Strengths: Fun at first but im not here to comment on the bike...im here to gripe about the bike
Weaknesses: a lot.....the head angle is the worst. I have killed 2 forks now first was a judy race and now a psylo xc. It flexes the fork in a way that causes a creak in the crown and steerer tube connection. The Bottom bracket pivots, i replace these after 2 1/2 years of abuse
Bottom Line:
this served me well, but now it is time to kill it. Im sick of having to deal with the flaws of the bad head tube angle.....im not saying i didnt love the bike b/c i did it was awesome when it didnt hassle me, but it has done that long enough and it is time for me to move on
Bike Setup: psylo xc fork,Chris king headset, mavic 519 FR rims, titec seatpost (factory one got stolen w/ my salsa saddle), shimano DX pedals, world force short stem.
Strengths: Light but strong with it. Deore 9spd and hollowtech crankset Geometry'll fit a medium travel fork (100-123/130mm) nice 4-bar rocker, gives confidence down rocky stuff. Radially laced front wheel looks pimpy
Weaknesses: Jett fork, changed for a Marxocchi MXC. LX rear mech, swap for a deore or XT when the spring goes. Bar a bit narrow, but that's personal taste. Hubs not disc compatible, no-name front.
Bottom Line:
Top quality bike for the price I paid. Was at clearance in my workplace so I also had staff discount. Full sus with deore, marzocchi and a deluxe coil-over for about £600? doubt you'd get a better buy than that.
The bike rides well, is fast on the trail and gives lots of confidence. Despite being an XC bike it can take most of what you can throw at it, within reason (Josh Bender need not apply!)
Try and find one for about £500 and you'll be laughing, the fork is the only real weak spot (all the other mods were personal choice for me) but ride it until you kill it or can afford an upgrade (and it does look SUPERB with a black marzocchi on the front!!)
Overall, a top second bike, if you don't want to ride your racer everywhere, or a superb starter bike for those who want full sus and are prepared to pay the extra couple of hundred for a well speccd, lightweight bike.
Submitted by
TJ Lake
a Cross Country Rider
from Ohio
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2000
Strengths: Affordable XC attack bike. Great base bike for the buck!
Weaknesses: Components can be upgraded, right? You'll probably be breaking stuff anyway! Replace Deore stuff when you need to!
Bottom Line:
First - "The" - whatever the heck kind of name that is, didn't review a stage 3. Stage 2 is spec'd with a Sid XC fork, not stage 3. Kinda makes you wonder if he's even got the thing at all! Please remove/ignore his review.
Second - let's remember kiddies, that this is an XC bike. The rear suspension is set up for speed, not tush-cush. While the bike is stiff when standing still, it's more active when rolling.
Third - I think riser bars are money makers in a trendy, sometimes silly, and fashion conscious industry. They really don't have a place in an XC world. Having said that, I was suprised by the agressive, forward feel the cockpit has. I'll leave the bars for now. If efects my point-and-shoot style, I'll swap.
:-) Good bike for Entry level racers and agressive weekend warriors with a speed thing!
:-( Probably not for downhillers, wannabe's, or whiners with soft tushies.
Similar Products Used: Tested Fisher sugar and GT's iDrive
Bike Setup: As spec'd by Schwinn
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
The Virginian
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2000
Strengths: The suspension works very well as mentioned in the previous reviews, but the component spec is ridiculous on the stage 3. The SID-XC is one of the best forks I've ever ridden
Weaknesses: Schwinn wasted money on the XT rear derailleur and a heck of a lot on the SID, which, though great, should not be found on bikes in this price range; and skimped on the rest of the parts spec. The brakes should be over speced if anything else and the Deore's work at the same level as a well tuned set of old canti's. To make this bike worthwhile, buy the stage 1 or buy the frame and spec it yourself.
Bottom Line:
This bike would work great with specs in the higher range: think all LX/ XT or higher. The fork is great as is. The main thing that needs an upgrade is the brakes and the deore parts in the drivetrain. At this budget a far better choice would be a hardtail like the MOAB Disc. For a recreational rider who wants a comfortable bike, it isn't a bad choice, but the bike would definitely benifit from a brake upgrade.
Similar Products Used: Not taking into account the component specs: Specialized FSR-XC, GT i-drive, Gary Fisher Joshua F3
Bike Setup: Stock form
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve Domahidy
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2000
Strengths: This is the best climbing full suspension bike on the market that doesn't resort to the gimiky "lock out" levers found on other suspension bikes. You can really feel the plushness and slightly longer travel that this bike has; more than most of the cross country specific dual's out there (i.e. FSR XC, etc.). The rear end tracks super stiff and accelerates like a rocket. No pogo-ing at all. There is also no noticable kick-back from the suspension as your hitting the rough stuff while climbing.
Weaknesses: There were only a couple of flaws with this bike. Firstly, the low chain stay yoke (which is under the bottom most pivot) causes a considerable amount of chain slap in the small to middle chainring. The easy cure is to get a Lizard Skin chainstay protector, cut it down to about 3" long, and wrap it around that corner on the yoke. Problem solved. The other is that the suspension feels a little stiff. This is a combination of things: one is the SID rear shock. My suggestion is to run the negative pressure chamber 20 PSI higher than the positive. This will make things better. The other thing to check is the lower pivot around the bottom bracket shell. Sometimes this pivot is a little stiff out of the box and needs some breaking in. Don't worry, though. As I found out, pushing down on the suspension while it's sitting in your garage does little justice to this bike. Once it's on the move with your body weight over it, the rear end soaks up everything it hits.
Bottom Line:
Don't judge this book by it's cover. If you're shy because it says Schwinn, don't be. If you're weary because you've heard it's stiff. Like I said, this bike feels stiff when you're digging your elbow into the seat on the sales floor, but once all 190 lbs. (my weight) is flying down the hill, this bike absorbs better than a Brauny paper towel. You can ride this bike like a dual suspension bike. Others, namely the FSR XC, you still have to ride like it's a hard tail with a little bit of suspension. Point the Schwinn Rocket 88 down the hill, and that's where it'll take you. With a four inch travel fork, this bike handle like a dream. I suggest if you're looking for the ultimate all around fun, fast, furious bike, than this is your ticket. If you're trying to build a twenty pound cross country dual suspension bike complete with a set of titanium bolts, look elsewhere. This bike out of the box would have been $1299, a total bargain with the original spec'. As it stands, I'm keeping this bike, which means I'm in love.
Bike Setup: I bought a Stage 3 and stripped it to use the frame. Current set-up: Grip Shift ESP, XTR, Manitou X-Vert Super, King Hdset/hubs. At 190 lbs, I have the rear shock set up as follows: 130 PSI pos., 150 PSI neg.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2000
Strengths: Suspension is great, a little on the firm side but offers excellent control. Can go much faster on rocky downhills than many others I've ridden.
Weaknesses: XT rear D. Wish they would have stayed with 8 Speed. Just seem to miss more shifts when I need them. Never had this problem with old xtr 8's
Bottom Line:
I absolutley love this bike. It gives me the confidence to rip on fast downhills with the biggest rocks and whoops. I have always owned Hardtails and felt my legs were better than any rear suspension could offer with the weight penlty.I was wrong. Wish I could have been able to afford better componentry. Chainstay as with most bikes was destroyed after the first 100, Head set also loosened after the first few rides. Anyone who is familiar with National in PHX this bike let me do the whole trail from west to east really fast and safely if you can call National safe. Note who i think should buy this bike, I dont really know All I can say is what I like. I like challenging down hills with moderate to fast sections, this bike peformed flawlessly except for tight uphills when i was'nt in the proper gear before hand, maybe after more riding and chain cleanings that will change.
Favorite Trail: Desert classic followed by the national
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Bike Setup: SID air adjust Judy Race deore with xt rear mav 221
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2000
Strengths: Excellent ergo's, suspension works great, no pogoing, accelerates great for a full suspension, very fast and good looking. I will purchase this weak and send further results latter
Weaknesses: Front end is a little lite in heavy cornering. tended to wash out earlier than I was used to. Price is high for the equipment. Magazine articles quoted price of 1002.00 is incorrect. Actual dealer price is 1299.00
Bottom Line:
First impressions were good to excellent. If the quality is there I will be very happy with my purchase.Loved the acceleration and the suspension feel. Great looking full susp. bike. I will be getting the black with red accents. Overall I am a schwinn fan and am biased towards the make, hope this bike lives up to my first impressions. More reviews after some thrashing.
