ciclista_pazza

I'm moving to a new apartment in August that doesn't allow bikes inside. My bike is my sole form of transportation and I've been biking steadily for about 12 years so this is painful for me but I have to accept it since it's such a great apartment. I currently have a Fuji Absolute hybrid that I like pretty well but am really worried about it getting stolen even if locked up with 2 good locks outside. I'm thinking of selling the Fuji and getting a cheap bike that hopefully would be less likely to get stolen. I've seen some beach cruisers on Craigslist and it got me thinking that it might be nice to change to a cruiser. I have a lot of body pain and it would be nice to have a more relaxed style of riding. I've never worried too much about going super fast so that's not a huge concern.

Since I don't have a car, I use my bike for everything including commuting to work and going to various stores and carrying heavy panniers on my rear rack. I'm thinking of getting a Schwinn S! that I saw advertised - pictured below:




Here are my questions:
1. Could this Schwinn take a rear rack? It looks like there are eyelets for it near the chainstays but I can't tell for sure. Would this Axiom rack work on it or would I need to get a Schwinn specific rack? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2. Would this style of bike have any trouble hauling semi heavy panniers?
3. Would this bike be less likely to be stolen than the Fuji? I would still lock it with 2 good locks but still worry about it. It will be a cheap enough bike but I will put some work into it and just don't want to keep losing bikes.

I tried posting this in the Cruisers section but got no responses. I also want more impartial feedback from people who aren't necessarily cruiser devotees. Any feedback is appreciated.

FlMTNdude

1. Yes
2. How heavy? Probably not.
3. Depends on the thief. Any bike is a target. I would consider putting a skewer on the front so you can easily pull the front wheel off. Use a U-lock through the frame and rear wheel, then cable the front wheel.
Unless you have people constantly watching, my bike would be inside regardless of the rules.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! Well, the panniers would be carrying grocery hauls - I usually fill both bags up pretty heavy - maybe 20-30 pounds each sometimes. Thanks for the locking tips. I know - I would do the same and keep my bike inside but the landlord lives around the corner and could potentially see it. Plus all the other tenants are in the same boat with having to lock their bikes outside and mighty be upset if they saw me keeping mine inside.

flangehead

When I have to leave my bike overnight at my work, I take the front wheel off and leave it in the office. Work is in a low-crime area and bike is 30 years old; so far so good though high-end bikes have been stolen from the area.

Your landlord and neighbors might tolerate you taking the front wheel inside.

rollagain

#2 : Look at a Wald Basket set. It may take you some fiddling to get it on, but even the smaller one carries a lot and the top of it becomes a broad rack platform. Very solid. Get a small bungee cargo net to go with it. The small one is perfectly sized to take a standard cloth shopping bag.

ciclista_pazza

Thanks - this is helpful to know. I ended up emailing my landlord to ask if I could possibly keep the bike inside if I keep it on a rug and don't let it touch the floor and he said ok so that's a relief. But now I still kind of want a cruiser!

ciclista_pazza

Thanks! I tried Wald baskets on the back of a mountain bike once and really liked how they worked but then I missed not using my panniers. I like both options and wish I could go back and forth but i had to ziptie the baskets to my bike to get them to stay on.

rollagain

Just curious, but did you by chance have the folding kind? The set I have doesn't appear on Wald's website, but is still available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Wald-Rear-Bic...1825897&sr=8-4

They're all welded solid. I did add a couple zip-ties at points where I thought they might rattle, but they certainly don't need them to stay on the bike.

ciclista_pazza

Mine did fold technically but they wouldn't fold properly on my bike enough to latch so I had to use the zip ties. It was a shame because if they had folded easily it would have been much more versatile I think. I also got the version on Amazon that folds but it was a couple years ago. I really enjoyed the baskets as an alternative because then I could leave the panniers behind if I wanted to go in a nice store. I like both options though.

katsup

If your manager insisted on no bikes inside, I'd be looking at folding bikes. Good news that they are letting you put it on a rug.