Hank McMauser

Here's a picture of my $14 dollar facebook marketplace Schwinn Al Comp. I got it in a lot with 2 other bikes for $40. I repacked the headset and bottom brackets , and gave it a good washing. The spokes are rather rusty due to it being stored outside. Contemplating just re-lacing the existing wheels with new stainless spokes, or just buying a new wheelset. And before you all bombard me with the "dont waste your time with a department store bike " you can just relax, my other bike is a Raleigh Mojave that I picked up several years back at a police stolen property auction it cost me $40+ the buyers fee and tax. Bit to be honest other than the fact that the schwinn has steel handlebars, and the Raleigh has a freehub amd a cassette vs a freewheel there quite similarly equipped quality wise. My POV is that as technology ages we finds it creeping into the box store bikes.

veganbikes

I am quite relaxed just had some delicious Thai food and am re-watching some King of the Hill but yes don't waste your money on that bike. Also the Raleigh Mojave is probably a similar bike to the Schwinn it is a bunch of low end parts on a lower end frame. The Raleigh is not the same Raleigh of Nottingham and while maybe a slight notch above the Schwinn not by a big enough margin.

In the end those rusty spokes are probably fine it is more than likely just surface rust and the new spokes and labor are going to be worth more than the bike could ever be worth and it won't make the bike any better. Just ride it into the ground and get a good bike.

Plenty of decent enough used bikes for the cost of a new hunk of Schwinn or spend a little more and get an even better bike or spend real money and get a new bike and get the warranty and support and decent components and have something that works for you.

In terms of technology creeping into wally-mart type bikes, it doesn't really happen. A little bit to a tiny point but not really. Bottom end is bottom end. Plus the wally-mart bikes in the end are going to be built by the lowest quality labor as well. Yes they do look like a bike hence the name Bicycle Shaped Object (BSO) which you will see here but the quality is nothing like a quality bike from back in the day. The bikes are sort of like a poorly built submarine that was built at the bottom of the ocean and never has surfaced once.

Hank McMauser

Thanks for the encouragement, I think I'm going to order the spokes so I can learn a new skill.

prj71

Sure...the box store bikes now have disc brakes and shocks. But the components are junk. There is a reason that box store bikes are <$200.

Miradaman

Hey, don't you know you're wasting your time and you're not a "real" cyclist if you have anything less than a $2000 bike?

It's a hobby, not an investment. It's not supposed to be financially rational. I totally get tinkering with a cheap low-end bike to learn skills and see if you can make it better. Look on youtube and you'll see people restoring crappy low-end radios and throwaway economy cars. So why not restore a throwaway low-end bicycle? If it's fun to you its money well spent, regardless of the dollar value of the outcome.

prj71

Any recreational hobby or endeavor isn't cheap. Good equipment costs money. That's just a fact. My gal likes photography...She has $5k+ invested in her camera equipment. The cheapo camera at the big box store isn't going to provide good photos. Just a like a cheap bike doesn't provide a good experience.

Hank McMauser

I think "good experience" is relative....I just sold another bike (kent 700c road bike) I purchased in a lot of 3 /$40. I repacked all the bearings, and tuned the shifters. I sold it for $50+ $10 gas money for delivering it. I met the buyer at a fast food joint, the fellow walked there wearing board shorts, and flip flops. You'd have thought I just sold him a Harley road king the way he was smiling as he was riding around the parking lot testing it out. I'd say he was having a good experience.

prj71

That's kewl. I would file it under "You don't know what you don't know."

Arrowana

With a Schwinn like this, the frame is likely pretty close to being as well made as an entry-level bike shop bike. As long as there aren't any welds that look too sketchy, may as well keep it rolling. I've got a much crappier Kent that has turned into a pretty pleasant bike to ride once all the parts were swapped out.

I'd recommend overhauling the hubs before grabbing new spokes. No sense in rebuilding a wheel if the hubs are already close to dead. If you have a coop or used bike store near you, it might be worth checking to see if they have any used hubs that would be worth swapping in, and you could even take the opportunity to swap to a cassette hub so there is less chance of a broken axle in the future. Also would be worth looking for a set of tires there, most used bike places near me have an overabundance of 650b/27.5" tires, and higher quality tires can greatly improve the ride quality of any bike.

veganbikes

No! The frame is generally junk as the rest of the bike. An entry level shop bike is going to be of higher quality. Maybe the bottom end shop bike but even those are generally barring some lesser known brands are decent-ish because in a lot of cases they will use that frame on their more entry level stuff.

The frame on the bike is rideable but let's not compare it to quality simply because they have to put quality in their logo. They may not fall apart but they are at least heavier if nothing else but the quality is usually not up to par with entry level stuff though I guess I have seen a few bottom end bikes that do match up a little tiny bit with Schwinn but in the end at least with that bottom end bike from say Trek or Specialized I get a lifetime frame warranty on it.

Arrowana

The frame has a removable derailleur hanger, threaded bottom bracket, a large enough headtube to take a 1 1/8" fork, and even has some shaping of the tubing to give it a better ride than just plain old round tubes. Sure, Trek or Specailized will do more fancy things with entry-level frames and have better quality control, but not every bike shop brand is them. I've seen some rather disappointing frames come out of the box from Marin, and especially from Fyxation. If you took a Trek frame and this Schwinn frame and gave them the same parts, the difference would not be vast. I'm not saying all their frames are perfect, but having worked on a few more recent aluminum big box Schwinns, their frames have come a long way.

Wireman134

Good show, Walmart Schwinn's by Pacific Cycle. Wheel set is first. Don't let the boys get you down.

prj71

Correct. Some people don't get that or just don't know.

CrimsonEclipse

Nice

Don't let the knucklleheads bring ya down into their misery.

Enjoy the rebuild and enjoy the bike.

veganbikes

Most frames these days have a hanger that is removable and threaded bottom brackets are pretty ubiquitous but that is not a sign of quality it is just a sign of a slightly more modern bike. Entry level stuff will be a lot nicer but sure the bottom end of Specialized and Trek maybe is a little closer to that Schwinn but not to those levels. Keep in mind if my bottom end Specialized bike I bought from a proper bike shop has a frame failure as a result of manufacturer defect I will get a new frame or a new bike potentially or a crash replacement if it was more on my end. After 11 years my Langster frame cracked at the bottom bracket and they replaced it with a limited edition Langster Rio frame. With a Schwinn if it lasted that long they would say sorry you are SOL if they even bothered responding.

Fyxation is not a big player, they make some OK forks and a few parts that are serviceable but a bike from them probably not something I would want however compared to a department store Schwinn yes.

I will agree that yes the wally mart frames are better then they were but not by a massive amount.

In terms of people like CrimsonEclipse I am not miserable, having good quality bikes that shift and brake well and have a good frame under them I am quite happy. Plus I am here talking about bikes which I love and I am also listening to some good music (Mike Watt: Ball-Hog or Tug Boat?) you seem to be miserable that people keep knocking BSOs for what they are and that is on you my friend. Having ridden and worked on a lot of bikes over the years a good quality bike with good quality parts that has value to it is more pleasurable then a BSO 11 times out of 10 both in terms of working on them and owning them and riding them. Spending money on a bike that has no value is just silly in all situations save your money get a good bike that isn't a problem out of the box.

CrimsonEclipse

Uh oh, someone fell off the wagon again.

Wireman134

Yep, Schwinn frames have a lifetime warranty. Most frames are made in Asia at the same factories.

prj71

This knucklehead isn't miserable either. If I had to ride that Schwinn on the my local mountain bike trails...THAT would be miserable.

2old

Some individuals don't see value in keeping acceptable, but not high end, equipment out of trash bins and in the hands of people who relish the experience of owning the product. It's true of bikes, as well as many other items. I'm a big fan of keeping land fills empty.

Hank McMauser

I'm going to keep riding in my naive little world. I know this bike isn't the best on the market, nor is it the least. I know it's leaps and bounds better than a next , or a hyper $99 special. For the price I gave($0.00) I feel it's a pretty good bargain. I'll upgrade it as I feel is necessary. I'm not going to be bombing this thing down any black diamond trails anytime soon, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

prj71

Me too. Unfortunately the land fills are filled with cheap department store / big box bikes like that Schwinn.

It's not often that you are going to go to the landfill and find a Trek, Specialized, Giant etc. bike there because there is a good used market for them so they get passed on (sold) to someone else.

prj71

You don't have to bomb it down any black diamond trails to see what it's shortcomings are.

Hank McMauser

I'll just leave you all to yourselves so you can gloat about how good your bikes are. Meanwhile I'm going to go enjoy myself while I ride my much inferior Bicycle shaped object. I hope it doesn't blow up in my face!
Hopefully when I hit the powerball I can afford a real bike and I'll come back and join you all. C'est la vie!

CrimsonEclipse

Even with sufficient money, I'd never join the misery brigade.
(At least they know who they are)

Please post of your outcomes, good and bad.
That's the point of the journey

2old

Hank, don't go. Next week (when I can take a picture) I'm going to exhibit my Chinesium steel cruiser with front hub motor (cost $60 since it had been rusting in a yard for about 10 years). I polished the motor, sanded and painted the frame (including a fade on the top tube) and repaired the electronics. Can you imagine I spent all that time on a bike that should be in the ground?