Product Description

Schwinn 700c Men's Volare BikeWith its 21 speeds and aluminum flat bar road frame, this road bike is perfect for any adventures. The Volare Bike features a Shimano TX-50 rear derailleur with EF-29 shifters, alloy linear pull brakes, Suntour alloy 28/38/48t crack, and a high profile wheel set.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25053 in Sports & Outdoors
• Color: Gun Metal
• Brand: Pacific Cycle
• Model: S2744
• Released on: 2008-01-01
• Dimensions: 52.00" h x 7.90" w x 28.00" l, 35.30 pounds

Features

• Schwinn Aluminum Flat Bar Road Frame
• Shimano TX-50 Rear Derailleur with Shimano 21 Speed EF-29 Shifters
• Schwinn Road Fork
• Promax Alloy Linear Pull Brakes
• Suntour Alloy 28/38/48t Crank

Amazon.com Product Description
The Schwinn Volare 700c Road Bicycle will pay for itself in a matter of weeks if you use it to commute and provide you with great exercise along the way. Constructed with high-quality, Schwinn parts and a high-performance Shimano 21-speed derailleur, the bike is built for long-lasting comfort on the road.

The aluminum flat bar road frame is lightweight and easy to maneuver, while 700c tires provide optimum speed and stability on the road. The Shimano 21-speed derailleur with EF-29 shifters provides great speed control and allows you to bike steep inclines without straining your joints. The shifters are smooth, easy to use, and sturdy, great if you are learning how to optimize your gear use. The front and rear Promax alloy linear pull brakes are responsive and strong, allowing you to stop quickly and maintain an even speed as you coast.

With an 18-inch frame and a 27.75-inch stand-over height, the bike is most suitable for riders 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet 1 inch tall. Whether you need a great road bike for your commute, or want a comfortable bike for leisure and exercise on the weekends, the Schwinn Volare will deliver a great ride.

Specifications:

• Frame: 18 inch
• Stand-over height: 27.75 inches
• Wheels: 700c
• Frame type: flat bar road
• Frame material: Aluminum
• Rear derailleur: Shimano 21-speed
• Shift levers: EF-29
• Brakes: ProMax alloy linear pull
• Crankset: Suntour Alloy 28/38/48t Crank

About Schwinn
Founded in 1895, Schwinn is an American icon that has been synonymous with quality and innovation. They have built some of the best-known and best loved bikes of numerous generations--Aerocycle, Paramount, Phantom, Varsity, Sting-Ray, Krate and Homegrown. Today, Schwinn continues to be a leader in the industry with innovative bikes such as the new Sting-Ray, Rocket mountain bikes, and Fastback road bikes. With a continued dedication to quality, forever synonymous with the Schwinn name, America's most famous bicycle brand looks forward to providing another century of innovation, freedom and performance to people of all ages.

Amazon.com Bicycle Buying Guide

Finding the Right Bike
To really enjoy cycling, it's important to find a bicycle that works for you. Here are some things to keep in mind when you're in the market for a new bike:

The Right Ride
In general, bikes are broken down into three major categories:

• Road and Racing Bikes--As a general rule, road and racing are built for speed and longer distances on paved surfaces. Thinner tires, lightweight 29-inch (700c) wheels, and drop bars that allow for a more aerodynamic position are the norm. Most road bikes, regardless of price, offer many gears for tackling both hilly and flat terrain.
• Mountain Bikes--With their larger tires, hill-friendly gearing, and upright position, mountain bikes are very popular for all types of riding, both on pavement and off. Mountain bikes that are designed specifically for rugged trail use typically feature a suspension fork. Some may have rear suspension, as well. A quick change of the tires on any mountain bike--even one that you use regularly on trails--adds to its versatility and makes it a worthy street machine.
• Comfort/Cruiser Bikes--For tooling around on bike paths, light trails, or for cruising a quiet beach-side lane, comfort/cruiser bikes are the ticket. With a super-relaxed riding position, padded seats, and limited or no gearing, these bikes are made for enjoying the scenery and having fun with the family.

The Right Price
A bike's price boils down to three essentials: frame materials, bike weight, and component quality and durability.

• Entry-level--You'll find a wide range of comfort and cruiser bikes in this category, as well as some lower-end mountain bikes and road bikes. Most will have steel frames and components that are designed to last for several years with frequent use.
• Mid-range--Bikes in this range may feature a lighter aluminum frame with mid-range components that keep performing after miles of use. If you're looking for a quality bike that is relatively lightweight and will stand up to abuse, this is the "sweet spot." Most serious commuter and touring bikes fall into this category, as do mid-range mountain bikes with a decent front suspension.
• High-end--Racers and serious enthusiasts who expect lightweight, high-performance components will want to stick to this category. For road bikes, exotic frame materials (carbon fiber, titanium) and ultralightweight components can add thousands to the price tag. Mountain bikes in this class often feature advanced front and rear suspension technology, as well as components designed to handle lots of rugged trail action.

The Right Size
Fit is crucial for comfort, control, and proper power and endurance on a bike. Here are some basic bike fit tips:

• Stand-over Height--To find out if a bike's overall height fits your body, measure your inseam. Next, determine how much clearance you'll need between your crotch and the top tube of the bike. For a mountain bike, you'll want three to five inches of clearance. A road bike should offer between one and two inches of clearance, while a commuter bike should have two to four inches. Compare the stand-over height for a given bike to your measurements (inseam + clearance) to determine the right bike height.
• Top Tube Length--You can measure your torso to get a good estimate of proper top tube length. First, make a fist and extend your arm. Measure from the center of your fist to the end of your collarbone (the part that intersects your shoulder). Next, measure your torso by placing a book against your crotch with the spine facing up. Measure from the spine to the bottom of your throat (the spot between your collarbones). Finally, add the two measurements (arm length + torso length), divide the number in half, and subtract six inches. This is your approximate top tube length. Compare this number to a bike's posted top tube length. You can allow for about two inches longer or shorter, as most bikes can be adjusted via stem length/height and saddle fore/aft position to make fine adjustments to the fit.
• Bikes for Women--Proportionally, women tend to have a shorter torso and longer legs than men. Bike makers design women's bikes that offer a shorter top tube and many comfort/cruiser bikes built for women may also provide more stand-over clearance.

The Right Accessories
When you make a bike purchase, don't forget these crucial add-ons:

• Helmet (this is a must!)
• Seat pack
• Lock
• Hydration pack, or water bottle and bottle cage
• Spare tubes
• Portable bike pump
• Gloves

Customer Reviews

Solid bike for the money
Overall, I am satisfied with the bike. I would also recommend it others. Many of my follow-on comments here appear on other bike reviews, but are worth heeding. To judge how similar you are to me, I was looking for a relatively inexpensive bike that I could use to commute to work when desired (10 miles each way) in the DC metro area. I also wanted a bike for sidewalk/street use to tote my children around (pulling a trailer). The bike works great for those tasks. I am not a fitness nut, and haven't regularly exercised for a few years due to "life" (job, kids, laziness, etc...) but with a job change wanted to ease into exercising again while minimizing time lost from work or family. My bicycling experience goes no further than my first driver's license. I wanted to learn the basics in biking (minor maintenance, normal riding, etc...), not train for an iron man.
The little bit of assembly required is simple enough for those that aren't scared of mechanical objects - but be warned - some patience and learning is required (as with any bike not from a bike shop). I embraced that and have enjoyed the learning. Also be warned that there will be small additional costs which I will detail shortly, but realistically, some are completely unavoidable regardless of bike in this price range. This is because it is an inexpensive bike made with some inexpensive parts. My additional costs included a new bike seat that wasn't like a wooden board on my behind, different tire inner-tubes, and better rim tape (most of this I never knew existed a short time ago). The new bike seat was a huge difference. The stock rim tape failed early and would not allow the tire's inner-tubes to get full pressure without catastrophically popping (part of my "learning"). Remember, some of the more benign stock parts are also cheap. Bike seat: <$15. Rim tape from local bike shop: <$3. Inner tubes: ~$5.
The bike is lighter than I imagined and rides great after some tweaking. Then again, within reason, I didn't need to spend extra dollars here and there to save a few ounces of weight. This was for leisure riding and exercise, afterall. Will the gear shifter and brakes need some tuning? Probably. Either your local bike shop can do it, or hop on the web and find out how to do it yourself. An allen wrench and/or screwdriver is all it takes. After a few rides and some tweaking, everything seems perfect.
For size: I am 5'10" and I have the seat up fairly high. The bike frame seems to be on the slightly smaller side, but please note that I have no expertise or reference in this regard. That said, I feel like it fits me just fine. Michael Jordan would probably not fit so well.
The bike looks sharp and rides well with just a little bit of effort, and has otherwise been a joy. With gas prices the way they are, honestly, this bike will have paid for itself within a few months - not to mention meeting my goals of bike education and exercise. Will I upgrade? Maybe in a while. But for now, this bike is more than adequate and I am rather happy with the purchase and the time I spend both on it and with it.

Awesome Bike
I really love this bike. It's a very nice ride and seems quite durable. Also, it is VERY lightweight for a bike.

A few things:

1) No shocks. This is a characteristic of a true road bike, however even on bumpy road surfaces there can be some shock in your wrists/arms. It's not too bad though- I'd definitely still buy the same bike again.

2) Some assembly required. You've gotta put the front tire, handlebars, and seat on. It's not too bad a job. Just turn the bike upside down when you're ready to put the wheel on- it'll be easier. I set it up, and everything came out true. I tightened the nuts and bolts (you've gotta have a multi-tool, or hex wrench #5) and took it for a ride.

3) After riding for the first few times, you've gotta re-tighten all the nuts and bolts, or the bike may fall apart on you. It's not just this particular bike though--you'd have to retighten on any bicycle that you self assemble, and that is brand new.

4) Schwinn makes a good product. The logo on the front even says "Schwinn Quality." The components seem sturdy and I haven't had to replace any of them.

5) Get a bell and a light.

6) If you don't get a rear fender, get a basket or a rear rack. Since fenders don't come standard on this bike (similar to most), you'll want something on the back to protect you from getting wet should you ride on rainy days.

7) The flat bar system is really good, and the shifters are super easy to use- not like those cheap mountain bikes where you have to twist the thing in the handlebar. This bike has separate fixtures which shift the gears (quality Shimano stuff), and they work well.

8) The tires come from the factory pumped to about 20 PSI. You've gotta pump them to 100 PSI. You've gotta pump REALLY HARD and use a hand guage to measure every so often until you get there. I recommend using a floor pump w/ gauge for this, because a small portable pump doesn't work well.

9) The bike comes with extra long reflectors attached to the wheel spokes- it's a nice touch.

10) The seat is a bit uncomfortable at first, but once you're used to it it's not bad at all.

11) The 700C tires are very nice. They seem to be good quality tires for standard on a new purchase. They roll nice and easy, and it's much easier to get going quick on these 700C's than on fat mountain/hybrid bike tires. Along with that, however, you must be careful not to go around corners too fast on a rainy day, or brake too hard going down a hill on a rainy day.

This bike has really worked well for me. I plan to continue using it for commuting and daily errand running.

commuting and excercise bike
I ordered this bike after visiting a few bike stores and looking at the Target bike which was the Schwinn Hybrid. I switched from a heavy mountain bike which I used to use for commuting to this.
I love this bike. It offers a light comfortable ride. It did not take long to assemble this. For the price this has been a great value. A similar bike this would be > $450. The gear shifts are very smooth. The seat is comfortable. All in all very pleased. Also could not beat the free shipping!