Product Description

Built for speed and control, the Schwinn Speedster gets you going in a hurry. This lightweight flatbar road bike has everything you need on your morning commute or to beat your friends in a weekend race. The N'Litened Gold Label alloy frame provides a comfortable ride and geometry perfect for the road. Shift quickly and effortlessly on the go with the Shimano EF-50 trigger shifters and the Acera rear derailleur. The front Suntour NRX 200 fork ensures that all bumps ahead are taken with the greatest of ease.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109682 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Pacific Cycle
• Dimensions: 9.00" h x 30.50" w x 53.00" l, 41.00 pounds

Features

• N'Litened Gold Label heat-treated alloy frame with front alloy suspension fork
• Shimano drive train, Shimano EF-50 shifters, and Acera derailleur
• Jalco double wall alloy rims with sealed mech hubs
• Two water bottle mounts, fender and rack mounts
• Sleek 26-inch, 24-speed road bike for men in blue

Amazon.com Product Description
Fulfill your need for speed around town and on the road with the 26-inch, 24-speed Schwinn Speedster men's bike. It's amazingly light and nimble, thanks to the N'Litened Gold Label heat-treated alloy frame with a steel TIG welded fork with 1-1/8-inch chromoly steerer, which provides a smooth ride over rough terrain as well as improved control. Components include a Shimano 24-speed drive train, Shimano EF-50 shifters, and an Acera derailleur. Other features include SR/Suntour NEX 200 GNG 48/38/28-teeth crank, Jalco double wall alloy rims with sealed mech hubs, alloy handlebar with 5-degree bend, Lee Chi alloy linear pull brakes, and two water bottle mounts as well as fender and rack mounts.

Specifications:

• Frame: Heat treated alloy frame
• Fork: Steel TIG welded w/ 1-1/8" chromoly steerer
• Handlebar / Stem: Alloy bar with 5 bend and 20 rise alloy stem
• Shifting System: Shimano EF-50 shifters with Acera rr derailleur
• Brakes: Lee Chi alloy linear pull brakes
• Crankset: SR/Suntour NEX 200 GNG 48/38/28
• Wheels: Jalco double wall alloy rims with sealed mech hubs

Assembly of the Bike:
This bike comes mostly assembled. Minor assembly is required before the bike can be used.

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 ultra-lightweight 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 bottles and bottle cages
• Spare tubes
• Portable bike pump
• Gloves

Customer Reviews

Great Value
This is an update to my previous review on this bike. I have used this bike for 6 weeks or so now and I have begun to really like this bike.

Things I like:
1. Very light. Approx 26 pounds. The same alloy frame is used by Schwinn on its $700 bikes.
2. Very Very smooth. this bike just rolls. In fact, the rear freewheel is so quiet, it just feels like you are gliding, especially when you stop pedalling and allow the bike to just coast along.
3. Nice paint job.
4. Good quality shimano shifters and derailleurs. They shift very smoothly.

Some issues I had.
1. The fork on the bike I received was a solid fork - not the suspension fork as advertised. (More about this later)
2. Scratches on frame and small tear on seat right from the start.
3. Wheels rims look kinda cheap. The cheaper GMC Denali bikes have nicer looking wheel rims. (But this seems to do the job well so far)
4. Plasticky pedals which are functional but look cheap.

I sent an email to amazon regarding the fork and the scratches and the tear on the seat and they graciously offered me a 20% discount on the bike price. I couldnt be happier. For less than $200 I got a very good bike.

PS: The price for this bike went up from $235 to the $349 (current as of 8/23/2006).

Great bang for the buck
I'm all about bang for the buck. Maybe it's the asian in me, but I love getting a good product for cheap!!!

Bike was easy to assemble, and the parts worked well so far. I'm not a huge racer but the only drawback was the rims were not 'trued' but that is typical of almost ALL bikes that are under $1000 and not tuned by a shop. You can get a local shop to 'tune' the brakes/rims for you for $40-60 which is WELL worth it.

Keep in mind the tires use a different inflator than many kid/typical adult bikes. It's a thin push pin type that requires an adapter so unless you have this, you won't be able to just go out and ride immediately.

Weight is pretty minimal for a bike of this price. My friends all ride heavily or race and I don't aspire to keep up with them on this bike, but it does it's job quite well for 1/10 of the price of their bikes.

Keep in mind most of the time, it's the biker and not the bike that's limiting as to distance and speed. My friends can whip my rear using this bike while i'm on their carbon fiber bike with all the doodads. Food for thought...

Buyer Beware
One star for the pretty two tone paint job, and for the overall light weightness of the bicycle. Other than that it is a piece of junk. Upon unpacking it from the cardboard boxes, I immediately noticed a deep rusted gouge on the top midway down the down tube. The bike was also coated with dust-perhaps it was a floor demo model. Anyway upon assembling and adjusting it, the first replacement I had to make was the pedals-it came with the cheapest plastic platform pedals I've ever encountered. That was to be the least of my worries. I ride daily in 25-40 mile increments. At 100 miles two of the rear spokes snapped at the hub. Off to the bikeshop, I had to buy a replacement wheel because it turns out the wheel was too cheap to bother to be repaired (respoked). Cha-ching $110.00 bucks. 50 miles later two of the front spokes snapped off when I was 22 miles from home. Back to the bikestore with this el-cheapo front wheel for a new replacement. Cha-ching another $90.00. (Mind you the replacements I bought were next to lowest of the line Schimanos, so the costs could have been much worse). Today at 300 miles road time on it the bottom bracket burned up- it had come loose and started pinging and popping at 150 miles-and while getting the new front wheel the bike shop boys tightened the bottom bracket. Cha-ching another $50.00. All spent to this point was the cost of the darn thing. The flat handlebar to those of us used to using a drop handlebar on a roadbike, this thing will give you incredible wrist and forearm pain (and the onset of carpal tunnel symptoms) from lack of ability to change hand positions. I added bar ends (cha-ching) and now have resorted to installing a drop handlebar (more money). Next cycling season I will again be shopping for a road bike. This was my first Schwinn and my last Schwinn. . .