Customer Reviews

Schwinn Solution FS AL Men's Mountain Bike (26-Inch Wheels)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is a bit of weird that My order status flipped from "shipping soon" to "not yet shipped" and back to "shipping soon" again. But yesterday my bike finally arrived. It is nicely packaged with almost everything assembled except handle bar, seat, front wheel and pedals. Since it was the first time I assembled a bike, it took me about 1 hour to put everything together and adjust the bike to a satisfied condition. I think I can do it within 30 minutes next time. By the way, I am not a mechanical person or handy man. I just read the manual and use some common sense. I do need some tools such as allen wrench.

I would recommend you put on the seat post/saddle and handle bar first (be sure to route the brake and derailleur cables properly), turn the bike upside down on a floor mat or something similar (to protect your handle bar and saddle), and then put on the front wheel and pedals. Overall things worked out great for me. There is some very minor scratch on front wheel rim, rear brake takes some adjustment, real wheel may need a little bit of truing (off by probably less than 1mm as I can tell) but that is it. Both front and rear derailleurs worked right out of box without any adjustment.

It is a pity that manufacturer did not publish bike geometry. I took sometimes to make some measurement, hope it can help others to chose right bikes. This is for 16-inch frame only.

Weight (fully assembled) including kick stand: about 30.5 lbs, gives or takes a few ounces.

seat tube length: about 15 and 1/2 inches, a little bit less than the nominal size (16 inches).

seat post length: about 10 and 3/4 inches (275 mm). Minimum insertion mark is about 4 inch from the end of seat post, so at most you can raise seat post to a little bit over 6 inch. I have a 30 inches inseam and have to raise seat post almost to the minimum insertion mark to fit my legs. If you inseam is over 30 inches, you will need a 20-inch frame version or get a longer seat post.

effective top tube length: about 21 and 1/4 inches

bottom bracket height: about 10 and 7/8 inches (275 mm). This is a little bit lower than average hardtail mountain bike. It will be easy for you to tiptoe on the ground while you are sitting on the saddle.

crank length: 170mm. Better than 175mm crank in most adult mountain bike if your legs are not too long, IMO.

handle bar width: about 25 inches

handle bar is about 38 inches above the ground which is about 3 inches above saddle for me.

The saddle is better than I expected, not too soft, not too hard. Front suspension fork is one of the entry level and not adjustable. But its stiffness is also about right for me, maybe a little bit too soft on the pavement but it is always a compromise unless I wanted to upgrade to a fork with preload adjustment and lockout.

Both brakes are very sensitive. If I applied it too hard it will lock the wheel and make it skid. It takes me sometimes to get used to it.

Overall a very good entry level mountain bike. With some adjustment and tuneup, it is comparable to a $400 bike sold in specialty store. The only thing I don't like is the pedals, which I feel are a little bit flimsy. I will see how long it will hold. It may need a upgrade.

If you wanna go tearing down the mountain full throttle DO NOT BUY this bike! but if you're looking for a really good cruisin' bike and maybe you wanna hit some soft trails,ride down 5 or 6 concrete stairs,then this is the perfect bike for you....It goes together pretty easy but expect to adjust the brakes before going for a ride which really is no big deal...you did buy it online after all so some assembly is to be expected. The one thing you should know is BUY some aftermarket pedals for this bike,the one's that come with the bike SUCK!! 15 minutes into my first ride the left one started to click and I didn't like that at all..The brakes that come with this bike aren't bad at all,they are shimano's basic brake but they get the job done. I really like the quick release tires and the front suspension(not to much travel in them) and I was really suprised I didn't have to adjust the deraillers. on my first ride I jumped some curbs and went down 6 or 7 stairs and there were no problems with the chain or the shifting(very smooth)...the bike itself is light,my 8 yr old nephew picked it up easily enough. I'm 5' 9" and 190 and the 18 in. frame fit me quite well just to give you a referance...If I want to go like a bat out of hell down the mountain I'll use my 01 Motiv..everything else my new Solution should handle quite well....I'll update this review in a couple hundred miles...

Bought this bike with a 20" frame and it's well-worth the money. Front derailleur had to be readjusted as the chain was too close to the bracket and was slightly rubbing against it. Like other reviewers have already pointed out the pedals are cheap and the right one has already started clicking as the ball bearing fell apart after the first ride. The seat is on the hard side, but i was expecting it and ordered a replacement. One of the noodles/brake housings is a little too short, i'm going to call up schwinn and ask for a replacement. Overall this bike is well-built and should last, as long as you stay on moderate trails and make proper adjustments on-time. I would recommend this bike if you're on a budget and looking for a larger frame mountain bike that's light and well-built.

This bike was my perfect solution in finding a reasonably priced larger 20" frame. The components on the bike are respectable but i have done some upgrading. Upgrading the bike was simple with it being very servicable and ordering all the needed tools here on Amazon. I will make a list of all the specifics for part replacement below.

1. 13-28 freewheel: using a Park Tool FR-1 to remove the stock freewheel. I had to replace a faulty freewheel shortly after getting the bike. I replaced it with a shimano 13-28 freewheel which is the exact same as the stock freewheel.
2. 68x127 bottom bracket: Using a Park Tool BBT-22 to remove the Semi Sealed stock bottom bracket. You will also need a Park Tool BBT-7 lockring wrench to remove the lockring on the stock bottom bracket. I replaced the old bracket after a failed bearing with a SHIMANO BB-UN54 sealed cartridge bottom bracket size 68x127. It was a great replacement.

All together I am very happy with this bike! It is very good quality and easily servicable at home with the correct tools. I found all the tools I need right here on Amazon to do all the work I have done so far. I plan on upgrading the brakes soon too with shimano Deore mountain bike brakes. I will also replace the stock 24-34-42 170mm crankset for a Shimano exact replacement which I found from Niagara Cycles here on Amazon. Awesome Bike. Super solid and light! Maybe this bike is your Solution like it was mine!

All the hardware is noticably better than anything you would find in a superstore like wal-mart or target. Came from Amazon and all parts were correct and undamaged. Front and rear derailleur are good quality and able to adjust so that all gear combinations will not rub the front railer, even extreme combinations that wont be used. E-Fire shifters work quickly and effeciently. I bought this and a Schwinn High Timber and the difference in quality and parts are worth way more than the 20-50 dollar price difference between the two. The Schwinn High Timber felt near twice as heavy and nothing about the bike seemed to warrant a 190 price tag by a long shot. Spend the extra money and get this quality bike. A few things could be upgraded. Seat is hard/uncomfortable and so are the handlebar grips. Also the tires arent agressive enough. You can't stand up and pedal up steep gravel or dirt as the tires will spin and you'll just sit there wasting effort. Only bad thing about the bike that I've found is that the handlebar stem cannot be adjust in height. If you take any of the four spacers out to lower height, the handlebar stem will no longer sit tightly into the threadless headset. I have not found a way to remedy this. I'd say the small 16 inch frame would accomodate 5'6 or shorter. Medium 18 inch - 5'7 to 5'10. Large 20 inch - 5'11 or taller.

Ultra-pleased with this purchase. This is a ton of bike for the money. Nice feel, sturdy construction, great value. The Schwinn Solution FS is a real find for moderate bike riders (who wish they could find more time to ride - like me). No regrets. Great offering Amazon!

I've had this bike for a few weeks now, and don't regret buying it. As others mentioned already, unpacking and assembly is trivial. It took me no more than 20 minutes with standard tools and I'm not an expert by any means. This bike is well constructed and very sturdy, yet surprisingly light. I especially like the gear shift with levers, powerful yet progressive brakes, and overall handling precision. For the amount of money Amazon is asking, I don't believe you can find better value elsewhere. Add on top of this reliable delivery and great customer service, as usual. A very satisfied customer.

I bought this bike in Spring of this year. I've been using it for a few months now and have made a list of the pros and cons.

Pros
-----------
- Made by Schwinn. Sturdy construction and a trusted brand that has been building quality bikes for generations.
- The wheels and tires. Pretty nice tires if you're using the bike moderately for recreation. Definitely not for the hardcore biker, but it handles pavement and dirt trails well.
- Weight. I saw reviews of people saying this bike is heavy. I honestly think the bike is pretty light. Maybe not as light as the description shows, but for its size, I don't think it's bulky or clunky.
- The shocks absorbers. They have a lot of give and spring back comfortably. Very smooth motion, not stiff at all.

Cons
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- The assembly instructions. It comes with a huge manual that contains generic instructions for putting together countless different models. It was hard to decipher which instructions applied to my bike. This made the assembly process pretty cumbersome. If you aren't good with mechanical stuff, you may have to bring this somewhere for assembly.
- The seat. It feels sturdy and probably won't break, but it feels like you're sitting on a 1/2" thick piece of metal. There's absolutely no padding. I solved the problem by buying a cover for it. Not the best solution since the cover slips and moves. Buying a new, more comfortable seat isn't an option, at least not that I've found. Because of the way the stem is configured, the seat cannot be replaced with anything I saw at Target or Dick's Sporting Goods. Even using seats made by Schwinn.

Overall, this bike is a very good value, especially considering the price is pretty low. It's a good choice for anyone looking for a bike to use moderately in typical mountain biking conditions.

Just got the bike in a couple of days ago. It comes shipped like almost any other bike you will buy online. (front tire, pedals, and handlebars off, inside a box, inside of a bigger box.)
Super easy to put together and set up. i had mine adjusted and ride-able in about 20 minutes.
It's not the lightest bike ever, it weighed in at 31.8lbs(+\- ~.5) with the kickstand, which is gone now.
when you are riding the bike, it feels very light and nimble, but strong. It takes small drops like a champ, absorbing them and not complaining clankily. The front fork is good, but not as reactive as i would have liked. Now, this is just out of the box, and im going to mess with it when i have more time.
I was surprised to find that mine shifts gears quickly and smoothly without any adjustment! This usually isnt a selling point for me, but i was pleased i didnt have to tinker with it and add another 30-45 minutes to set up time.
Over all it seems like a really nice bike for the money. I am happy with it after the first 2 rides, it handles well, i was able to hop more than a few curbs(6" - 10") and nothing disintegrated.

Keep in mind these first rides were purposefully rough.
After a couple hours of somewhat hard riding everything was still intact, BUT there was a couple of problems:
That the brakes lost their adjustment and it all has to be realigned. This is no big deal, usually happens with these kind.
The other problem and a major concern for me is the strength of the rims/spokes.
After this last ride i noticed the rear rim had a slight crook in it. Very slight, maybe 2-3 spokes of adjusting, still, it happened. It's something you are going to have to keep an eye on.

Overall i think this is a good bike for 200$ But i would think about upgrading the rims.
For my application, i think it's going to be perfect, but i guess time will tell.
In the next couple of days it will be turned into a motorized bike with shiftable gears, for mainly road travel.

UPDATE 5/15/2011:
Bike just had a professional tune up after several Crank modifications were made.
Originally i thought the rims were weak, but now i think the spokes were just too loose. still not top quality but 100% better now.
i recommend having each rim professionally tightened and trued. no warps or bends since.

The bike is not too heavy, very easy to assembly (As long as you have your own tools).
The trick part is the front break that you have to adjust with the screw driver so that it keep's distance from the wheel.
To assembly the front wheel, do it with the seat already on and turn the bike upside down. (Maybe it's your first time).
Overall it's quite like PC's, use some logic, plug and play :)
Have fun !