Costco $200 Schwinn bike

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jadinolf

Lifer
Oct 12, 1999
20,952
3
81
Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Originally posted by: sygyzy
Prepare for the onslaught.

I prefer $4000 bikes, personally. But I could see myself stooping to $3000 bikes...maybe for a week or so. Any longer than that and I'd probably throw up.

I agree but $6000 bikes are best. That way you won't be embarrassed if someone sees you riding it.
 

nanette1985

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2005
4,209
2
0
Originally posted by: MegaVovaN
Take the discussion to bikeforums.net
They gonna say same thing JulesMaximus said.

If you only gonna ride casually, and bike will be idle in garage most of the time, it might be alright....if you get into it, go straight to LBS. (Local Bike Shop)

Ya know, I did go to my Local Bike Shop once - they didn't have anything under a few thousand dollars to sell me, they were really nasty when I asked about an extra-sturdy bike for my large teenage son, and even the cheapest bike lock they carried cost more than $200.

I picked up something perfectly useful at a garage sale for twenty bucks. You guys must have nicer Local Bike Shops than I do.
 

d33pt

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2001
5,654
1
81
you can find good used bikes on CL cheap all the time. I got a $500 bike in like new condition for under $200. Remember, people buy bikes with good intentions, then they just sit in the garage.
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: edro
bump

Why? :confused:

Good question. I haven't been riding it too much due to the whole rain thing. But I did ride it quite a bit while house hunting to get a better idea of the areas where I was looking. You see and hear a lot more when you're moving at 10MPH without a box around your head :)
 
May 31, 2001
15,326
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Originally posted by: Kwaipie
<blockquote>quote:
Originally posted by: everman
I believe Schwinn got bought out years ago and are no longer as good as they once were. It will be fine for your stated purpose, but you might want to check local craigslist first.</blockquote>


Schwinn was bought by Huffy.

Reminds me of Harley Davidson being bought by AMF.

I thought a Chinese company bought the name to slap on their generic bikes, kind of like the whole Packard Bell computers thing.

We need BrutusKend for this to be a real bike thread. :p
 

Slew Foot

Lifer
Sep 22, 2005
12,381
96
86
Can you return it to costco when it falls apart? If so go ahead :) It wont be as nice as a fancy bike, but for general strolling around it should be just fine.
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
They weigh as much as a car. Make sure your wheels are on correctly, too. At my CostCo, the front disc rotor was on the opposite side of the wheel as the disc caliper.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,924
45
91
Originally posted by: Safeway
They weigh as much as a car. Make sure your wheels are on correctly, too. At my CostCo, the front disc rotor was on the opposite side of the wheel as the disc caliper.

Woah, they put disc brakes on $200 bikes now? :Q
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: Safeway
They weigh as much as a car. Make sure your wheels are on correctly, too. At my CostCo, the front disc rotor was on the opposite side of the wheel as the disc caliper.

Woah, they put disc brakes on $200 bikes now? :Q

Exactly. No name mechanical disc brakes. The OP would be better off spending $300 to $400 on a low-end Jamis, Trek, or Specialized from an authorized dealer. That way, if something goes wrong, they can take it in and get it fixed for free. Building a relationship with a local bike shop is very important.
 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,930
7
81
I bought a bike for like $250 about 15 years ago and I still use it. I can't find any mention of it online anywhere so it's like it doesn't exist. Don't worry about anyone telling you you have to spend $500, $1000, etc on a decent bike. It all depends on what you will use it for.
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
Originally posted by: Kelemvor
I bought a bike for like $250 about 15 years ago and I still use it. I can't find any mention of it online anywhere so it's like it doesn't exist. Don't worry about anyone telling you you have to spend $500, $1000, etc on a decent bike. It all depends on what you will use it for.

A $250 bike from 15 years ago is a lot different than a $200 bike today. It is more equivalent to a $300 to $400 bike. And yes, the jump from $200 to $350 is huge in terms of quality.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: edro
bump
Why? :confused:
Good question. I haven't been riding it too much due to the whole rain thing. But I did ride it quite a bit while house hunting to get a better idea of the areas where I was looking. You see and hear a lot more when you're moving at 10MPH without a box around your head :)
What did you buy? Exact model? And do you like it?
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
It's not so much that there's anything particularly bad about them as much as there is nothing particularly good about them.

If you aren't planning on riding much it will be fine.
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Safeway
edro - How tall are you? Inseam?
5'11" - 32" Inseam

Oh, okay. JensonUSA has very good prices on closeout bikes. Most of them are X-Small or X-Large, though. Perfect for my 5'1" girlfriend, but not for normal height individuals. Oh well, I tried!

They have a Scott that is normally $700 for $350. A flat bar road bike.
 
May 31, 2001
15,326
1
0
Originally posted by: edro
$329 - Schwinn Super Sport on sale, originally $449
(Last year's model)

Here is the bike I am eyeballing.
It is the "best beginner bang for the buck" as the sales lady told me.

I want the straight bars, so I am not totally leaning forward.

I got a year old (model year, not as in used) Specialized mountain bike for not much more than that at a sale at a local place. I looked at cheaper bikes, but if I am going to break the $200.00 barrier, I would rather spend a bit more and get that much more for my money.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
Originally posted by: Safeway
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Safeway
edro - How tall are you? Inseam?
5'11" - 32" Inseam
Oh, okay. JensonUSA has very good prices on closeout bikes. Most of them are X-Small or X-Large, though. Perfect for my 5'1" girlfriend, but not for normal height individuals. Oh well, I tried!
They have a Scott that is normally $700 for $350. A flat bar road bike.
No experience on the cheaper Schwinns?
Can you tell if those components are crap or not?
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: edro
bump
Why? :confused:
Good question. I haven't been riding it too much due to the whole rain thing. But I did ride it quite a bit while house hunting to get a better idea of the areas where I was looking. You see and hear a lot more when you're moving at 10MPH without a box around your head :)
What did you buy? Exact model? And do you like it?

I think the model is the "Midtown", it's good for cruising, I wouldn't try mountain biking with it. But for around town it's great. Needed some small adjustments from what the assembler did, but nothing major. I wouldn't call it a great bike, but it's definitely not a POS for it's intended purpose. It's the first bike I've had since I sold my Trek 820 about 5-6 years ago and all I do is ride around on city streets, so it works great for that.
 
Dec 27, 2001
11,272
1
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Does Costco also sell a coordinating set of shorts, shirt, gloves, water bottle, and helmet? You can't be caught riding a bike with a clashing ensemble.
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Safeway
Originally posted by: edro
Originally posted by: Safeway
edro - How tall are you? Inseam?
5'11" - 32" Inseam
Oh, okay. JensonUSA has very good prices on closeout bikes. Most of them are X-Small or X-Large, though. Perfect for my 5'1" girlfriend, but not for normal height individuals. Oh well, I tried!
They have a Scott that is normally $700 for $350. A flat bar road bike.
No experience on the cheaper Schwinns?
Can you tell if those components are crap or not?

24-speed drivetrain with Shimano Altus rear derailleur.

Shimano MTB components:
XTR
Deore XT

Deore LX
Deore

Alivio
Acera
Altus <----

Tourney

I would consider it a Tier 3 component set. I only have experience with older Schwinns, like Paramounts. Wal-Mart or really low-end bikes, of course, have low-end components. The problem with these bikes is that bike shops will occasionally refuse to work on them. My bike shop warranties all of there work and they won't work on low-end bikes. Not because they are bike snobs, but because things break constantly.

That fully rigid Schwinn has the benefit of having no shocks to break. Low-end shocks are normally just springs, not oil or air. They brake and you either get a fully rigid fork and rear triangle (best case) or completely no resistance (more common).