Schwinn Women's Gateway City Bike - 28" Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all it is very cute to look at. It has fenders, rack and chain guard so it looks expensive. The cream color with brown writing it very pretty. We purchased the bike for our 10 1/2 year old daughter who is 5'5. Yes, I said 5'5. She is tall but young so we wanted something that did not have too many gears that might be a little confusing not to mention unnecessary for her. We rode 10 1/2 miles the first day and she never complained about pain like she did with her mountain bike. She was able to shift the gears easily too. The 28 inch hybrid tires make it a smooth ride. I definitely recommend this bike for anyone who enjoys long bike rides or quick rides to the convenience store! All in all, it's a good buy! Happy riding!!

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Sunlite Bicycle Welded Spring Rear Rack, (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great rear rack.
Once it is on the bike it is on there very good...no rattling around, etc.
Very easy to strap almost anything on to it. I purchased one of their bags at the same time so it is a very nice fit.
I agree with the other reviewers that the instructions (if you can call them that) that come with the product are just worthless.
The only reason I did not give it Five Stars is because of this. And their website also does not have anything else to fall back on.
Rather than frustrate yourself with the supplied directions make sure you have your bike right in front of you along with the online picture of the rack itself itself...it is really easier to figure it out on your own.
So let me try to explain best I can...
FIRST --Attaching this to your bike is dependent upon the frame having pre-threaded holes on it for the bolts that come with the rack. This must be some kind of industry standard. But I did not understand this part going into it which is why I was frustrated
So look at your frame and make sure you have the pre-tapped holes both at the top part of the rear frame where it starts coming down to the rear tire and down where the rear tire itself fits in. My bike had "place holder" bolts already in these holes to stop debris from getting inside so I removed them and used the longer screws that came with the rack.
See the silver/chrome parts of the rack in the picture...
First you will have to attach the angled parts to the top of the rack with the little U-shaped bracket pieces. But don't tighten it down yet. They should remain loose and flexible at this point.
Magnify the online photo to see this more clearly.
The bottom silver parts adjust up/down depending on the type of tire you have...
Notice at the end of each of these four silver pieces are holes where the bolt will go through.
These holes line up with the pre-theaded holes on your bike frame.
So slip the bolt and washer through and tighten them down to the bike frame first but still just a tiny bit loose.
Then push the rack around a bit to make sure it is level and straight. This is the reason why we did not fully tighten the top silver parts to the rack itself earlier so that we would have this flexibility.
Once you are satisfied everything is level...crank ALL down bolts very tight.
At this point go ahead and grab the rack and pick up your whole bike that way....you will see how solidly it is on there.
Enjoy!

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Schwinn Crest Urban Men's Hybrid Bike (700c Wheels) Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this Schwinn partly because they seem to have maintained a long-standing reputation for quality and also because I loved mine when I was younger. I primarily wanted a relatively lightweight , solidly built frame and this bike has it. The 700c wheels seems rather popular for hybrid bikes and have been well -received by many commuters. This wheel does not have nearly as much drag as a mtb tire and more protection and gripping power than a thin road bike tire.
The bike comes nearly fully assembled and is well packaged, inside an inner and outer protective carton. Setting up the handlebars, pedals and seat were a snap.
The whole process took about 15 minutes.
The frame is painted a very nice black (So I'm told, It actually looks dark green to my eyes), though it isn't the same frame seen in the product photo (The down tube is much thicker on the bike I received). The saddle is very, very comfortable and the adjustable sprung aluminum stem is a nice bonus, accommodating a variety of preferred sitting/riding styles.
Braking is very even and responsive with little fade. The bike feels well balanced while maneuvering and provides very forgiving handling characteristics. The front suspension fork is lightweight and mostly responsive on the rebound. IMO, it needs a bit more pressure but I've yet to get to it. I'd recommend experimenting with the proper pressure based on your weight and riding style.
The cables are well protected and insulated from the frame to avoid scratches. The fenders and baskets are easily removed, should you choose to do so (I did. It took about 12 minutes because you need to remove the rear tire to get at a screw for the rear fender). Adding a quick release hub to the rear tire (the front tire already has one) would be an inexpensive and highly useful tool, IMO.
I'm about average height and weight (5'7"@ 165lbs) and I can ride for hours without discomfort on the stock saddle. Shifting is easy and smooth and the system never skipped a gear, even when pedaling uphill and changing gears.
I recently compared this model to a few local bike shop products that cost $200+ more than the Schwinn. The overall workmanship/fit and finish of the Schwinn holds up well compared to the popular models I saw.
The bike is equipped with bike shop quality components, albeit not the high end, that will generally perform quite well.
After checking out several department store bikes from Walmart and Target, I'd definitely recommend staying away from the lesser quality bikes commonly sold in department stores. With few exceptions they tend to have cheaper, heavier frames and poor quality components and poor fit and finish in the assembly.
Comparing frames among several bikes (including this one) ranging in price from ~$300 to ~$900 yielded components of Chinese manufacture with finish of the welds, weight and general construction approximately equal.
I'm not suggesting the Schwinn Crrest is better than a well build bike shop bicycle like a mid-grade Giant, Trek or Santa Cruz, but the latter could set you back anywhere from $600 to $2000, easily.
I am suggesting that, this bike is comparable, for the average, casual road or paved trail rider, to much more expensive bikes I've looked at and ridden.
Happy trails.. or roads

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Whether you're commuting to work or cruising around town, the Schwinn Crest urban men's hybrid bike offers a comfortably smooth ride. The Crest is outfitted with a 17-inch aluminum hybrid frame and an SR Suntour front suspension fork, helping the bike hold up to shocks from bumpy or rough terrain. The Shimano TX-31 rear derailleur and SRAM 21-speed grip shifters, meanwhile, give you a host of gear options for flat or hilly rides. And riders will love the 700cc rims and 700 x 38c hybrid tires, which are thinner than mountain bike tires but sturdier than most road bike options. Other features include an SR Suntour front derailleur, an alloy adjustable stem with a 30mm rise comfort bar, and alloy linear pull brakes.

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Jeep Compass Men's Hybrid Bike (700c Wheels, 22-Inch Frame) Review

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(More customer reviews)Nice Bike!!
A;I am 50yrs old and have had many bikes.I love to ride,but I am not some spandex wearing hard core. I have shopped around(alot)and just got this bike today.5/31/11. Assembly was easy but you are going to need some tools.Mostly allen wrenches.(metric)You are going to want to tweak it for your needs anyways.It is way cooler looking than the photo.The top and lower bars are angular metal and look tough.It is a nice ride!Glides down the road.I am 5'9" and it is a nice fit.I could see anyone from 5'5"to 6'5" being able to tweak this to their needs.I had never seen this bike except for this one photo online.I took a leap of faith and bought it.I would do it again tomorrow.It looks more like a 4-$500 bike.My neighbor who rides $1200 Cannondale was quite impressed.This is not a trail bike!But a road bike that will handle any dirt road or 2 track.Great deal for the money!And VERY cool looking!

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Introducing the Jeep Compass Hybrid bicycle. It's the perfect bicycle for a ride to the coffee shop or for a work out! At the heart of the Compass you'll find a light weight, hand crafted, custom aluminum frame. The Jeep Compass Hybrid Bicycle delivers unrivaled performance thanks to a Shimano 21 speed drive train. An upright riding position, adjustable stem and light weight 700c alloy rims create a bike that has the comfort and durability of a touring bike with the crisp handling of a race bike

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Schwinn Pillow Top Cruiser Bicycle Seat Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife and I both have the same bikes, with very similar setups. We both needed replacement saddles around the same time, so I did my homework and purchased two of these Schwinn Pillow Top saddles. What a difference! No more sore rear end! Don't be fooled by the "pillow top" desciption - it's just marketing. It's not "soft" like a pillow. The seat is firm, but comfortable enough for long rides, with a stable frame and well matched springs. The split down the middle of the seat is functionally effective without making the seat feel odd. It doesn't feel like there is a major section of the seat cut out. Also, it's not really a big, wide, oversized seat like a lot of the "cruiser" marketed seats. In other words, it doesn't look out of place or dorky on our hybrid street/trail bikes. I would definitely recommend buying this replacement model from Schwinn.

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Do away with discomfort while cycling with this Schwinn Pillow Top cruiser bicycle seat. The seat is outfitted with extra gel for maximum comfort, along with a weather-resistant Lycra cover. It's the perfect addition to cruiser bikes, comfort bikes, and casual-riding road bikes.

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Pacific Exploit Front Suspension Girl's/Women's Bike Review

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(More customer reviews)The price is good; but, and these are big BUTS!
Let me preface this by saying, I have ridden for many years with a bike club. I have also been a bike mechanic and have worked on all sorts of bikes from high end carbon fiber road bikes, to aluminum frame, chrome-moly, and good old fashion steel bikes.
I have put together many off the rack production bikes. This one by far is the worst.
DESIGN FLAW:
The geometry of the bike is such that the crank arms and pedals place are only 3 inches from the front tire. This 3 inches is WITHOUT your feet in position. For a normal 12 year old child, and I measured this, their shoe front is JUST 1/2 INCH AWAY FROM THE FRONT TIRE!!! This has disaster written all over it. I mean what child can ride in perfect foot position. The only fix for this is toe clip cage. Most 12 year old children can't ride with toe clip cages, or will not use them.
CRAFTSMANSHIP:
Each of the rims for the tires were wavy. The deviation was slight greater 1/4 from center. Steel rims are difficult to true. Even on a truing stand, you can't remove the blip. The problem is from the manufacturer. Also the decals were ripped and applied with bubbles and wiped off with a dirty greasy rag. The paint job had many dings and scratches from either manufacturing, packaging or shipping. I would think the two aforementioned.
The brakes on this bike are a joke. Linear pull brakes are cheap form of braking. Shimano has a version called the V brake. The problem lies in this: Cheap or poorly-specified linear pull brakes can suffer sudden catastrophic failure when the noodle end pulls through the metal stirrup. This will leave you with NO braking whatsoever!
Compared to side caliper brakes, these are very poor in function and design.
The components are poorly made. They are not not quality known manufacturers like Shimano, Campy, or SRAM.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to see what the company is willing to do. The problem this is a present for my child. She is in love with it. I can fix almost everything on this but the design flaw. I can only place the toe clip cages on there for her if in insists on keeping it.
Thus far, Pacific has not impressed me...nor other reviewers in this category. Looking at other models from them in this genre, 24" girl's bikes, they just don't seem to understand the market.
If I can't get satisfaction, I am probably going to look at HUFFY. For the most part, their off the rack bikes are okay.

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