chaadster

Whoa!

Vintage Schwinns have appealing virtues, but I wouldn’t get too carried away with it. A modern bike of the “simple style” is better in virtually every regard: they’re lighter, stop better, shift better with a wider gear range for better versatility and better efficiency. Parts are readily available, inexpensive, and servicing is much easier requiring fewer tools.

As a vintage Schwinn owner, I can appreciate their low cost, durability, and style— I picked up a sweet pair of his-n-hers Collegiates about 16 years ago at a garage sale for $20 each— but both my wife and I got sick of the low-quality ride; they just don’t go well by modern standards. Add cargo to the mix, and you’ve got a noodly mess of a bike to wrangle.

While a vintage Schwinn can suit some people’s needs well, I think the factors which make those bikes most suitable have nothing at all to do with their comparative qualities as bicycles, which is to say what I said before, namely that modern bikes of the same style are better in virtually every regard. But, if you don’t want to spend $600 or more, yes, an old Schwinn of this type is a great choice, especially if where you ride is flat.