Customer Reviews

Schwinn Hinge Folding Bike

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Although not as light or well built as a Dahon (Broadwalk model), I find this bike to be a decent alternative. Fenders are made of plastic, luggage rack is convienent, nicely supplied nylon protective bag for the bike in the folded position. Front and rear hand brakes, (no coaster brakes). What I didn't like about the bike is that the crank arm is made of plastic. Although thick, it's just chromed plastic. About $40-60 less than the Dahon Broadwalk.

First off, It is not that easy to put together and take apart. If you like pinching your fingers on a daily basis, then this is the kind of bike for you. Also, I bought it so I would make the train but it takes forever to unfold it and fold it. It also weights alot more than expected.So, I would say if you think you want to buy a fold away bike go to your local bike shop first then buy online.

We had this bike for over a year and ride daily, mostly in our subdivision, and have not had to do any thing but fill air in the tires and adjust the brakes since first arrival. It arrive damaged in shipping. The plastic chain guard was broken and the crank arm and sprocket were bent. Pacific cycle sent the chain guard immediately and sent the wrong crank a month later. Never mind, I was able to bang the crank back into shape with a rubber hammer (made of soft aluminum apparently) and it rode fine. This bike is small and does not have gears. It takes more effort and goes slower than a larger wheeled bike. If you ride for excercise mostly as we do, this is not an issue. The smaller wheels make this bike smaller when folded which is handy expecially for folding a putting into the car. For the size of bike, it is heavy but still lighter than our 20" folding bike. Most people seem to like the appearance of this bike. The bike rack is sturdy and has proved quite useful carring small boxes home for the community mail boxes. The plastic fenders have worked well and do not seem to break easily. The folding is accomplished easily enough but there are opportunities to pinch oneself, especially with the pedal. The bag does make it easier to handle but is not worth bothering with when putting it in the back of the SUV. All in all we are happy with this bike and think it is a good value.

Arrived in crushed box, but bike was fine. Works like shown, and easy to fold. Rides fine. I had bike repairer check and adjust everything. I MADE A MISTAKE, was going to buy 7 speed but chose wrong. but my bike guy says maybe i did right. I get messed up changing gears. For now will build up my riding abilities til i can ride a geared bike. And i am afraid to ride on streets, so i can drive this where i want to go, cause it folds.

This is a pretty nice little bike, within certain limits. I've had mine about 6 weeks now.

I've had various bikes before, including a Cannondale racing bike and a Brompton folding bike that I bought in 1997 for about $1000, which ended up getting stolen.

OK, so this Schwinn isn't quite as convenient to fold as the Brompton and it doesn't have gears, but it doesn't cost that kind of money, and it IS a nice little bike that is useful for running about on a campus type environment, in a subdivision, in a park, or around town for short distances.

I live in Florida where the terrain is all flat, and I find that the single gear gets me around briskly enough and that I can make adequate headway when riding into the wind.

As I am at the top end of the weight range for this bike, I find that the brakes are somewhat lacking in stopping power even when well adjusted, and wouldn't recommend this machine for running down steep hills.

I did replace the original saddle with one that has a bit more padding and springs to absorb the bumps, attached a pair of handlebar extenders to give a bit more reach, and buy a rubber tie-down strap to hold it all together when folded. It is really important to get the angle of the saddle adjusted just right, because you are sitting in an upright position with a lot of weight on your rear, which can become uncomfortable over time.

The bike runs very smoothly and I enjoy going out on it. Being a folder, you can easily store it indoors or carry it in the trunk of a car, which makes it more versatile than a full size bike. I use mine mainly for exercise.

By the way, I would disregard any spiel about the noble history of Schwinn bicycles. The company went bankrupt and the factory closed in about 1980. The brand name was bought by another company, and my bike was made in China. Still, it is a nice little bike and seems like a decent value. I don't think you are paying over the odds for the Schwinn badge.

I know there are a lot of folding bike enthusiasts who look down on the "cheap folding bikes" like this one, which I bought two years ago. But my mother-in-law made a good point: when I told her there were probably better quality folders on the market if you could afford them, she said, "Sure, and Cadillacs are better quality cars than VW Bugs, but not everyone can afford them - and they both get you to the grocery store!"

So if you're on a limited budget and just need a nice bike to ride around the neighborhood and occasionally toss in the trunk to have with you for the beach or the park, this is just fine. In fact, I just recently started riding it again, after letting my mother-in-law use it for a few months. While it's not all that comfortable, it did take me on a nice 10-mile round trip on a bike trail at the beach this morning, and last week I used it to get some packages to the Post Office when my car had a flat. For about $160 that's not too bad.

Also, yes, as others have mentioned, it is a bit heavy so probably wouldn't work if you need to carry your bike around a lot, or if you have trouble lifting heavy objects. But frankly I like the heavier weight, as it makes the bike feel more stable to ride.

Just one thing: DEFINITELY plan on replacing the saddle when you get it!

This bike arrived with a broken piece of plastic for a chain covering and the chain itself fell off instantly because it turned out that the cog it turned on was bent out of shape so there wasn't even a chance it would run. Pretty worthless and was a lot of inconvenience so I strongly recommend against buying this, especially since another reviewer had exactly the same two issues and so this is not an isolated occurrence.

Rami

I was eager to ride my Schwinn Hinge but when my son arrived to inflate the tires and replace the seat with a more comfortable one, he noted that the chain wheel was warped right out of the box, which made the bike unusable. Whatever happened to quality control? Luckily, UPS can pick the bike up and ship it back to Amazon.com, which is a benefit of buying with them.

I'm quite pleased with this bike. I think its a great starter folding bike for a teenager or adult who is new to folding bikes. Everything arrived assembled except for inserting the pedals. Not a real issue at all for me. Also, I'm a heavier rider whose weight is within the maximum range and this bike is durable enough to support me comfortably.

Although one of the pedals folds, it would be more ideal in my opinion to have both pedals fold. Also, I wish they made a lighter weight version of this bike with atleast a 3, 5 or 6 speed internal hub shifter.

Overall this bike is a bargain, rides okay for the city and along paved bike trails.

Out of the box, the hinge bolt was very stiff, and needed a punch and hammer to loosen it. This has improved on use. The tires rubbed on the splash guards, and the brake blocks, and the tires did not stay inflated as I would expect. To transport this product, one should tie the wheels together, and also the folded handlebars, before bagging it. The carry bag is a good idea.
On flat terrain the bike was excellent for cruising, but the single gear made slopes an effort.
Good bike for going to the shops in flatland.