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

01-05-2005, 11:26 AM

Bought this bike from Walmart when I returned the Roadmaster Mountain
Fury. Checked Schwinn Sidewinder out at Walmart before buying. NO
problems noted and yes, I checked the pedals this time. Took it home,
adjusted the seat, added $9 Schwinn cyclometer from Walmart and my GPS
mount for the Garmin Etrex Legend. Pumped tires to 65psi. Bike weighs a
ton and is a few pounds heavier than the Roadmaster Mountain Fury. But I
did not buy this bike to ride in pelotons, I bought it to commute and
for exercise.

Did the 20.6 miles today including a several 100 feet climb within a
mile and some dirt roads. Bike performed almost perfectly. Gears shifted
without any problems, brakes worked outstanding. Bike rode real quiet
except for the 26x1.9 tires humming on the road. Bike seemed faster on
the dirt roads than the paved roads but probably just my perception. The
bike has a front suspension fork but I really don't see the point in it
on this bike. Only minor problem was the end of the front derailleur
cable stuck out a little bit and kept hitting the pedals making the
annoying (click, click, click sound each time the pedal hit). Corrected
by taking a taking a trash bag twisty and connecting the cable to the
frame. Might have to adjust the seat angle slightly. This bike performed
great in my opinion on this first ride. Maybe I got a lemon for the
Roadmaster Mt Fury as someone else had good reports on it. I'll report
after I reach 100 miles on it.

01-05-2005, 11:46 AM

keep a log.
come back after 1000 miles
and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.

01-05-2005, 11:46 AM

keep a log.
come back after 1000 miles
and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.

01-05-2005, 11:46 AM

keep a log.
come back after 1000 miles
and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.

01-05-2005, 11:46 AM

keep a log.
come back after 1000 miles
and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.

01-05-2005, 05:21 PM

Once upon a time, Schwinn bikes were incredibly durable and low maintenance.
You couldn't break them. We mountain biked the hilly trails east of Kansas
City long before mountain biking was officially invented. My friends Sears
or Huffy bikes were always falling apart.

But like so many products before, labels that meant quality over many
decades can be turned into big profits by slapping them onto junk.

The manufacturers of Department store bikes know the average cheap bike is
ridden about 75 miles in its lifetime. So if you design a bike that will
last 750, you are designing it for 10 times the average lifespan. I've seen
this with the bearings, cranks, etc. coming apart for the rare DS bike that
sees real use.

On the other hand, I've ridden at least 7,500 miles on my latest quality
bike. I've replaced one spoke. Speaking of maintenance, people obsess
about the few hours a year I spend fixing flats (I used to too, to be
honest) but will spend a few hours a month cleaning their cars. Cars get
dirty, bikes get flats, it is the way.

What saddens me is the masses think spending one or two car payments on a
bike is silly, so they buy heavy, poor handling, braking, shifting bikes;
which only reinforce the illusion that bikes are crap in general.

Saddest yet are these rules are applied in spades to kids bikes, because
they spend even less on a bike the kid will outgrow. So kids learn the myth
from early childhood. That's why you see parents hauling their little kids
in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.

I have often wondered how such people reconcile news about the Tour de
France, where cyclists zip all over France in two weeks, but somehow the act
like riding your bike 5 miles to work is like crossing the Andes.

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1104954365.967185.308660@c13g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> keep a log.
> come back after 1000 miles
> and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.
>

01-05-2005, 05:21 PM

Once upon a time, Schwinn bikes were incredibly durable and low maintenance.
You couldn't break them. We mountain biked the hilly trails east of Kansas
City long before mountain biking was officially invented. My friends Sears
or Huffy bikes were always falling apart.

But like so many products before, labels that meant quality over many
decades can be turned into big profits by slapping them onto junk.

The manufacturers of Department store bikes know the average cheap bike is
ridden about 75 miles in its lifetime. So if you design a bike that will
last 750, you are designing it for 10 times the average lifespan. I've seen
this with the bearings, cranks, etc. coming apart for the rare DS bike that
sees real use.

On the other hand, I've ridden at least 7,500 miles on my latest quality
bike. I've replaced one spoke. Speaking of maintenance, people obsess
about the few hours a year I spend fixing flats (I used to too, to be
honest) but will spend a few hours a month cleaning their cars. Cars get
dirty, bikes get flats, it is the way.

What saddens me is the masses think spending one or two car payments on a
bike is silly, so they buy heavy, poor handling, braking, shifting bikes;
which only reinforce the illusion that bikes are crap in general.

Saddest yet are these rules are applied in spades to kids bikes, because
they spend even less on a bike the kid will outgrow. So kids learn the myth
from early childhood. That's why you see parents hauling their little kids
in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.

I have often wondered how such people reconcile news about the Tour de
France, where cyclists zip all over France in two weeks, but somehow the act
like riding your bike 5 miles to work is like crossing the Andes.

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1104954365.967185.308660@c13g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> keep a log.
> come back after 1000 miles
> and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.
>

01-05-2005, 05:21 PM

Once upon a time, Schwinn bikes were incredibly durable and low maintenance.
You couldn't break them. We mountain biked the hilly trails east of Kansas
City long before mountain biking was officially invented. My friends Sears
or Huffy bikes were always falling apart.

But like so many products before, labels that meant quality over many
decades can be turned into big profits by slapping them onto junk.

The manufacturers of Department store bikes know the average cheap bike is
ridden about 75 miles in its lifetime. So if you design a bike that will
last 750, you are designing it for 10 times the average lifespan. I've seen
this with the bearings, cranks, etc. coming apart for the rare DS bike that
sees real use.

On the other hand, I've ridden at least 7,500 miles on my latest quality
bike. I've replaced one spoke. Speaking of maintenance, people obsess
about the few hours a year I spend fixing flats (I used to too, to be
honest) but will spend a few hours a month cleaning their cars. Cars get
dirty, bikes get flats, it is the way.

What saddens me is the masses think spending one or two car payments on a
bike is silly, so they buy heavy, poor handling, braking, shifting bikes;
which only reinforce the illusion that bikes are crap in general.

Saddest yet are these rules are applied in spades to kids bikes, because
they spend even less on a bike the kid will outgrow. So kids learn the myth
from early childhood. That's why you see parents hauling their little kids
in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.

I have often wondered how such people reconcile news about the Tour de
France, where cyclists zip all over France in two weeks, but somehow the act
like riding your bike 5 miles to work is like crossing the Andes.

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1104954365.967185.308660@c13g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> keep a log.
> come back after 1000 miles
> and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.
>

01-05-2005, 05:21 PM

Once upon a time, Schwinn bikes were incredibly durable and low maintenance.
You couldn't break them. We mountain biked the hilly trails east of Kansas
City long before mountain biking was officially invented. My friends Sears
or Huffy bikes were always falling apart.

But like so many products before, labels that meant quality over many
decades can be turned into big profits by slapping them onto junk.

The manufacturers of Department store bikes know the average cheap bike is
ridden about 75 miles in its lifetime. So if you design a bike that will
last 750, you are designing it for 10 times the average lifespan. I've seen
this with the bearings, cranks, etc. coming apart for the rare DS bike that
sees real use.

On the other hand, I've ridden at least 7,500 miles on my latest quality
bike. I've replaced one spoke. Speaking of maintenance, people obsess
about the few hours a year I spend fixing flats (I used to too, to be
honest) but will spend a few hours a month cleaning their cars. Cars get
dirty, bikes get flats, it is the way.

What saddens me is the masses think spending one or two car payments on a
bike is silly, so they buy heavy, poor handling, braking, shifting bikes;
which only reinforce the illusion that bikes are crap in general.

Saddest yet are these rules are applied in spades to kids bikes, because
they spend even less on a bike the kid will outgrow. So kids learn the myth
from early childhood. That's why you see parents hauling their little kids
in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.

I have often wondered how such people reconcile news about the Tour de
France, where cyclists zip all over France in two weeks, but somehow the act
like riding your bike 5 miles to work is like crossing the Andes.

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1104954365.967185.308660@c13g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> keep a log.
> come back after 1000 miles
> and after yawl take the hubs apart to check bearings and cones.
>

01-05-2005, 05:35 PM

::
: Saddest yet are these rules are applied in spades to kids bikes, because
: they spend even less on a bike the kid will outgrow. So kids learn the
myth
: from early childhood. That's why you see parents hauling their little
kids
: in their cars to the park, where they drive around little electric cars.

Wow! I actually saw this in a local park: the mother was walking slowly
behind a 3 year old boy who was driving a battery-powered "jeep" over the
grass. He was getting NO exercise at all!

Pat in TX