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Submitted by
adizzle29er
a Downhiller
from Palm Harbor, FL
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Pinellas Trail Hammock | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Freecycle | | Strengths: | Strong frame, good geometry, great starter bike! | | Weaknesses: | Components, seat, wheels/hubs really | | Similar Products Used: | GF Rig 29, Nishiki SS, Trek 4500 | | Bike Setup: | Completely stock except bar ends | | Bottom Line: | Bike is quality made with good rider geometry. The parts are lower end Shimano but if you keep the bike clean and the parts lbed it will last. I weigh over 200lbs and I pound this bad girl and she likes it. I wouldn't go blasting on any huge drops or downhill race it, but I ride it for 20-25 mile juants weekly and she cruises on the paved trail. Bottom line I would pay around a 100 for this all day, much nicer than much more expensive bikes out there. If there is one around Buy It! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug Valencia
a Racer
from Corona, california
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Roys Cyclery | | Strengths: | The bike lasted a long time. It's a 1995 Schwinn frontier GS. It does good for a bike with no suspension. | | Weaknesses: | Pedals(they are plastic) | | Bike Setup: | 26" alex rims(alloy)
21 speed shimano sram gripshift
Altus rear gear changer
Ride tuned cro-moly frame with a steel fork | | Bottom Line: | The bike is a good bike if you dont mind buying a new set of pedals. Ive raced and its great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
P-T
a Weekend Warrior
from Wildwood, IL USA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | the roads and trails and parking lots around my house | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Zion Schwinn Cyclery | | Strengths: | Tough as nails great for neighborhood riding, can outrun mom and dad w/ it | | Weaknesses: | a tad bit heavy for my tastes, and its got no suspension | | Similar Products Used: | BMX bikes | | Bike Setup: | stock except for XS pedals off another schwinn BMX bike i put them on because they were laying around and they werent plastic because the plastic ones were slippery when they got wet | | Bottom Line: | GREAT first bike for a kid REALLY tough takes a lot of abuse, its fast ( to me ). geometry is good brakes great you can jump w/ it if your a younger rider looking for a good tough bike that can be ridden around the nieghborhood this bike is a gret choice | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke Skywalker
a Weekend Warrior
from DA EAST COAST
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | My back yarD | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$238.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Path | | Strengths: | Strong Frame that can take a beating, pretty nimble on climps and zippy downhill. Good Starter Mountain bike. Decent geometry for jumping | | Weaknesses: | Weak rims, bad drive train, crappy pedels. | | Similar Products Used: | GT, Trek, Mongoose and Various BMX's | | Bike Setup: | 00 Fronteir, Upgraded Drive Train, Bmx Pedels, new grips | | Bottom Line: | Good for jumps and takes a beating, it has stood up for 2 years and it is still in decent condition. Soon to be replaced by a Kona Stinky Dee-Lux!!!!!!
Overall: Needs some upgrades to be a decent rigid but frame is unbeilevibily strong, CHEAP! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Penny
a Cross Country Rider
from Overland Park, KS
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Berryman - Missouri Ozarks | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Rack, Overland Park KS | | Strengths: | Frame is rock solid, have subjected it to more
punishment than originally designed for, but it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. | | Weaknesses: | A tad heavy, rigid. | | Similar Products Used: | Other mountain bikes. | | Bike Setup: | Several. Original parts were low end and as they got damaged I repaired or replaced them. I've worked over this bike several times and fixed it up as a "road" bike with slick tires and also set it up as a single speed. | | Bottom Line: | An excelent bike. The frame will take the punishment of
trails, but the parts it starts out with may not.
You will probably out grow this bike as your riding skills and experience increase, but its a keeper as a spare bike, or a bike to "play around" with.
I always consider the frame to "be" the bike. Parts always wear out and are upgraded but the life of the frame is the life of the bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Chelmsford,MA,USA
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Roads and local farm trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Strengths: | Excellent Shifting,
Impressive ride for a ridgid,
Excellent on-road performance,
good control on Downhills,
Easy recovery | | Weaknesses: | '98 model stock tires are pathetic in sand (may have been improved apon)
Frame is somewhat heavy for a hardtail | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 800 sport- '98 model | | Bike Setup: | '98 stock - no V-brakes
- trigger shifters
- straight handlebars
- 21-speed | | Bottom Line: | Christmas of '97 I recieved 2 mountain bikes: a Schwinn Frontier and a Trek 800 sport. 2 competing bikes that were different in every possible way. Schwinn - trigger shifters. Trek - gripshifts. Schwinn - heavy frame. Trek - Light frame. Schwinn - excellent shifting. Trek - Poor shifting. That being my first experiance with multi-speed bikes, I quickly fell in love with the Schwinn and took it on a 220 mile bike trip in August of '98. Riding with over 20 other people, I had a lot to compare my bike to. The excellent shifting was soon envied on the hilly road of coastal Maine, and excellent on-road capabilities had me ahead of many road bikes and hybrids. After the trip I was eager to experiment off road. A local farm loaded with the hills, rocks, and roots New England is famous for was more than adaquate (excuse spelling). The frotier proved to have an excellent ride and was easy to recover from my many fumbles. Although I plan to upgrade to a full suspension soon, I have seen new Frontiers in stores and and believe that it represents the ultimate entry level mountain bike on the market. The frontier is may not be the best off roader, but like most SUVs today, it is really the excellent on-road performance that people want from a bike like this, and as always Schwinn quality has shown through in the long haul.
P.S. I recently completed a 200 mile trip that included some heavy off-roading, beating out 4 full suspensions with no parts needing replacement. 500 miles without a single problem speaks for itself. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Isaac C.
a Cross Country Rider
from Batavia, IL US
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Fox river trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | $200.00 | | Strengths: | GOOD QUALITY! | | Weaknesses: | Rim weakness, rigidness, gears. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bottom Line: | This bike is great if you ride to school or work on bike trails, and it is relatively fast. HOWEVER, my front rim bent just because I replaced a flat tire. Also, riding over 2-inch bumps jars you all over. It's pretty good quality taking on challenges like running into fire hydrants, and other bikes without major problems. Another problem is the gears. THEY ARE HORRIBLE! My derailler has always given me trouble, even after a full tune and fix up of the bike. My chain has been gradually ground away by the rear derailler, and the chain constantly slips. I can't count the times I have slipped off and hit my crouch on the crossbar. THIS IS NOT A BIKE FOR OFF-ROADERS! And that is the bottom line. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Tulsa, OK
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Lee's Bikes | | Strengths: | Excellent bike for the weekender/beginner biker. Schwinn has a wonderful dealer support and the bike does exactly what they designed it for. I use this bike now as a commuter and for gravel paths. Good shifting and decent brakes. I wouldn't buy this bike if you're going to do all off-road but if a commuter/weekend-trailrider is what you want, this should def. be considered. | | Weaknesses: | People who find a weakness tend to ride outside of the bikes designed parameters, but I've thrown just about everything at it and it still does fine. On steep trails, the chain does tend to slip off every once in awhile and the bike is notorious for getting leaves in between the brake and wheel...annoying to have to stop and clean it out so you dont sound like a freakin' harley going down a hill. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona, Trek, Specialized Rockhopper. (The Kona's and Trek were much more expensive and performance thus reflected). The Kona is my hard-core that I upgraded to...the Schwinn is my relaxed bike which I won't get rid of. | | Bike Setup: | Completely stock except for one big gel seat and a shimano cpu. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent first bike for those just getting into the sport or for those wanting something better than the Wal-Mart fall apart brands. Not a downhill racer, but a great value for the money...especially those of us who are poor college students who like to ride hard and who can't afford much. Use it as a commuter or a trail bike and you'll love it. Use it to race or to try to do things that guys with the thousand-plus dollar bikes do and you'll be disappointed.
Cheers!
joe | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$219.00 | | Purchased At: | Granada Cyclery | | Strengths: | I like the low cost and good name on the Schwinn Frontier. The bike feels really solid and shifts, and brakes well. I use the bike mostly on the road and on packed trails where it does well. I bought the special edition which came with upgraded shifter, tires, and seat for less money, what a deal! | | Weaknesses: | I have not found any yet. I don't ride really hard so I don't think that I could tear it up too bad. | | Similar Products Used: | None, first bike. | | Bike Setup: | All stock compnents. | | Bottom Line: | I would recomend this bike to anyone who plans on riding on the street and on easy trails. College students who don't want to blow alot of dough, but still want a good bike around campus would love the Frontier. This bike comes with a good warrenty and, depending on the dealer you buy it from, may come with service deals as well.
I don't think that this bike would be suited for extreme mountain trails but then agian that's not what it is designed for. You can't beat the quality you get for the price...$100 less and you would be riding a Huffy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jim popowich
a Cross Country Rider
from winnipeg, mb, canada
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | usally roads | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$259.00 | | Purchased At: | alter ego sports | | Strengths: | Great road bike, ideal for us commuters who ride to work and home daily. Excellent shifting, solid frame and provides a good ride. When riding in vehicle traffic this bike makes you feel comfortable with the 2" higher handle bars and the weight of the bike is ideal for commuters since I don't feel the lighter bike hold up in this area. | | Weaknesses: | None so far except you must make sure to oil the gears even after a little rain or water. They seem to make a clicking noise so I always carry teflon oil to remedy this. | | Bike Setup: | Bike was set up perfectly by the bike shop guys. Alter ego sports provided excellent set up and no fine tuning has been needed since. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent value for the price. Great bike for serious street work especially in areas where the roads are horrible and traffic is disgusting. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a
from Melrose Ma
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Strong, cheap ($230), excellant entry level bike | | Weaknesses: | a little heavy, for not too much more you can get a better bike | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | All stock | | Bottom Line: | The bike is very good. It is heavy, but is still relativly fast. It is good on most road surfaces, but the Front shock version would probably be better on excessivly bumpy trails. As I plan on mostly paved and dirt road travel, this is not a problem. The bike suits my needs perfectly, but for about $100 or so more, the Mesa would be lighter by a significant amount, but as the frame is aluminum, it maybe less durable. This bike should stand to most punishment within tolerable limits, but is not for serious off-roading. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Chambers
a
from Gorham, Maine USA
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | USM Race Trail & Sunday River | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Fat Tires, brakes (until they brake!) | | Weaknesses: | Weight, shifters, weak rims, seat, bars, tubes, weak brake pads | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rockhopper, Voodoo, KHS, Fuji Nevaada | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Avenier bar ends, rims, tires, self-sealing tubes, bike computer, brake pads, cages and pump, blackburn seat pack, rear quick release | | Bottom Line: | This bike has been ridden hard by me. It's been beat on 5 mile trails down hill, taken over 5 feet of air, and up 80 degree vertical rises. It's not exactly made for this, but it takes a beating a keeps on ticking, literally. Its now making so many sounds. I bent the first set of stock rims the second time out. The brakes went out of alignment after only 200 miles. The crank basically bent, and the cables all around stretched out pre-maturally. The weight of the bike also makes it hard to bunny hop over logs and stumps, or carrying it after bending the rims beyond repair. I also put a set of Specialized slicks on the rims to ride a 200 mile road race, and the bike was amazing, when not taking a hit from trails or rough terrain.
I would recommend this bike for those who enjoy road riding but like the looks of a MTB. After 2 years of putting up with this Rigid bike, i'm going to a KHS Hardtail with good Judy's in the front. Other than gravel roads, keep this bike off the real trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Corey Moley
a Cross Country Rider
from San Fran
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | moab | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | lasts for along time
GOOD FIRST BIKE
| | Weaknesses: | The gripshifters | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 820 | | Bottom Line: | Great first bike to get into riding | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a
from Hutchinson, KS, USA
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | An excellent entry-level mountain bike for the money. It was purchased for my son. | | Weaknesses: | Not for serious off-road thrashing. Around here, though, about the roughest thing it will be seeing is a dirt road. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Hardrock GX | | Bottom Line: | My son loves this bike as much as I used to love my old, purple Sting-Ray when I was his age. For bike trails, country roads, or toolin' around town, I highly recommend the Frontier for kids moving up from BMX bikes or lower-priced, discount store bikes with lesser components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson AZ
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Cheap. $199.00 on sale. | | Weaknesses: | Shifters aren’t real quick and precise. They get you in the right gear, eventually! | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 820 Sport | | Bike Setup: | Stock, except for big fat, gel filled extra wide saddle. | | Bottom Line: | It gets the job done.
Took it on numerous short dirt rides, and one 9 mile ride over endless sand, rock and cactus. Took it out to see if I could break it under typical weekend warrior use. Held up well. Has not broken anything nor has anything gone out of alignment. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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