[ConchoBill]

It's a very nice place to ride. If they are well set up, these bikes are better than what a lot of people say.

Cheers!

 

[lorsban]

You're right. Schwinn doesn't set out to sell bikes that will fail and they have no control over how their bikes are assembled for retail.

If Walmart has untrained staff to put the bike together and it's not done right then blame Walmart, not Schwinn. Most likely, the same guys building the bikes are also the one's making the cribs, tents, furniture lol.

 

[Mace27.5]

It's been a while since anyone replied to this thread, but I feel I have to put my 2 cents worth in on the Schwinn "Wal mart junk or real bike" controversy. In my town there is a local bike shop that proudly sells the Schwinn "Signature" line of bikes. The Signature line are their serious bikes that sell at $500 to $1000. I own one of those bikes. It is a 2014 Rocket 2 27.5" Hardtail. It has a double butted frame with a tapered headtube. The components are the same as or better than what you find on bikes the same price or even higher priced. The Signature line of Schwinn bikes are every bit as good as anything that the popular name guys like Specialized, Trek, etc put out at that price range.

 

[2wTrekr]

Schwinn Tourist hybrid = Schwinn Phocus/Volare?

I have a Schwinn Tourist hybrid which I bought used. discontinued @ 2010 I think,
it was a halfway decent offering for a big-box store (Target): aluminum frame, altus derailleur, Shimano trigger shifters, paddle bar grips, SR Suntour crankset (cheap but nice).

It has a 700c wheelset with 28mm road tires.
The stock fork was steel and badly bent/unusable when I got it---
don't know if it happened in transit or during use, but I'm guessing it's from use. It's like both blades are bent in the same direction.
I wonder if the steerer tube is somehow rotated (some forks have a modular/attached steerer tube), causing the 'rake' to make the fork appear 'bent.' I'll have to investigate furthur. I swapped for an aluminum fork (still might try to fix the stock one. I have also been offered a replacement fork for purchase, by Pacific).

I believe the bike was either 're-badged' as the Schwinn Phocus (3 model levels), or
the Phocus is very similar (hopefully improved and not cheapened).
I believe the Phocus and Volare are currently still available.

 

[dddd]

Some of the Schwinns are hybrids that can be converted with road drop bars or can be made more like an mtb using wider "29er" tires.

I found this 2008 Schwinn Broadway at goodwill for $40 in neglected condition, so decided to make it more of an off-roading bike since it had a suspension fork that was super-easy to rebuild.
Adding the rubber gaiters/boots to the fork legs while I had it apart keeps the exposed grease on the fork tubes from attraction dirt and thus allowing the fork to become contaminated inside with the fork action becoming sticky again.
The original wiper seals on these X-mart forks don't do their job when it comes to keeping the grease in and keeping the dirt out!
I shortened all of the too-long old cabling, trimming off the bent housing ends and greasing the wires to restore smooth shifting and braking action. I also replaced the rusted chain with a new Shimano HG70 chain that has bulged side plates for more positive shifting under load.

The wider 29er tires fit right on, but make adjusting the brake pads rather tricky since the original rims are so narrow.

I changed the rack to a more compact style, and with the weight of the bag on it with an extra water bottle inside, this really helps off-road climbing traction.

So here is the before-to-after photos of what is a poor-man's 29er mtb: