Weaknesses: Seat, Clear Plastic Chain Guard, Chrome Logo, Tires, Hand Grips, Heavy
Bottom Line:
2009 Frontier. I wanted a bike that was low profile (I feel safer with this brand when locking up the bike somewhere), a great price ($200-$300), good for road and dirt (hybrid), and looked cool enough (paint scheme) - all without sacrificing quality.
The Frontier meets all of these needs, and doesn't feel cheap. This is my first non-department store bike, and I haven't ridden in years. It's the perfect bike for breaking yourself in. Rides smoothly and the SRAM shifers and ProMax breaks work fantastically. Comes with other quality components from Shimano, Formula, Kalin, and Weinmann. The frame is solid, and has thick confidence inspiring welds. The great build makes for a tight ride. The 2009 year model also comes with front suspension, so it makes the bike even more of a bargain. My first suspension bike!
The seat does leave you a little saddle soar, but it looks sporty and is of good quality. The chain guard looks cheap and plasticy, and luckily was easily removed to expose the sportier looking black crank. The big chrome logo on the front of the bike looks a little hokey- wish they just used a flat sticker and a less dated design. The ATB tires do the job on the road, but thorns go right through them. The hand grips start to slide off over time - easy to slide back into place - but annoying. It's a steel frame bike, so it's a bit heavy, but not overly so.
Overall gets top marks for the price. The gripes are minor for the value you are receiving.
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Minneapolis, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2006
Strengths: Stiff stucture, decent brakes, comfortable on road, excellant off road ability, bulletproof reliability
Weaknesses: began to fall apart after five years of incredibly hard use, new schwinn replacement seats wouldn't fit mine (a 2000) shifts can be a little slow
Bottom Line:
great value, reliable wether you care for it or not, great off-roader for the money, if you don't want to drop big money on a full suspension bike this is a great beater. fell off the roof of my car at 70mph without missing a day on the trail. spent exactly zero dollars on maintenance in five years of abuse and suicidal trail riding.
Submitted by
Roger
a Weekend Warrior
from Wellington, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2004
Strengths: Excellent frame and components. Great commuter bike.
Weaknesses: Tires
Bottom Line:
After looking at a lot of bikes that were similar but were way out of my price range, i.e., Burley, Specialized and Breezer, I selected this and built it up the way that I wanted. I now have a commuter bike that I feel is worth every bit of what the others have to offer at 1/3 the price.
Bike Setup: Set up for commuting. Planet bike fenders and taillight; Delta rear rack; Cat Eye Headlight; Bike Nashbar mountain panniers and a pedestrian bell.
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