Submitted by
avoidspam
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2010
Strengths: Relatively light for the price (28lb)(£2000+ Santa Cruz Heckler 30lb, I'm sure it's a great bike but still...!). Great geometry instills confidence.
Weaknesses: Bought this bike as a rebuild and will upgrade some of the components as they wear out (front cahinset!). Lots of moving parts, if I was using this bike more I guess this would wind me up as there would be more maintenance/part replacement required than on some bikes.
Bottom Line:
I really wrote this review in response to several previous reviews concerned about the bottom pivot, how quickly it wears and wether you can find replacements. After seeing this bike in the shop I did some research (on this site mainly) and returned to the bike shop with my concerns. The owner of the shop assured me not only had he rebuild the bike using a more hard wearing type of bearing but that they were a common, generic type which you would be able to source from any decent bearing suppliers. This makes sense as the bike had been rebuilt recently (nearly 10 years after the bike became obsolete). I've always liked hardtails and felt that in order to find something that would be able to compete in full sus form I would have to pay a fortune. This bike has proved me wrong.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rock Hopper (1989 & 2000 models)
Bike Setup: Replaced Rock Shox U turn front forks with Rock shox Tora 318 which enabled me to set the bike up properly with the SID rear shock. Deore front and XT rear mech's, Truvative front chainset (crap). Avid brakes which work by using 2 hardened rubber pads pressed against either side of the wheel rim. Crazy but true! Thought about upgrading to disks but for the extra weight/how often I use the bike I decided it wasn't worth it. When it comes to stopping I find it is the amount of slippage between the tyres and the ground that increases you distance, nothing to do with the brakes...
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Submitted by
Bustinp
a Cross Country Rider
from Galesburg, IL US
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2010
Strengths: Great value for price paid. Seems to have more lift from Fox Shox Float R than when trying to bunny hop than other full susp. bikes I've tried. Great balance in the turns. Great weight and forward force.
Weaknesses: Mine is used and seems to creak a little when riding hard. The bike came with a Manitou fork which I feel is sub par.
Bottom Line:
I got a great deal on this bike!! It is perfect for my needs as a somewhat new MTBer. I feel like I'm riding like the pros at a fraction of the cost!! Anyone who has an opportunity to buy this bike I would strongly suggest it. Even if you are a seasoned rider you can appreciate the value!! If you are in the market for a status bike that cost a lot of money don't get this one. Or if you are a pro and can afford a fine tuned racing machine don't get this bike (as if I need to tell a pro). If you just like to ride and don't want to trade your Jeep for a Geo Metro to do it, this is the bike for you.
Favorite Trail: Small trail north of Como, CO also Spring Lake in Macomb, IL for local trail
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At: The Bike Shop, Macom
Similar Products Used: None since this is my first full susp.
Bike Setup: Manitou fork, Fox Shox Float R, Deore crank, Deore derailer, Deore linear brakes, Tioga Wheels, Titec X Wing seatpost, Trek seat, Titec stem and handlebars. Everything else is factory. Total wight is 28 lbs.
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Submitted by
phbike
a Weekend Warrior
from Forest City, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2009
Strengths: WoW!! is all I can say...Nobody will probably read this since It's been almost 10 years since the bike came out...however this has been a GREAT bike!!!!! Yea I've had to replace the pivot bushing 3 times now and I just found out recently that Schwinn no longer has any bushings for it. So...I'm putting the last set on there and then the bike will be history in a year or so...This is more of a tribute to such a great bike. Over the years we've rode many miles from Elijay Ga, all the way to Bar Harbor Maine and most epic places in between. This ride is so light weighing in under 25lbs it climbs with ease. The bike has held up to serious pounding (as I ride my 220+lb butt mainly in Pisgah and Dupont State Forest)and has had no problems at all. If anybody finds or knows of a replacement bushing set, please post a reply!!
Weaknesses: Bent the rear rim on the 2nd or 3rd ride...took it back and replaced it with a Sun Rhyno Lite. Not that you ever need to use it, but the chain drops if you use granny in front and anything smaller than the third gear in the rear as it then will rub the frame causing it to slip.
Bottom Line:
A very light bike that has taken a beating over the years. Schwinn's last REAL mountain bike. I'm gonna miss this bad boy when it's all said and done...Time to start shopping around for a new ride!
Similar Products Used: Old retro GT-RTS team, Giant ATX 890 hardtail
Bike Setup: Stock except the aforementioned rim and panaracer fire xc tires
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Submitted by
labrat
a Downhiller
from Calgary Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2005
Strengths: beefy frame with great goemetry great shock with lots or adjustability
Weaknesses: travle
Bottom Line:
this frame and my set up are great for dh the shock jumps well and has lots of adjustability but the only thing is if your an un-smooth rider the shock is going to die because you will bottom it out off like a 2 foot drop.
Similar Products Used: oryx desert dueller 99 2002
Bike Setup: rocket 88 frame, rock shox sid dul air rear shock, marzocchi super t pro 2002, dual 28 spoke dee max's, fsa pic head set, fsa cranks and bb, maxxis high roller rear 2.35, front nokian gazzalodi 2.5.
Strengths: Bike is an awesome cliber and excellent on the downhill. Great componentry. This bike rocks.
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
This is an awesome bike if you can find one now days. The shop I bought it at had two left over. This bike has an incredible ride. Does not bob going up and bombs the downhill. Good selection of components. If you can find one new get one you will not be dissapointed. It is light and very responsive in the corners.
Strengths: The XTR rear derailleur delivers great performance, the Titec components(bars, seatpost, stem) have held up very well. This bike is very predictable to ride in the trails.
Weaknesses: I have had to replace almost everything on my Schwinn... 1. The Mavic wheelset was shot after about 3 months of riding 2. The Deore brakes seem to only slow you down, not stop 3. The rear shifter broke 4. Had to replace the crankset 5. The steerer tube on the SID XC fork is no longer circular 6. The BB pivot wore out and it took forever for Schwinn to send the replacement parts 7. The seat that came on the bike was quite painful, way too much padding for a serious xc rider 8. Grips wear out after a few weeks 9. Derailleur hanger snapped for no apparent reason 10. The bike bobs way too much while climbing or just simply riding down the road, lockout would be a plus.
Bottom Line:
After replacing almost everything on this bike, I am now almost satisfied... I would still like to replace the fork because of the ovalized steerer tube. Do not buy this bike if you don't have extra money to dish out for replacement parts. The frameset is nice after the BB pivot was replaced. In stock form, not worth the money
Submitted by
steve bridgeman
a Weekend Warrior
from manchester
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2003
Strengths: the frame is really light and strong and the bike climbs and decends really well. the geometry is excellent and really gives you a bike you can throw around with confidence. overall the components are very good too. The suspension is highly adjustable for all types/styles of riding.
Weaknesses: the irc mythos tyre have very poor grip and get pinch punctures. The wheels are weak too, i had my back wheel tweeked 3 times before getting rid of the wheels alll together. I managed to break shear one of the suspension bolts, but since having it replaced I've had no problems.
Bottom Line:
buy this bike and ride it untill the wheels fall apart then upgrade, i plan too fit riser bars to mine as upgrading to slightly heavier wheels has made the bike a bit harder to lift on the front end, however the over all ride has improved 200%
Bike Setup: standard apart from mavic 219 freeride wheels and a specialised enduro back tyre.
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Submitted by
John Karvelas
a Weekend Warrior
from Roebuck,SC, USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2002
Strengths: Bob free suspension, when working. The BB pivots failed after 1 year.
Weaknesses: broken rear BB Pivot, on mine and my wife's. The local Dealer stopped selling Schwinns and parts. The next avaliable dealer is 200 miles away.
Bottom Line:
Went to Lowes Home Improvement Center and purcahsed a 3.5 inch long x 5/16 diameter stainless steel bolt, locking nut and washers. ($5.00 cost) Pulled out the broken axle and slid the new bolt in. Works great!!!! I have heard a 61808 Sealed Ball Bearing will replace the factory ones too.
Similar Products Used: Schwinns all my life including an Orange Crate in grade school. Schwinns Criss Cross and Cross Cut Hybrids have carried my wife and I all over the South East.
Bike Setup: Factory standard, raised the handle bar up 3 inches.
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Submitted by
Gary
a Cross Country Rider
from SF, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2002
Strengths: Weight, XTR rear deralieur, LX cranks are decent, excellent suspension setup - rear shock easy to adjust on the fly.
Weaknesses: Tires suck!!!!!!! Rear brakes don't do much of anything.
Bottom Line:
I fell in love with the bike first time I saw it. I didn't do enough research before buying it, but I think I lucked out - the bike is everything I was hoping for. I haven't had the problems with the pivots that others are talking about, but I think that's probably because mine was made later in the year. The brakes kinda suck, but they're easy to replace and I wasn't expecting a perfect setup. Overall the bike is awesome. I'm not sure I got the best price, but that's alright; you win some and you loose some.
Strengths: I work at a shop at got the frame for cheap. I love the ride, it is fast and light
Weaknesses: none really. The bb pivot that attaches to chain was recalled and I replaced before I built it up.
Bottom Line:
This bike is awesome, The suspension is actually very nice and smooth, climbs very sweet, light xc bike. If you love xc and want a fast light active bike, buy a schwinn rocket 88.
Similar Products Used: Have a homegrown 4 banger, 2000 homegrown xc, moab elite cromo frame,
Bike Setup: King headset, sid f & r, mavic wheelset,xt brakes levers shifters cass, xtr rd, lx hollowtech cranks, titec stem seat riserbar, fizik saddle, tioga xc tires, richey pedals, yeti grips.
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Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Ont.
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2001
Strengths: Good lite fram suspension (sid xc forks and sid dual air rear) Good climer and acceleration
Weaknesses: BB pivit mavic 221 rims deore brakes are a little weak
Bottom Line:
The bike is great when it works but it has been in the shop more than i have had it . But when you get all the problems worked out it is an awsome bike it is lite, fast ,good accerator,good climber. The main problem was the BB pivit ,I sent the bike back to schwinn and they fixed it sent it back with no problems
Submitted by
pete
a Cross Country Rider
from cleveland, oh, usa
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2001
Strengths: light, strong frame. good front shock(psylo xc). floats up climbs. sure-footed on descents, mostly due to 125mm of travel on the front.
Weaknesses: bottom pivot problems did not appear, as they did for other people. However, an annoying squeak has manifested itself in this area - i think that schwinn needs to make a boot of some type for the bottom pivot as dirt keeps getting in there.
Bottom Line:
$1900 for this bike is a little steep. however, what you do get is a tightly engineered bike, no extra weight at all. rear pivot is somewhat high maintenance, though the pivot is probably 50% lighter than that on comparable frames. an excellent entry to the field of higher-end xc bikes.
Bike Setup: Magura HS33, spinergy X spokes, psylo xc (rockshox), race face turbine, xt/xtr, monkey lite bars, ct2 seatpost
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Submitted by
Joe Bean
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver Colorado USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Strengths: Good looking bike. Good componets. Seems to be well built and solid....can take a lot of abuse
Weaknesses: Brakes are a little weak
Bottom Line:
This bike is a blast to ride. I can climb better than anything else I tried with no bobbing. The factory suspension is great for my awesome 120 lb 14 y/o body. I haven't really found too many flaws in the basic design yet. ...so I can say THE BIKE ROCKS !! I guess time will tell, but for now I am having a great time tearing up the country side with this thing. L8R. Good luck, I hope this helped.
Submitted by
dave smith
a Cross Country Rider
from mammoth, california
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2001
Strengths: none (especially not the BB pivot)
Weaknesses: BB pivot sux - every 2 weeks for the last 6 months this bike has been in the shop for work. It takes the fun OUT of riding. There has always been too much play in the rear suspension.
Bottom Line:
Do not buy this, even if you get a great deal ( i did but i wish i had paid retail on something that works).
It seems like the Santa Cruz Superlight or Giant NRS are the way to go.
