Submitted by
SCOTT BARTLETT
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2009
Strengths: DURABLE LIGHT FAST AND QUIET
Weaknesses: DONT MAKE ANY MORE
Bottom Line:
I got it new in 1997 didnt know I should have gotten a heaver spring for my weight 190+.I got a A10 cane creek used about 5 years befor rebiuld was needed cane creek swaped it out for a new A12 for $100.00 sweet.i have to clean pivit once or twice a year the pin is still like new .glued the bushing back in a couple of times.I just got a 2001 Specialized FSR used good shape, not as good a ride peddals hit the ground in plases the s10 dosnt.Let my 2o yearold boy ride the Fsr 3/4 of an hour in the trails then swaped bikes he liked the s10 better allmost immediately.
Bike Setup: UP GRADES OVER THE YEARS SID CX(1999 ish)- XTR RAPID RISE - XT SHIFTERS - RACE FACE CRANK - XT BRAKES WITH HOSESHOE STIFFENER ON BACK
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Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashville, TN
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2008
Strengths: previous poster Jared - read below
Bottom Line:
Jared (who posted below) - I want to hear about how you and your brother designed a custom pivot setup for this bike. Tried contacting you directly but @gmail account failed. We are attempting to do the same thing with needle bearings to avoid the bushing issue altogether, so want to hear any/all details of your setup and how it's holding up. Reply back and let me know, Steve ps. I have a 97 homegrown factory FS and would echo all the comments on this very similar bike.
Submitted by
Jeremy Collins
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbus
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2008
Strengths: It is one of the lightest full suspension Cross Country bikes you will ever find. It climbs like a Mountain goat on steroids and decends very well too. It will turn heads where ever you go, propting people to comment and ask questions.
Weaknesses: If your not an experienced Mountain biker this bike is not for you.
Bottom Line:
This bike will Seriously ROCK, for all time!! I have raced and ridden this design exclusively for the last 10 years. I bought my S10 as a Replacement for my stolen S20. This bike is already about 10 Years old and it is much better than Any modern bikes by a long shot. The reason is the URT (Unified Rear Triangle) It is the absolute best Full Suspesion XC design ever created. Period! I dare anyone to find anything better. The closest thing is the Ibis Sasbo. The Trek Y bikes did come close but they put the pivot too low and you can't put disc brakes on eather of them. The Rocky Mountain Pipline was also good but it was billed as a All-Mountain bike and the pivot wasn't as big and strong as the Schwinn's was. I have ridden 2 S Carbons in my life the Gold S20 and my curent Red S10 Carbon and I wouldn't trade them for any of the new bikes that have come out in the last 10 years. I have developed a very deep sentamental relationship with my bikes and if you have ridden one you know just what I'm talking about.
Bike Setup: Easton CT2 Carbon handelbar, XTR M952 shifters, Seat: Selle Itala flight genuine gel, M952 XTR Bottom braket and Crank, FDerailer:M752 XT Top swing top pull, Rear Derailer: M952 XTR, Wheels:Mavic Cross Ride Disc, Brakes:Hayes HMX9, Rotors:Front Hope Gothic 8"(203mm) R:6"(160mm), Tires: F:Hutchinson Python R:Hutchinson Cyote, Pedals: Crank brothers Eggbetter Candys, XTR bar end shifter.
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Submitted by
mike stringer
a Cross Country Rider
from mississauga,ontario,canada
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2007
Strengths: awesome ride and response still on original rockshox deluxe dual dampening
Weaknesses: finding parts
Bottom Line:
had to give it a new look so i ground the bassboat blue off now it is raw aluminium but i have to find the original sticker kit or have some made gonna clearcoat it in glow in the dark clear
Similar Products Used: nothing i've ridden has this ride i'm 40 this was a factory riders bike originally from north bay ontario canada i bought the frame @ a bike show for 150 and it escalated from there
Bike Setup: broke most componentsso it goes as follows shimano/lx/deore/alivio/dx
Strengths: This Full Suspension bike is lite. Schwinn doesn't make 'em this good anymore. It's sturdy and a pleasure to ride. Since my brother replaced the swingarm pivot (which is no longer made/sold by Schwinn or elsewhere) with a custom bearing setup he designed, this bike is also going to last *forever* now. :-)
Weaknesses: There is a bit of "pogo'ing" when pedalling. It was really noticable when I first got the bike (mainly due to having a dead rear shock), but I don't really notice it anymore. It's inherent to this frame/swingarm design, which is no longer made, for that reason.
Bottom Line:
When dealing with a bike of this age (and perhaps this bike series (S10. S20, etc.) in particular), you will be told you *CANNOT* replace the rear shock. That a replacement simply does NOT exist By everyone. Every bike shop and shock dealer will tell you the same thing. This is what happened to me.
* D O N O T B E L I E V E T H E M ! ! ! * (I'll explain below)
My Rockshox Delux (rear shock) was shot. I was riding on just the spring with no oil left. You wanna talk about some serious pedal bob "pogo-stick" action. The bike was virtually unrideable! And everyone I went to, told me the same thing... just buy a new bike.
But EVERYTHING ELSE on the bike *WAS* replaceable! Including the swingarm pivot, if a family member (like my brother) happened to know how to design one. How could the rear shock be the ONLY part that wasn't?
So I looked online, at EVERY shock dealer/manufacturer I could find. All of them told me the same thing I was told by everyone else... buy a new bike. We don't make a shock for that bike. And after hours and days of searching, I finally came acoss a manufacturer that NO ONE told me about, yet *I* found. And it was one I'd heard of before, even in just passing.
CANE CREEK
THEY make a shock that fits the Schwinn S10. They make TWO shocks, actually. I opted for the "Cloud Nine" (their best), but they have another one that I don't recall at the moment, that also works. And, they will take your old shock in as a trade-in ($100-$150 value, if I recall correctly) towards one of theirs! Even if it's as dead as my RockShox was!
The bottom line is, the Schwinn S10 is an awesome, light aluminum bike. The swingarm CAN be replaced/upgrade, but only with custom parts (or *maybe* stock parts, if you can find 'em on eBay or someplace). The rear shock is also replacable ("Cloud Nine" by Cane Creek) and everything else is as well.
If you can get this bike and it's swingarm pivot is in good shape (or you know how to repace it, if not), GET IT! This bike is far better (and lighter) than any Schwinn made today, you can buy in a WalMart or elsewhere. The saying is: "They don't make 'em like they used to." This is 100% true!
Purchased At: Purchased (used) via "The Recycler" by my brother
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: Almost everything on this bike has been either upgraded or replaced, so the list is too long to mention.
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Submitted by
THONJOE TAN
a Cross Country Rider
from ILLINOIS
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2003
Strengths: NICE CARBON FRAME , VERY RADICAL DESIGN. NOT THE TYPICAL DIAMOND DESIGN . SWEET SPOT IS BEST IF YOU SIT ON THE BIKE GOING UPHILL AND NOT TO SIT ON THE BIKE GOING DOWNHILL.
Weaknesses: CHANGED THE STEM TO A 50 X 0 THOMSON ELITE. AND THE FORK TO A PSYLO SL 135mm. it beats the yeti asx.
Bottom Line:
BEST BIKE FOR A GOOD PRICE. I HOPE SOMEBODY WILL BRING BACK THIS KIND OF SET UP SUSPENSION IN THE FUTURE SINCE EVERYBODY IS COPYING THE FSR DESIGN 4 - BAR LINKAGE ON MOST DESIGNS NOWADAYS.
Submitted by
Rick Patterson
a Downhiller
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2002
Strengths: The bike is tough, and fast. You can x-country with it, or take it down the mountain.It jumps like a BMX bike, and is very predictable.
Weaknesses: On the really wixked down-hills the chain pops off quite a bit so I've shortend the chain and that seemed to help. Blew out the front Rock shox, but it gave me two good years. Also blew out the original rockshox rear shock.
Bottom Line:
The bike has been great. I keep two sets of wheels, one for x-country and another for DH. The new suspension set-up is TONS better than the stock suspension. Bike has always been a little "off" in the shifting department, but you get use to that.Even for a 98' it still performs just as well as many of my friends newer bikes, if not better.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z-1 Wedge, Fox RC rear shock,Sunrino lite wheels, front disc brake, standard rear brake,Tioga White Tiger 2.5 front tire, Tioga 2.3 rear
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Submitted by
Rockett Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa Fl
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
Strengths: No matter how fast you go or how hard the terrain it always seems to track right where you point it
Weaknesses: a little on the heavy side but working is part of riding and its pretty flat in Florida
Bottom Line:
have had it 4 or 5 years (can't remember off hand) and beat it up, replace worn out parts and it still rides great
Favorite Trail: Croom Trails (Withlacootchee State Forest)
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1260.00
Purchased At: Thrifty Schwinn
Similar Products Used: had a rigid Gary Fisher Marlin (entry level) only comparison is I rode them both in the woods
Bike Setup: added air springs to forks, titanium stem, and upgraded to 9 speed
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Arnold Nagy
a Weekend Warrior
from Solon, OH, USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000
Strengths: Looks (1999 model), Acceleration, Weight do to Carbon frame, Parts for that price.
Weaknesses: Seat is terrible, The break cabels are placed on the bottom where it gets all cloged up by mud, squiking sound at the sweetspot do to its Carbon hollow frame.
Bottom Line:
As i said, the bike is really good loking really light in weight and i am totally satisfied with its back and front shocks (Delux and Judy SL)however the break line always gets cloged up and that stupid squiking sound. I solve this problem by watering its sweet spot for 2 minutes under high pressure water. It works, at least till it doesnt dry out again. Oil or greese wont work so dont even try.
Submitted by
Bird
a Cross-Country Rider
from North Branch, MI
Date Reviewed: August 18, 1999
Strengths: Great looks, strong climber
Weaknesses: weight (fixable with light wheel sets)
Bottom Line:
I've been looking forward to getting a new schwinn for the past two years, and I have to say the new 99 carbons really impress me.The the rear suspension is decent (good for xc) and you can really pick up the speed when you get out of the saddle. I've taken out for a spin several times, feeling nothing but awe every time. Schwinn has really impressed me with their latest bikes, and I recommend this one for the races if you're looking for a good quality bike. Of course if you can afford a homegrown fourbanger all mtn, I think those are great too.
Similar Products Used: Trek VRX 300 Gary Fisher Joshua OZ FSR XC
Bike Setup: New Wheelsets (3rd time) ... SPOX Judy SL 80mm Stock Frame and Rear Shock XTR/XT/LX Drivetrain Combo Replaced saddle with WTB ti ( i feel better )
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Russssssss3
a Cross-Country Rider
from tampa
Date Reviewed: June 12, 1999
Strengths: tough frame,very tough good factory package looks cool
Weaknesses: weak wheels:( tires not trail worthy ouch seat
Bottom Line:
I bought my 21 '98 S-10 a year ago,I ride cross country and mosh pavement(stairs,curbs,drops etc.) my odo.reads 1250 miles, after thrashing the mavics that came with the bike, i ended up with sun mammoth rims and xtr hubs,weighty but worth it. The suspention set up is great for speed on and off road, and the shocks are readily adustable for either. I recently rode in an organized street ride and was able to keep up in a pack of high dollar roadsters (of cours ,i could only hold the point for a couple of minutes) Graet bike
Submitted by
Ray Kennedy
a Racer
from Queenstown, N.Z.
Date Reviewed: April 25, 1999
Strengths: Good components, all LX. Light weight no name brand bar. Mavic rims. Nice fitting cockpit with seat angle and head angle just right. Sweet Spot-perfect combination of hard tail/full suspension. Rear isn't active while pedalling so it's like a hard tail going uphill, with 99% power transfer. Price was good. NZD$2300
Weaknesses: Front shocks, this is where the money was saved making this bike.Rock Shox Judy T2's are crap.Too soft for the frame size, 19. All suspension movement occurs at the front during pedalling. Could be a little firmer and more balanced with the rear.Brakes, LX ughh. Complete bike is about 28.2lbs, a bit heavy for my cross country racing, but is losing weight steadily.Moab Leader XC and Moab Pro XC tires were disapointing. In a week both tires had torn sidewalls. Also the rear suspension pivot was assembled dry, and requires a little smear of Judy Butter to make the bike sing.
Bottom Line:
This bike can eat up the competition in XC racing, simply because of the extra traction in the rough. Energy conservation also figures, with comfortable in the saddle performance. Down hill the rear end is good under brakes, nice lock up. Actually performance is quite average going down. In the back country you will have a ball. At the end of the day when the hard tails have a sore arse, and the full actives are sick of boinging around, you'll have plenty of beans.
Similar Products Used: Various fully active and URT, cross country and free ride bikes.
Bike Setup: 19 frame RS Deluxe rear RS Judy T2 front LX shifters derailleurs crankset cassette IG51 chain hubs brakes Mavic 221 rims s/steel spokes brass spokes Scott pedals Kore Lite Stem kevlar reinforced saddle Avid 1.9 brakes
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
AJ
a weekend warrior
from Nova Scotia
Date Reviewed: December 9, 1998
Bottom Line:
Well I now have about 1500 KM on my S-10, and the verdict is in. The cable routing sucks, exposed cables catch all the mud and water thrown up from the front tire, eventally seizing the cable. Last weekend I had to go 16 KM with no rear brakes, takes some of the fun out of my favorite single track. The rear suspension is less than effective, it takes the edge off some of the larger bumps but still the fast decents are rough. The Judy XC long travel up front are great but made some noise when they were new. Tires, stick like glue. Had to replace the granny gear, center ring, rear derailer and derailer hanger, all after individual minor wipeouts, questionable quality there. The brake pads did not last long. My final opinion is that it is an OK bike but not a very good full suspension bike. The sweet spot design is ineffective making the bike more of a hardtail than a full suspension.
Submitted by
Gio
a cross-country rider
from Des Plaines, illinois
Date Reviewed: October 26, 1998
Bottom Line:
I got my 98 S-Carbon in June after a 6 month wait and two bikes shipped in the wrong frame size. Schwinn finally sent me a Homegrown carbon frame in place of the original black to green fade,(soooooo sweeeeeet!).Anyway, after swapping out the pedals and tires, Time ATACs and IRC Mythos, this bike truly rocks!The semi-active Sweet Spot isn't perfect but it works for a slow up and downhiller like me.The only negs are a very cheezy seat and seatpost, both of which have, or will be replaced.Any other S-Carbon owners should feel free to e-mail with their ideas or suggestions for upgrades, I'm a rider not a racer and I set my bikes up accordingly.Gio
