Customer Reviews

Schwinn Midmoor Men's Hybrid Bike (700c Wheels)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've ridden this bike for 4-5 months, a few miles a day. It's a nice (fast!) commute bike, best for roads (but it's fun to drift around on dirt), and it has good, quality parts. I haven't yet gotten the derailleur set correctly, but for the most part I don't care and I'm too busy. It hit the good-enough point and I'm content.
Coming off of a cheap WalMart mountain bike, this thing is heaven. If anybody's looking for a step up from a basic ride-it-sometimes bike, this one is nice. If you're still only going to ride it sometimes, then why bother?
It's a little heavy to be called a road bike, which is probably why it's not, and I'm still wondering why exactly there needs to be a suspension (which must have added a fair share of useless weight). Also, the handlebar isn't as adjustable as most would like, and if you're 6' tall and one of those people who likes their legs to be fully extended when pedaling, it might not be possible on this bike.

10 years ago I wouldn't be caught dead on a bike like this, but time marches on, we get older and less inclined to ride a bike bent over at a 45 degree angle playing chicken with cars and rocks at 60 mph. In the past I have had a Nishiki road bike and a Specialized Rock Hopper mountain bike, both medium priced and much more expensive than this bike. Recently, my girl friend has been pressuring me to get a bike to accompany her on the American River Bike Trail here in Sacramento, and also for a trip to The Grand Tetons/Yellowstone this summer. My gonzo biking days are over, so I wanted the cheapest, most decent, most comfortable bike I could find. Consumer Reports rated this a best buy, so I decided to buy one from Amazon.

It arrived 3 days after ordering in a box measuring 54" length, 29" width, and 7.5" depth. The bike was very well packed and the exterior of the box had only minor shipping scuffs. The box was so well packed that it took me 20 minutes to remove all the foam, cardboard, and protective do-dads. It came with the rear wheel attached to the frame, and the only assembly required was the handlebars, front wheel, pedals, and the seat. The front wheel quick release was packed separately and had to be installed, which only requires pushing it through the hub.

The assembly was not a problem for me as I have completely overhauled bikes in the past, but if you are not mechanically inclined, you might want to have a bike shop assemble the bike and perform minor adjustments. I did have to tweak the rear brakes, as they were not centered, and I noticed the rear wheel was very slightly off true, but not too bad and that can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the spokes. It is better to have a bike shop do that. Surprisingly, all the gears shift with no adjustment at all.

As for fit, I am 6' 1", and standing over the bike with my feet on the ground, there is 3.5-4 inches of clearance between the top tube and my crotch, which is perfect for me. I think this bike would be OK for any one 5' 9" or taller, just make sure there is clearance between the top tube and your crotch to minimize damage to the family jewels. Sitting normally on the bike, I ride in a nearly upright position, although the handlebars can be adjusted to lean forward more if that is your desire. Some people complained about the seat, but I find it OK for the intended purpose of this bike and plan to keep it. The pedals don't impress me much, and I may change to these< ['] or something similar. Strapless toe clips would help too, but clip-ins would be overkill on this bike.

I have been riding the bike around town for a week and everything works with no problems. People that I meet are amazed that I only spent $229 for this thing. I do have some concerns however. The front wheel quick release is a little rough, which wouldn't matter that much, except I have to take the front wheel off to get the bike in my Honda Civic. Also I am concerned about the fact that the wheels only have 24 spokes, which is about half of what a normal bike has. The spokes are thicker than normal, but I think it would be pretty easy to taco the rims with rough treatment, so no riding over curbs and catching air.

Except for a few relatively minor concerns, I think this bike is an amazingly good deal and comparable to a bike costing twice as much. Just keep in mind its intended purpose. This is a hybrid/comfort bike and meant for bike trails and pavement, and maybe smooth dirt roads. It is not meant to be taken down ski runs in the summer. Yes some of my friends do that, with burly mountain bikes of course!

Edit 5/10/11
Just wanted to add that I am still very happy with this bike, although I noticed that the price has gone up. Even so, it is still a good value at the current price. I have made a few modifications that people may be interested in. I replaced the stock pedals with the highly rated "MKS Sylvan Touring Pedal Double Sided" and added "Delta Bicycle Strapless Toe clips" strapless clips. Excellent 5 star Japanese made pedals--a perfect match for this bike, and worth the cost. The Delta strapless toe clips are a little small for my size 11 shoe, but otherwise work great. I replaced the stock handlebar grips with "WTB Comfort Zone Grips" purchased at REI. Now my hands don't tingle on long rides. They appear to be similar to the inexpensive Avenir Comfy Soft grips available from Amazon. Another tip--I don't care what Schwinn or the tire company says, don't inflate the tires more than 30 lbs, unless you want to get a lot of flats. Always carry the "Park Tool TR-1 Tire and Tube Repair Kit" and a small pump like the "Topeak Masterblaster Bike Pump With Gauge". Both the patch kit and the pump are highly rated. All the add-ons are available from Amazon. Good Luck!!

Beautiful bike, has all the right features for a city commuter bike.

The bad:
The free wheel (or AKA "cassette") arrived defective. This is the part that your chain wraps around and has several gears (7 in this case), next to the rear wheel. Some of the gears on the free wheel were bent, cause the gear to slip. Very cheap made in China crap. The good news is that for $20 a bike shop can replace it for a nice Shimano free wheel. Then 1 pedal bent within 30 days (it looks like metal but interior has plastic).

The good:
Had the pedal and free wheel not being so crappy, I give this bike a sure 4 stars after a little money pured in for a free wheel and a pedal. Frame feels very solid and strong, yet lightweight aluminum. After a professional tune-up (and the 2 components above replaced), the bike is handling great.
The shifter is a good Shimano shifter (but not their best of course, this is a $240 bike). The gear changer is a basic Shimano touring, but still a Shimano.
Very easy to assemble. It is mostly assembled. This is the first bike I ever assembled right out of the box. It took me less than 2 hours, going very carefully. As long as you have a basic set of allen key, 1 regular adjustable wrench (for the pedals), and ONLY IF replacing the seat, a ratcheting wrench will be very helpful.

You WILL NEED to have the brakes and gears adjusted, and the wheel trued. If you can't do it, it is worth spending the $50 for a professional shop to do it. The difference afterwards is like night and day.

Conclusion:
This bike should be advertised as great bike that needs some additional parts purchased (to replace the 2 cheap components that will break easily)!
I added a nice comfortable seat, rear and front lights, splash guards (I know they aren't pretty, but necessary on a commuter bike, and actually looked pretty good with it). I might even add a rear rack, since this is now my official commuter bike. Once I poured some money in on repair mentioned above, accessories and a tune-up, I love this bike.

Amazon was out of the light grey ones, so I ended up buying the Schwinn avenue from wally world in a box and assembled it myself.

The bikes are virtually the same. I am very pleased with my purchase. For the cost, I feel that I got a solid, quality feeling bicycle.

The bike comes about 80% assembled, and all you have to do it put on the seat post and seat, install the front wheel and quick release axle, and handlebars. It took me about 20 minutes until I was riding.

I inflated the tires to 70 PSI, and haven't as of yet experienced the dreaded flat tires that people are talking about. The same store I bought the bike from has an abundance of the the tubes needed for this bike so I bought an additional two tubes just in case. I think think they are 700c, 38 x 45, with copper presta valves. The 700c is the diameter of the tube, the 38 is how many millimeters wide the tube is, and the 45 is the lenght of the valve stem or presta valve.

The seat looks like it is made well, yet is pretty uncomfortable. I replaced that with another. It helps if you adjust the horn of the seat down a little so the seat is slight declined so when you ride, that part doesn't hit your pubic bone, and cause soreness. That was your buttocks sit on the back of the seat.

The pedals are plastic junk, I replaced them with some Avenir alloy pedals with better grip, as my feet kept slipping off of those plastic platform pedals that come with it.

YOU DON'T NEED TO TAKE THIS TO A BIKE SHOP AND GET IT "TUNNED". Do it yourself, it couldn't be easier to adjust everything. If you have any questions, comment on this review, and I will try to answer you quickly.

I think this is a good buy. It feels as easy to ride as my 20 year old aluminum racing fuji 10 speed I had as a kid. It is very fast, and easy to ride up the hills. The suspension helps smooth out the bumps and it is exaclty what I was looking for!

Mark :)

UPDATE AS OF 10/10/2010

I have had no issues at all with this bike since getting it. I ride it about 3 times a week on short rides each time (about 5 to 6 miles)

I haven't experience any of the flat tires I was expecting (pinch flats, I think someone said)

I have had no issues what so ever finding the intertubes in the Walmart I bought the bike from, real bike shops, or REI.

I have replaced the platic pedals with Avenir aluminum and steel pedals, put on a headlight, and tail light, put on a water bottle cage, put on a bell, speedo, and a compact air pump, and of course a comfortable Gel seat. I have been riding it without issue.

I probably have about 200 miles on it as of now. I am very pleased with this purchase.

ONE THING I DO RECOMMEND HOWEVER, IS TO CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK. FOR SOME REASON, THESE TUBES THAT CAME WITH THE BIKE LOOSE AIR RATHER RAPIDLY. I think this might contribute to people getting flats, because they don't recheck the airpressure and the tire gets low, and then they get the pinch flats.

Mine lost 10psi over 2 days. It didn't go flat, but it went from say 70psi to 30 psi in about 2 weeks.

Maybe the next intertubes I put in there will be better, but for now, I will just get in the habit of checking tire air pressure once per week.

UPDATE 7/21/2011. I have started riding this bike along with my wife on the NCR trail for 32 miles rides. It rides great, but the back gear set(freewheel) is starting to make a high pitched grinding noise. I ordered a 28T-13 Shimano on here sold through Niagra Cycle works for 20 dollars with shipping. We'll see how that goes.

Tool info:

1. You need the Park Tool, Item # HCW-11 adjustable cup wrench to tighten the bottom bracket bearing without taking off the crank arm.

2. If you do wish to take the crank arm off, you will need the Park tool, CCP-22 to get the crank arm off.

3. To true the well, and tighten the spokes, you will need the BLACK, Park tool, spoke wrench

4. To take off the Freewheel, you need the park tool FR1.

If you want more information about the Schwinn Hybrids, type Mark D Fellows into google, and go to my website.

Mark :)

I purchased my Schwinn Midmoor bicycle about 8 weeks ago and have put 450 miles on it. It arrived safely, and I slapped it together and brought it to a local bike shop for a safety check (which is cheaper than a tune up or assembly). Since then, I had a friend who is a bike mechanic tune up the shifters, which makes a big difference.

I have removed the silly reflectors mounted on the front and rear spokes. I also removed the plastic front and rear sproket protectors (which make the bike look like a department store bicycle).

To make it a real commuter bike, I added a rear rack, two water bottle cages, a pump, a bell, a mirror, front and rear lights, a bike computer, an underseat bike bag (in which I store a spare tube, a repair kit and a bike multi-tool) a small pannier bag for the cross bar, a new seat, and new pedals with toe clips and straps.

I haven't added a chainguard or fenders. I have pants clips so will probably do without the chain guard. I live in Southern California and don't have to ride in the rain or snow, so I can also do without fenders.

I am just under 6' tall and weigh 205 pounds. I am very happy with my bike.

Overall this bike is a great value. Relatively light weight for its price and easy to assemble. There is very minimal assembly needed, which means much of the bike is pre-assembled.

If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, I would suggest having a shop take a look and tweak the brakes & gear shift as I found that it isn't overly ideal.

Not to mention with a new bike it is a good idea after the first month to bring it in to get the brakes adjusted (brake cables stretch).

Everything is great except for the seat. They definitely could've put a more comfortable seat on this thing, however you get what you pay for and that would have increased the pricetag on this otherwise good city bike.

I wanted a nice dureable bike just to run local chores but once I started riding this bike I found myself taking longer and longer rides. I did the 42 mile NYC bike tour on this bike. Aluminum frame makes it light weight for this type of bike. The wheels/spokes give it a distinct look. The seat could have been softer, but other than that it's a great ride. I purchased the bike in February and up to this point it has been completely trouble free. I'm glad I didn't pay the extra $150 for the Schwinn Voyager

Great bike overall, but the seat height is a few inches too high for me. I have it set as low as it can go, but my feet still "dangle in the air" when I try to stop. I had it assembled at a bike shop, so I'm pretty certain I'm not overlooking something...

I'm 5'9" with short legs, and I don't advise this bike unless you have average-long legs.

Hope that helps.

I would say that this is a very good mid-grade bike, great for recreational riding on paved and light/moderate off-road surfaces. It is light and has a quality build true to Schwinn's reputation. 30 minutes and easily assembled right out of the box. Spend the extra $75.00 and let a bike shop tune it up, to make sure all critical pieces are tightened properly, the wheels are trued, brakes are adjusted properly, and all mechanisms are lubed and synchronized- then hit the road! This bike is also a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

I have owned this particular bike for 3 months and probably have ridden it in excess of 1000 miles on paved roads and I have been unbelievably satisfied with its smooth ride, durability, and speed. I have taken this time out to give this critique because I really appreciate the performance of this bike. Prior to purchasing it, I rode my "sidewinder" Schwinn which I also grew to really love, although it is more of a mountain bike. The derailleurs and gears on the Midmoor change very nicely without hardly a click. Yes, in agreement with the other commentators, it would be better to be at least 5'9", although I believe shorter riders could still touch the pavement with the front part of their feet and balance this bicycle.

I ordered this bicycle on line and it comes almost assembled. After assembling it myself, with little difficulty, I did hear a scraping noise by the chain rubbing against the guide. I took it in to my local bike shop and had them professionally "tune up the derailleurs" and brakes for a minimal amount. It was like tuning up my Classic Mustang and it really hauled. The problem causing the rub is that the derailler came from the factory a bit low on the frame and caused the chain to rub against the metal guide. It was a minor adjustment and a person unfamiliar with bikes really needs to make absolutely sure that the brakes are adjusted properly, especially if you ride fast like I do. I have been able to outrun many mean dogs on this bicycle out in the country, but would not recommend you have this type of encounter. Best of Luck to you bicyle enthusiasts. You are in for a real treat!