on modern Schwinns. Any opinions on the 2007 Schwinn LeTour GSX for long rides and charity races?

I think you can do better for the money, especially in terms of wheels. Check out your LBS for Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Fuji, Bianchi, any of the better-known brands. Also, test ride LOTS of bikes before you buy.

I don't see why not. I rode a Schwinn Fastback for a year. I'm very satisfied, I think they're the best bang-for-the-buck.

At this price point, I doubt that there are any significant difference between one brand to the other. Just make sure you get a bike that fits you and a bike store that offers some kind of free tune-up or service.

Congratulations on your first century because I have over 2K miles logged this year and not one century, so great job. I used to ride Schwinn and still own a '92 Le Tour but when I got serious in '05 I went to a great local bike shop that can service what I buy. I looked and rode many afar and came back to my closest bike shop because they never let me down with any problem I ever had for years. They used to sell Schwinn but they let be borrow a Trek EX7 for a weekend and I loved it so I bought a Trek XC and road bike. I have been riding the crap out of them since and I even went through a crank but guess who fixed it for $2.10 (out of warranty but covered), Yeap the LBS and that should really help make your mind up.

+1, I would try different brands. You might want to look at a Giant OCR 2. Similiar to the Schwinn, but $100 less. Also, look for end of the year sales and leftover models. You might find a good deal on a better model for the same $1000.

I was on a similar budget and feel like I got a 2002 Cannondale that was used, but it good condition. It has a full Ultegra package and is generally a nice bike.

I put new tires and tubes on it (no biggie to do, but about $70 for good stuff), had the rear wheel trued, new bar tape and put new brake and shifter cables on it. The total outlay has been around $1000. It's not as nice as something that's brand new, but it's a good quality, reliable bike that is _much_ faster than I am. The components, frame, wheels, etc. are all nicer than I would have gotten had I spent the same amount of money to buy a new bike.

For the kind of money you(and I) have to spend, it's a very good alternative.

Listen to your own advice "I really don't know what I am doing". Spend some time in the LBS of your choice, or several, and try to learn a bit about what is available at your price point. Most LBS are a little slower right now so it is a good time to shop around.

I rode a Schwinn LeTour for three years. But it was a previous model --- 1978-1981. :D:eek: Military contract movers bent the frame when I moved to Spain. Worked well until then though.

I actually have this bike so I can answer all your questions. As a previous poster mentioned, the wheels are not the greatest and are on the heavy side. However, the stock tires (Schwalbe Marathon Plus) are practically bulletproof so you don't really have to worry about flats. For long rides this bike is great as it has a longer than average headtube (slightly more upright position) and wheelbase (slightly smoother ride). The tiagra setup works well and the gearing (52/40/30 x 12-26) is low enough to handle pretty much anything. Through a combination of sales and performance point deals, I was able to get this bike at about 65% of msrp and at that price I feel I got a good deal. If you can't find a similar deal, you may want to check out the used market or other brands as mentioned above. I think Schwinn gets a bad rap because they sell crap bikes at x-mart stores and people think they are the same as the lbs level bikes. At the price point I would say they are near the top of the bang for the buck list.