Speed2XS

It was easy, I just used a remnant of the leather for the bars (this stuff), doubled it up and sewed it on as I did on the bars. It doesn't wrap all the way around, but covers the areas I need it to, so it works fine.

Lilcphoto

I am really liking those Dyads... How do they feel? know the weight of the wheelset?

Speed2XS

You know what, their weight isn't really that bad, but I don't know exactly. The rims are 5gr more than Velocity Fusions, but 40gr less than Deep V's. Where I am disappointed is with the weight of the hubs.

I built a set of Fusions laced to White Industries track hubs for a customer recently, and they were very strong and weighed less than these, but those hubs were about 70% more in cost, so I guess I am not too terribly disappointed. These feel as solid as Deep V's I have ridden in the past, and handle pretty well, but I haven't had much chance to really try them out yet.

Lilcphoto

You didn't have a 29'r in mind when you got the rims did you?

modestboy1

I'm deciding between this and mongoose cachet... Why is the mongoose cachet listed at a lower price than the schwinn? From what I read, both are owned by pacific.

Speed2XS

Fair question.

Guess it depends on what you want. Looks wise, I think the Schwinn wins hands down, though this is purely opinion, and yours may be different.

Components wise, (according to this Urban Velo article)the Schwinn has alloy, as opposed to the Cachet's stee,l cankset, dual pivot, as opposed to single pivot brakes, a cog and lock ring included, as opposed to only a freewheel, alloy seatpost as opposed to steel, and and what **appears to be** a better quality wheelset, albeit somewhat heavy. You also get the advantage of a wide variety of headset and stem options due to the 1-1/8" steertube on the Madison.

If none of the these things matter to you, then go with the cheaper one. But in reality, manufacturer aside, these bikes have little to nothing in common.

Speed2XS

Ha, no.

I just liked the concept behind the A23's, but I wanted a fatter tire, for my fatter @$$, so a 24mm rim and a 25-26mm tire seemed the right way to go. The tire edges protrude past the rim, seats fine and holds well at 140psi.

If something fails as a result of this combo I will post an update... if I'm able to.

soyboy

the hubs are of similar quality to what comes on the madison, the rims look fine so you get a decent wheelset, the chain is the same, other than that the cachet is aluminum and none of the parts are of any quality and you'll wind up destroying them quickly with any serious riding, also you'll sleep better at night if you don't buy a bike from walmart.

Scrodzilla

Because it's junk.

Lilcphoto

Now everyone knows what a 2008 Schwinn Madison looks like with the different bar setups HAHA

Leukybear 

you forgot hobo bars.

Sebster

is it annoying having to swap our your brake lever everytime?

Lilcphoto

That was one ride... I went out and swapped them so I could have photos of all of the combo's. It's just a matter of unscrewing the clamp from the bars, not difficult or annoying what-so-ever

Sebster

ah i thought they were from separate rides and you just swap em out really frequently

discoattheprom

i'mthinking about returning my bike to nashbar and picking up a kilo instead... really not impressed with the generic crankset on the bike, and i've all of a sudden developed a fetish for lugged frames.

what do you guys think? feel free to convince me otherwise/affirm my decision.

seventythree

Sell it.
I sold mine on craigslist and got what I paid for it.
If you return it, you lose out on shipping.

If your heart isn't in it, ain't no point in riding it.

jpaschall

Looks best with bullhorns if you ask me.

soyboy

with a madison you get generic pedals and cranks, stem and handlebars, all of which seem fine(the handlebars are an odd shape, i'm using them as cruisers and they rule)

with a kilo you get generic seat, hubs, rims, handlebars, stem, headset, and pedals.

any bike in this price range will wind up with some generic components, that being said the frames are different, i'm not sure which is lighter, i personally don't care, they're similar in weight, i think the madison feels stiffer than the kilo and i like the shorter wheelbase much more, i sold my kilo after buying my madison(the plan all along) and i'm really happy with the decision.

Wheatstraw

Yeah, I'm really happy so far (swapped out handlebars/pedals/brake levers/tires). Not having any other parts to swap in meant that the wheels/hubs were a big factor in any cheap build I was looking at—and so far the frame feels great, and the price gave me plenty of room to play around and figure what I like most (which helps in any future decisions). I'm not in love with the loudness of the logos on the burgundy 2010, but for < 400 I've got a bike I trust, and it can grow with me.

evangelinegale

awww, i do miss cruising the pdx waterfront

Speed2XS

+1. It's not like it's a terribly great bike, but it's good enough, and kinda nice having a bike thats different than most out on the streets that I see around here locally, e.g. Kilo's, Masi's, Leaders, Bianchi's and etc.

But if you don't really like it don't keep it, I wouldn't.

ilikebikes

I've had mine for a long while with no problems, and I know its not a terribly great bike.....its a ****ing fantastic bike! and for the price it can't be beat.

Wheatstraw

The more I ride mine, the more I like it. Commuting's been great on it so far too—stock gearing (what is it, around 69 g.i.?) is in the sweet spot so I can mash up my one long hill and pass most geared bikes, and not spin out too crazy on a long downhill. Of course, keeping it SS makes the spin-out thing moot, anyway...

LocoTracks

I've had my 07 almost four years now. I know its not the greatest but its definitely my favorite. I've changed around the gearing (64in for super spinning) and replaced the bars with bullhorns.

Sometime this summer I'm going to take it to the track, obviously with higher gearing and track bars.

zbalge

A few shots in Denver Colorado.