Decent road bike from Walmart: 26" Mens' Schwinn Varsity Road Bike, $199.77

alphasux said: Lots of people want a "new" bike. This is a cheap way to get one.

Great post OP!

lano, go ahead and buy the bike. don't come back to us saying oh this bike is **** after your first criterium. How would I know this? I cycle. I'm just letting people know that a new cheap bike isn't necessarily the best way to go if you're thinking of going into the sport. Leisure wise, it should be fine.

and oh yeah, the point of the forum is for people to voice their opinions and other people to rebut opinions. I don't see any constructive comments from you.

OP good post anyway

omniviper said: for the amount of money, i would check out craigslist/ eBay and get an old dura ace/ ultegra setup. At this price, usually the components are trash

i agree 100% with this.. they are right.. you are better off buying a used bike from someone who is upgrading.. try this site www.roadbikereview.com/ as well.. they have good deals here and there..

Just to add, bikes built by employees at WalMart are some of the worst put together you'll see. I used to work at a bike shop and people would end up spending more money getting the bike properly adjusted when they could have bought a "decent" bike for the total amount of money spent. It's not just the money but the safety factor. Also, buying from a bike shop should also include some type of "break-in" tune up plus maybe a yearly tune up. Usually you'll get a discount on accessories too.

Photowhit said: I'm not piling on but more curious about the use of the Old Schwin Varsity name.

If the other cyclist have looked at it it's one odd puppy! Aluminum frame 26" bike with drop handlebars, Looked like it might make an OK budget touring bike, so I'm going to count the spokes and the front wheel is 36 spoke radially laced or single cross!!! To few spokes to be a fashion statement and to many to be laced this way for a light wheel.

Is this new? I'm no hack, I've got some 10,000 miles touring.

Heck the last trip I took I used a montain bike and had a hard time finding 36 spoke wheels (I'm a big guy)

Anybody want to clue me in? Am I just wrong headed have things changed? Perhaps this is a mislabled 700c?

rbreview should be able to help you. the schwinn looks kind of decent. you could ask their opinion regardign that

Hey Photo-

This is bike has nothing to do with the classic Schwinn's from years ago. Pacific Bicycle acquired the Schwinn namesake and what what was left of their operations. It seems there are two distinct offerings from Schwinn, one for your LBS (the good stuff) and one for the big box stores (not so good stuff). The bike here is of the latter and is spec'd with 26" wheels since these parts are plentiful and are easier to come by (just go to wallly world and toyz r uz to see). I'd venture a guess that the the only thing that makes this a road bike is the drop style handlebar.

roadiemike said: Hey Photo-

This is bike has nothing to do with the classic Schwinn's from years ago. Pacific Bicycle acquired the Schwinn namesake and what what was left of their operations. It seems there are two distinct offerings from Schwinn, one for your LBS (the good stuff) and one for the big box stores (not so good stuff). The bike here is of the latter and is spec'd with 26" wheels since these parts are plentiful and are easier to come by (just go to wallly world and toyz r uz to see). I'd venture a guess that the the only thing that makes this a road bike is the drop style handlebar.

Anyone who knows anything at all about bikes knows that Schwinn is a top brand name. Always has been always will be. Schwinn are top quality bikes although they are now owned by Pacific Bicycle who also makes Kulana and Mongoose. Schwinn remains probably the best brand name and quality bicycle in the world. Anyone who says differently is a fool.

$59 Honda 26" Dual Suspension model at TRU B+M and Online.

PeakMaster said: roadiemike said: Hey Photo-

This is bike has nothing to do with the classic Schwinn's from years ago. Pacific Bicycle acquired the Schwinn namesake and what what was left of their operations. It seems there are two distinct offerings from Schwinn, one for your LBS (the good stuff) and one for the big box stores (not so good stuff). The bike here is of the latter and is spec'd with 26" wheels since these parts are plentiful and are easier to come by (just go to wallly world and toyz r uz to see). I'd venture a guess that the the only thing that makes this a road bike is the drop style handlebar.

Anyone who knows anything at all about bikes knows that Schwinn is a top brand name. Always has been always will be. Schwinn are top quality bikes although they are now owned by Pacific Bicycle who also makes Kulana and Mongoose. Schwinn remains probably the best brand name and quality bicycle in the world. Anyone who says differently is a fool.

You just dug yourself a trench, jumped in, and had 10 metric tons of BS piled on with that statement. Schwinn is nothing more then a token name that was bought out and essentially drained for all it was worth see Mongoose. Good brands are Trek/Gary Fisher, Specalized, Iron Horse, Scott, Motobecane and the majority you will find at a local bike shop. Your comparison about Schwinn being the "best" brand name is like saying Power Wheels are tops on the moster truck circuit besting Bigfoot himself. -amused-

If the shipping weight is really 29 lb, it would be about 25 lb after packaging. Sounds like a decent starter bike for $150.

FW spirit is to buy item with high quality to price ratio. The quality is not great but the price make up for it. A good deal is you get more than you paid for.

DigDoug6179 said: DamnoIT said: PeakMaster said: roadiemike said: Hey Photo-

This is bike has nothing to do with the classic Schwinn's from years ago. Pacific Bicycle acquired the Schwinn namesake and what what was left of their operations. It seems there are two distinct offerings from Schwinn, one for your LBS (the good stuff) and one for the big box stores (not so good stuff). The bike here is of the latter and is spec'd with 26" wheels since these parts are plentiful and are easier to come by (just go to wallly world and toyz r uz to see). I'd venture a guess that the the only thing that makes this a road bike is the drop style handlebar.

Anyone who knows anything at all about bikes knows that Schwinn is a top brand name. Always has been always will be. Schwinn are top quality bikes although they are now owned by Pacific Bicycle who also makes Kulana and Mongoose. Schwinn remains probably the best brand name and quality bicycle in the world. Anyone who says differently is a fool.

You just dug yourself a trench, jumped in, and had 10 metric tons of BS piled on with that statement. Schwinn is nothing more then a token name that was bought out and essentially drained for all it was worth see Mongoose. Good brands are Trek/Gary Fisher, Specalized, Iron Horse, Scott, Motobecane and the majority you will find at a local bike shop. Your comparison about Schwinn being the "best" brand name is like saying Power Wheels are tops on the moster truck circuit besting Bigfoot himself. -amused-

Don't forget Cannondale. I paid around $900 for my Cannondale road bike and it is worth it.

A bike from Wal-Mart is a bike from Wal-Mart. LOL. Wal-Mart is known for cheap goods, not superior goods.

One thing you have to worry about with Cannondale is some of thier proprietary parts that have to be made by surprise, Cannondale. I not saying they shouldn't be included with the good bikes list becase they make good bikes it's just they can be a bugger with the non standard parts.

For those who want a suggestion the Dual Sport or hybrid bikes provide generally a rugged frame with a higher gearing and somewhat knobby tires for use on and a litte off road. I have my heart set on a Gary Fisher Utopia that runs 29 inch for a little nicer ride and a bit more speed vs. 26's. If you buy a last years model generally you can save 30%-40%, so finding a GOOD bike for the upper 200's can be done, just find it early or in the winter.