First ride review: Schwinn Sidewinder from Walmart 20.6 mile ride. - Page 13 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

01-06-2005, 11:15 AM

Gooserider wrote:
>
>
> Seriously, man, you need to relax. You're not taking your Wal-Schwinn off
> road for long---and my Ibex has 700x28 tires, which work just fine off road.
> It's my curb hopping commuter with fenders and a rack. Does your Schwinn
> have rack and fender mounts?

Yes it does. Has the eyelets right on the frame where i installed my
back rack yesterday. Thank you for playing. I also say out of my two 20
miles rides, 10 of them miles were offroad. No, I am not going to do 30
foot jumps on the bike or curb hop (there are no curbs within 10 miles
of my house) but I didn't buy the bike to do that.

> It must have weighed 40 pounds, the shifting was
> clunky, the brakes were fear inspiring,

Just got back from another 20 miler. My shifting is working perfectly
and the brakes are working great. Maybe he bought a clunker. I've heard
of people buying expensive road bikes only to have to return them the
next day because something didn't work right. My Mt Fury I bought was
one. It happens dude. Maybe if you spend 10 minutes on your friends bike
doing a simple adjustment for him, this wouldn't be a problem anymore.

And your 700x28c will be no match for the dirt & rock roads here. The
mud that is so often on the roads here will get your bike stuck or
wheels spinning. You'll need a 700x38c for the ones around here. Trust
me on this one. I've done it before.

And I look at this way, I still got 23 days to return my bike to Walmart
if it has a major failure. Just say you are happy with your bike and I
am happy with mine. ANd if I want to get a true road bike, I 'll
consider the Ibex. I'll give an honest report when I reach 100 miles
which will be early next week.

01-06-2005, 11:24 AM

Werehatrack wrote:
>
> $15 for a pair of slicks will take care of that. Your wrists and
> shoulders will thank you if you ride very far.

I'll be getting them real soon and compare the difference. I just wonder
how the slicks are going to perform on some of the muddy sandy non-paved
roads that are around here.

> Be aware that while the Schwinn's seat tends to have a better clamp
> that the ones used on many Roadmasters, these still tend not to grip
> well if undertightened. Carry a wrench for the through-bolt on the
> clamp for the first few rides, and check the tightness after the first
> ride even if it seems OK.

Thanks for the advice. I do carry a basic set of tools with me. I
checked the seat today in fact, still tight. Of course, I've adjusted
the seat manually after I bought it so I know I put it back on tight. >
>
> My rash prediction: it will do just fine.

For what I am going to use it for, I'm sure it will. I'm not planning on
jumping curbs or riding offroad in Moab, Utah or riding in a peloton
with roadies at 20mph. Considering I am on fixed income, I'll be okay on
the Schwinn. Thanks!

01-06-2005, 11:24 AM

Werehatrack wrote:
>
> $15 for a pair of slicks will take care of that. Your wrists and
> shoulders will thank you if you ride very far.

I'll be getting them real soon and compare the difference. I just wonder
how the slicks are going to perform on some of the muddy sandy non-paved
roads that are around here.

> Be aware that while the Schwinn's seat tends to have a better clamp
> that the ones used on many Roadmasters, these still tend not to grip
> well if undertightened. Carry a wrench for the through-bolt on the
> clamp for the first few rides, and check the tightness after the first
> ride even if it seems OK.

Thanks for the advice. I do carry a basic set of tools with me. I
checked the seat today in fact, still tight. Of course, I've adjusted
the seat manually after I bought it so I know I put it back on tight. >
>
> My rash prediction: it will do just fine.

For what I am going to use it for, I'm sure it will. I'm not planning on
jumping curbs or riding offroad in Moab, Utah or riding in a peloton
with roadies at 20mph. Considering I am on fixed income, I'll be okay on
the Schwinn. Thanks!

01-06-2005, 11:24 AM

Werehatrack wrote:
>
> $15 for a pair of slicks will take care of that. Your wrists and
> shoulders will thank you if you ride very far.

I'll be getting them real soon and compare the difference. I just wonder
how the slicks are going to perform on some of the muddy sandy non-paved
roads that are around here.

> Be aware that while the Schwinn's seat tends to have a better clamp
> that the ones used on many Roadmasters, these still tend not to grip
> well if undertightened. Carry a wrench for the through-bolt on the
> clamp for the first few rides, and check the tightness after the first
> ride even if it seems OK.

Thanks for the advice. I do carry a basic set of tools with me. I
checked the seat today in fact, still tight. Of course, I've adjusted
the seat manually after I bought it so I know I put it back on tight. >
>
> My rash prediction: it will do just fine.

For what I am going to use it for, I'm sure it will. I'm not planning on
jumping curbs or riding offroad in Moab, Utah or riding in a peloton
with roadies at 20mph. Considering I am on fixed income, I'll be okay on
the Schwinn. Thanks!

01-06-2005, 11:24 AM

Werehatrack wrote:
>
> $15 for a pair of slicks will take care of that. Your wrists and
> shoulders will thank you if you ride very far.

I'll be getting them real soon and compare the difference. I just wonder
how the slicks are going to perform on some of the muddy sandy non-paved
roads that are around here.

> Be aware that while the Schwinn's seat tends to have a better clamp
> that the ones used on many Roadmasters, these still tend not to grip
> well if undertightened. Carry a wrench for the through-bolt on the
> clamp for the first few rides, and check the tightness after the first
> ride even if it seems OK.

Thanks for the advice. I do carry a basic set of tools with me. I
checked the seat today in fact, still tight. Of course, I've adjusted
the seat manually after I bought it so I know I put it back on tight. >
>
> My rash prediction: it will do just fine.

For what I am going to use it for, I'm sure it will. I'm not planning on
jumping curbs or riding offroad in Moab, Utah or riding in a peloton
with roadies at 20mph. Considering I am on fixed income, I'll be okay on
the Schwinn. Thanks!

01-06-2005, 11:27 AM

Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

01-06-2005, 11:27 AM

Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

01-06-2005, 11:27 AM

Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

01-06-2005, 11:27 AM

Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

01-06-2005, 11:40 AM

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 14:27:28 -0500, GPSBlake wrote:

> Just curious, how much does an LBS charge to fix a flat?

Around here it's between 10-15 bucks. Fair enough considering shop time,
but more than I'd like to spend.

I patch my tubes with Remas until I get around to replacing the tubes
every couple years. I don't even pull the wheel off the bike, just pull
out the little bit of tube that needs patching--like a hernia operation.
;-) Five minutes if I'm slow and costs 25c or so in materials.