Submitted by
Luv to ride
a Weekend Warrior
from Indianapolis, In, USA Date Reviewed: July 13, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Anything with downhill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Craigslist
Strengths:
Great value, good components, full suspension with 5" travel for 1/2 price of other bikes on the market
Weaknesses:
Slightly heavy
Similar Products Used:
K2 Zed, Cannondale M500
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
I have ridden this bike for a few weeks now. I got a great deal on Craigslist and have not been disappointed. The suspension has plenty of travel and I have been riding trails with much more confidence. The disc brakes work great compared to my old pad brakes. For someone who wants to get a full suspension set-up under $1000 it's the way to go!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mtbr
a Weekend Warrior
from Sarasota, FL, USA Date Reviewed: November 16, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Moonscape @ Alafia River
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$620.00
Purchased At:
HarborCountryBike@eB
Strengths:
Sram drivetrain is an excellent system, shifters are crisp and fast, great rims, tough bike for the $$.
Great bike for the price. Good starter, tires wear down a little too quickly,@ 800 miles. If you can find it for $600, buy it! Not a great race bike, too heavy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SaltCityRocker
a Racer
from SLC, Ut Date Reviewed: June 9, 2008
Favorite Trail:
The Bobsled
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$735.00
Purchased At:
harborcountrybike.co
Strengths:
I own the 2006 Rocket Comp, it is a solid piece of equipment. I was lucky to get hooked up with sram components, WTB wheels and hayes mechanical disc brakes.
Weaknesses:
I wish my brakes were hydralic
Similar Products Used:
Iron Horse warrior, schwinn mesa hardtail
Bottom Line:
I have riden this bike to the best of my ability and this bike performs every time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlton, MA Date Reviewed: November 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Rutland Prison Camps
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Craigs list
Strengths:
I am a roadie just getting into mt biking so I was looking for a FS that I could learn on. I went with this based on the great deal I got and other riders reviews. So far it works like a charm. I am 6' 2" at 195 lbs. riding the XL frame.
Weaknesses:
None so far as I am the biggest weakness at this point :-).
Similar Products Used:
Old univega no suspension.
Bike Setup:
Stock setup except Specialized BG grips.
Bottom Line:
So far I love it. The previous owner gave me a great deal so even if I have some problems with the bike I won't be complaining. I am doing this to stay in shape for the off season. I hate riding inside on a trainer.I just started road racing this past summer on my Jamis Zenith Pro.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Provo, UT, USA Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$380.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Fox Vanilla rear shock, Disc brakes, Great frame, great components
Weaknesses:
a little on the heavy side (around 34 lbs for a large 19" frame), but not outrageous for this type of bike.
Similar Products Used:
Giant Warp DS2, Schwinn Mesa, Giant AC 1
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
When I went from an old GT to my Schwinn Mesa hardtail back in 2001, I knew I had upgraded drastically. After enjoying the Mesa for about 3 years, I looked into upgrading again, this time to a full suspension. I was very disappointed to learn Schwinn had become a Walmart brand. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Schwinn still offered some great bikes. This is one of those great bikes, at a steal of a price, slightly used off Ebay!
After getting it all set up, I headed to a nearby trail. What a joy to ride. Nearly no pedal bob! But, a great, smooth ride over bumps and rocks. The weight may be an issue when I try to go on longer rides, but it is comparable to my Warp anyway. Disc brakes work great, and the fork isn't as soft as others have mentioned, perhaps due to my skinny 155 pound body
Others have complained about the color and the frame design, but I have no complaints about either. The red color isn't as bright as I expected, and I personally think the frame is pretty sweet. Too bad it appears that Schwinn has gone back to making lower end bikes, as the 2005 and 2006 Rocket models (Comp or better) are some rock solid, fantastic bikes.
BUY THIS BIKE! It really is a great bike, at a fantastic value!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
AJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Burke, VA Date Reviewed: August 15, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Fox Vanilla on the 2005 model. Quality components all around for a bike at this price level. Sophisticated suspension with real sealed ball bearings instead of the bushings typically used. Decent fork. Lots of travel. Monster climber.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy. One of the main suspension bolts broke, but easily repaired.
Similar Products Used:
Specialised FSR (my regular bike) and other full suspension
Bike Setup:
Stock. NOTE: The components on the 2005 model are superior to the 2006 and later models. You almost need to go to the Pro version of the later models to be comparable.
Bottom Line:
I bought this for my son and would personally be happy with it in place of my Specialized FSR, which was 3 times the price!! This little Schwinn is agile, soaks up the bumps about as well as the Specialized, and is an excellent hill climber. It really does well when you're climbing and hit roots, rocks, washboards, and loose terrain. Something about the rear suspension really lets this bike dig in compared to other bikes I have ridden. This Schwinn gets you nothing in snob appeal, people won't even look past the name on the down tube, but they don't know what they are missing with this bargain!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cliff
a Weekend Warrior
from Provo, Ut, 84057 Date Reviewed: February 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Mesa Plateau
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
eBay !
Strengths:
I love the suspension and the unique frame design! The Hayes mechanical brakes rock!
Weaknesses:
A bit on the heavy side...other than that I have not experienced any other problems. I am not a heavy rider only 130 lbs and I treat my bikes with much care and never take any drops bigger than five feet- mostly XC and a little DH.
Similar Products Used:
Diamondback XSL -good value! Raleigh 1.0 - Not a good value. K2 Razorback Team - Excellent bike! Ross Zemopi Team - a bit out dated.
Bike Setup:
Deore in the rear, Acera in the front, Hayes mechanical, Axel 120mm in the front, Fox Vanilla in the rear, Schwinn rocket comp 7005 with 120mm of travel.
Bottom Line:
The value is this bike's greatest strength! Extremely fun for downhill and almost just as fun for Cross Country. Much better value than all the other bikes I listed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jordan U
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange,Ca,USA Date Reviewed: December 4, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Fullerton Loop
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$613.00
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
rear shock,crank set,and it has disc brakes
Weaknesses:
stock wheelset,I had the bike for 3 months and I cracked the left side of the swing arm. All I did was hold the front brake to lift the back of the bike up 1 foot when I came back down it just snapped the swingarm and I only weigh 125 pounds. Plus its kind of heavy at 36 pounds
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Truevativ hollzfeller 710mm 31.8 handlebar, race face evolve dh stem, marzocci dirt jump 3, and stock components
Bottom Line:
I liked the bike until I broke it:)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Flemington NJ USA Date Reviewed: October 19, 2006
Favorite Trail:
High Point Z
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Fox Vanilla rear comes stock, a nice touch. Brakes arent bad. Frame seems pretty strong.
Weaknesses:
Rotors on my brakes weren't true, the front shock isnt so great, should be ok for a beginner though. Not a downhill bike. YOu could make it one with more $$ and time. Shifters arent so great. will upgrade very soon.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Jekyll 200, Trek Liquid Fuel 30
Bike Setup:
bone stock
Bottom Line:
A good buy, dont pay over 600 for it. I think its a great frame to work with if you're just getting into the sport. new fork a must! rims and tyres maybe, personal preference. They really arent that amazing. The frame is kind of ugly, but it functions nicely. The Iso- drive helps eliminate a little bob uphills, unfortunately not enough for me. Good value for a noob.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a
from Gig Harbor, WA Date Reviewed: September 20, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$480.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
frame, decent components, price, doesnt look like everything else out there
Weaknesses:
front suspension, paint job, pedals, difficult to find e-type front derailleur
Similar Products Used:
gt xcr 5000
Bike Setup:
in progress - shimano xtr fd, sram x-9 shifters, sram x-9 rd, avid bb7 disc brakes, shimano clip in pedals, new suspension all around (still undecided), truvativ stylo 3.3 crankset, truvativ flat team handlebar, truvativ team stem, cane creek headset
Bottom Line:
this bike is as good as you will find for this price, believe me, i looked everywhere. if you want to keep it stock, it rides well enough as long as you adjust the suspension accordingly. i am a bigger guy (214 lbs.) so the front suspension just was not cutting it. i am an upgrade freak though, so i decided if i was going to go in headfirst, i was going all the way. i am reaplcing almost everything to make the bike my own. the good part is that most of these components are decent enough to offset the cost of new ones if you sell them on ebay. the frame is a great design in my opinion. even with super soft front, i get little bob when climing hills (just adjust that real vanilla shock first). this is a good bike for people not willing to spend the big $$ on a specialized or a cannondale. time will tell how the frame holds up, but the welds look very solid to me. the paint is a little corny with cheap looking logos. i am going to strip the paint and put a snow cammo custom paint job on it. for someone looking to get into a bike that can do it all trail, all mountain, dh (okay, maybe not), and street... this bike is a good value. always check ebay first.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Todd H
a Weekend Warrior
from I-town, NY, Tioga Date Reviewed: September 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Shindagin Hollow trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$480.00
Purchased At:
ebay new from a liquidator
Strengths:
Nice upright geometry. No bob for the price really good components, love the welgo pedals! Rear shock pretty nice and hayes mechanical disc breaks work well.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy at 34 lbs on my scale. Painful stock seat, crank is not going to last long. Fork is not so hot, the axel by manitou is so soft I am afraid I will end up over the handle bars! But if you look at the price I paid over all that's no problem. Cheezy look with the bright red paint. I never thought I'd ride a schwinn lol....
Similar Products Used:
My first xc bike was a 21" Specialized fsr xc comp. Nice bike but too tall, several crashes lead to broken collar bone, karma lead me to sell it on ebay. My next bike was pretty sick for the price, it was a Marin Rock springs. Great bike I traded it out for a WW kayak. Then I got to missing the XC shreading again so back to good ol ebay for this very comperable bike.
Bike Setup:
Hayes mech disc, ovation crank, axel fork for now, fox float coil oil rear shock. Pretty much stock for now.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price, although I would not pay more than $700 for it. (I paid $479 new) We will see how it lasts. For now it seems great, I have been in the woods with it several times mostly in very muddy conditions. Rides well on up and down hill xc. Get's funny looks from other riders, many agree it's kinda ugly. The fact is I would not pass up the deal I got and I am on ebay looking for component upgrades every evening lol.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a
from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
um, the dirt pile in my backyard.
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
demoed at performance
Strengths:
Well it is rather awesome that you get a Fox Vanilla rear shock. the shifters are very well designed. Also, i have demoed horrendous Hayes mx2 brakes but these are flawless.
Weaknesses:
The fork is too slow in rebound. very spongy feel rewsulting. looks odd
Similar Products Used:
several annihalated bikes used by my neighbor, i own a gary fisher advance
Bike Setup:
bone stock
Bottom Line:
this is an outstanding bike. it has such value in the rear shock that i dont mind that it looks like an animal carcass. the fork is so Wierd! i used to ride 75mm and switching to a 120mm sponge is bad. very bad. i was hammering it off curbs and doing wheelies, but it held up quite well.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yuval Naveh
a Weekend Warrior
from OIesh, Israel Date Reviewed: November 25, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$820.00
Strengths:
Excellent value - a lot of good components for such a price Very good breaks
Weaknesses:
Front suspension is something that I'll replace for sure - way too soft, but I didn't expect high end components all over for that price, so I prefer the front suspension being low end rather than the breaks which are IMO excellent
A bit heavy - but I don't mind, so am I ;)
Bike Setup:
Replaced the standard pedals with Red Wellgo MG 1 Magnesium Pedals - very happy about this
Bottom Line:
I like them and happy about the buy - It was not easy to find bikes for people with my height (196cm), and this one fits prefectly. The chasis is really high (21.5'). I already rode the bikes in bad surface conditions (Mud, Deep type ;)) and the behaved perfectly. Rear suspension is cool - no bobbing for me.
In one simple line: Excellent value!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse Futrell
a Weekend Warrior
from Sierra Vista Date Reviewed: October 18, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$819.00
Purchased At:
San Antonio, Texas
Bottom Line:
Starter full suspension bike that is well worth the price. The suspension is low end but serves its purpose. I use it in the rocky singletrack of Arizona and it works wonders. The components work wonderful and the disc brakes are superb. It was the best full suspension out there that I could find that was sub $900. Great bike that I thrash on the trail and it hasn't failed me yet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$ 820.00
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
