tomtom123

thinking of getting a schwinn sidewinder https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Schwinn-Si ... e/21191091. My questions are

1) is the handlebar upgradable on it?
2) I want taller handlebars that would be more comfortable for me and give me a more upright position, how do i do that? Do i just buy taller handlebars or do i need these things call "Risers" that i've heard about?
3) if the answer to 1 is yes, then What know what type of handblebar can i use to replace it? what dimensions, etc?


Thanks in advance
-A stupid Noob

dabac

1) on a bike, everything is upgradeable, if you put enough effort/money into it. Whether it makes sense or not is another question entirely. Starting with a <$200 bike, pretty much anything you do will quickly be a sizeable chunk of the purchase price.
2) your link doesn't seem to be working. The Schwinn sidewinder I find https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Schwinn...Green/26999374 has a quill stem, so your easiest option may be to get one of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ProMax-Adj...Black/13012477 You'd probably have to use all of the upward tilt to get any decent lift out of it.
There are extra-tall, non-adjustable quill stems, but right now I don't seem to be able to find one that would fit your PRESUMED 1" internal diameter steerer tube.
3) Walmart aren't exactly generous with their spec sheet, but an educated guess suggests that any bar with a 1" (25.4 mm) clamp diameter and a 7/8" (22.2mm) grip diameter would work.

Do note that:
a) I'm guessing on sizes here, as the link isn't working, and walmart doesn't tell anyhow. Try getting hold of a vernier caliper to verify quill diameter at least.
b) I'm also guessing at quill vs unthreaded. Unless you can use my link to compare, you need to find another method to determine if you have a threaded or unthreaded fork.
c) depending on how much rise you want, you may need to replace the cabling too. It's not that difficult, but it's entirely possible to get it wrong as well. Here's the point where bringing your bike to a bike mechanic and having them source the parts and do the job might start to look tempting.
d)If you want an upright riding position, why not get a townie from the start instead of putting effort into converting a MTB?
e) if your bike is priced similar to the one I found, you're really scraping at the bottom of the barrel. Don't expect much from it. It's in the range where people start talking about BLOs, as in Bicycle-Looking Objects.

Wilfred Laurier

if the bike is not comfortable
perhaps you should find a different bike

the sidewinder i found on walmart.com
seems to have a sloping top tube
that should put the bars well above the saddle
if you have to have the saddle up so high that
it is higher than the bars
then the bike is likely significantly too small for you
and you definitely need to select a different bike
as it seems to be one size fits all
or one size fits some
as the saying goes

sreten

Hi,

Its hard to tell with a quill stem how much you can lift
the bars without passing the safety mark. If the bike
fits most likely there is enough range in the stem.

It also depends on the height you set the seat.
Optimum, where you can't put your foot down,
you have to dismount to stop, or lower so you
can get a foot (ball to toe) down in the saddle.

For the lower saddle, highly unlikely you won't
be able to set the bars high enough. FWIW
the longer you spend in the saddle, the better
is correct seat height and bar height, but you
will eventually find that out if you ride it a lot.

rgds, sreten.

Adjustable stems are not popular on MTB's
(as they loosen and eventually break),
they are more popular on hybrids.

DX-MAN

You can buy handlebars with more rise to them, you don't need a new stem. eBay is your friend.

You DO have a 25.4 stem/bar clamp, and 22.2 (7/8") bar. It depends on how much rise you need, you may also need to change cables.

The rise on the present handlebar on the Sidewinder is just over 1"; you can get 1-1/2, 2, 3, lots of choices for not a lot of $$.

(NOTE: It does not MATTER how much of a percentage of the total price of the bike any upgrade is -- what matters is the end result, does the bike do what you need it to do.... While putting an XTR derailleur on a $100 bike is silly, that's not what we're talking about.)

kr4k4

You can get a 5 inch rise handlebar on ebay for 10 - 15 bucks
walmart assemblers will often leave alot of extra cable
so they might just fit.
if not a cable set from walmart is 7 bucks
can be done....

bikeman715

It not that hard to tell how far to lift a quill stem , they are mark with a line and said do not go pass it witch is 2 1/2 " from the bottom of the stem . If the seat is at the right hight for the rider yes they do need to get their butt off the seat and put their foot down . If the stem loosen is because of not tighten to torque .