Good News: 1 week, 147.6 miles on Schwinn Sidewinder

Over the past 7 days I have ridden 147.6 miles on my new Schwinn
Sidewinder. My likes and dislikes so far.

Likes:
1) Brakes work perfect
2) Gears shift perfect
3) Smoother ride than road bike/hybrid
4) No squeaks, quiet bicycle.
5) No major problems
6) $9 Schwinn cyclometer working perfectly, within 0.4% of GPS distance.
7) Can handle sandy dirt roads much easier than hybrid 700x35c
8) Came with bolt holes in frame making mounting rear rack easy.

Dislikes & Problems:
1) If you are tall, this bike will not fit you well. I got the seat as
high as it can get via the min line and I could use another inch
2) Seat bolt for adjusting the angle of the seat came loose twice on one
ride. It may have been me not adjusting the hex screw back correctly.
Problem has not reoccured since.
3) It weighs a ton

Maintenance:
Had to adjust the low screw on the rear derailer slightly probably due
to chain streching which occurs on nearly all bicycles at first. Lubed
the chain and any moving areas like the cranks and hubs. Tires were down
to 50psi after I inflated them to 65psi last week. I assume this is
normal. If not let me know. Reinflated tires to 65psi.

Items added so far:
Rear rack
$9 12 function Schwinn cyclometer
GPS mount for my Etrex Legend
Front bag, removable.

Plans:
Going to replace current tires with slicks.
Going to add handlebar ends to give my hands a few more grip positions

Thinking back, I think the $58 Roadmaster I got before this was
previously returned or ridden. I got no owners manual on it and the
cardboard things on the tires were removed and the seat was higher. The
new ones assembled there had manuals and the seats were set for the
lowest setting. Or I got a lemon.

So far I like this bike a lot. I'll be taking a three day, 160 mile
fully loaded tour in a few weekends. I'll report back after that.

Cheers,

http://www.sell-free.com/FIRSTLINESE..._Spray/5th.htm

and try linseed oil on your threads and nuts!
Wal self sealing tubes and Slime's liners in the tires!

good luck!

GPSBlake writes:

Over the past 7 days I have ridden 147.6 miles on my new Schwinn
Sidewinder. My likes and dislikes so far.

With 100 mi or more on the bicycle, now it's time to take a look at
the hubs and readjust the cones. Some hubs are shipped NOS with tight
cones with the idea that they will loosen up after use.

Basically, give your bike a 30-day checkup (adjust the gears, tighten
the brake cables, make sure all major bearings aren't binding or too
loose : bottom bracket, hubs, pedals, headset.)

I'd do that before embarking on a 200 mi ride to come. That will be
necessary for a fair comparison with a bikeshop bike. All items obey
a "bathtub" curve of failure probability. By servicing your bike
while its in the infant mortality phase, you can greatly increase the
chances of making it to the wear-out phase 100,000 miles from now ..

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Some hubs ship OEM from the factory with tight cones. The idea is
that they will "loosen up" with some use. Others get too loose after
just a few miles.

With 147 miles on the bike, now is the time to adjust all the cables
and check all the major bearings : bottom bracket, axles, pedals, and
headset to ensure proper pre-loading and lubrication.

All manufactured goods obey a "bathtub curve" of failure rates.
Therefore it makes sense to give your bike a 30-day tuneup during the
"infant mortality" phase, to ensure that the bike will make it to the
"wearout" phase 50,000 miles or so from now ...

If you're about to do 160 miles on the bike, I'd give it a 30-day
checkup beforehand to have a fair comparision to a bikeshop-bought
bicycle. I think it's a rare bike that comes in for a 30-day check at
a bike shop with 300 miles logged in only 30 days.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 18:09:24 -0500, GPSBlake
wrote:

[snip]

1) If you are tall, this bike will not fit you well. I got the seat as
high as it can get via the min line and I could use another inch

[snip]

Dear Blake,

Pedal to a local bike shop and ask them about a longer seat
tube. You could get one mail order, but a bike shop will
probably have something that will work fine, and they can
check the diameter and length and install it on the spot.

I was glad that I had a longer seat tube handy when I began
fooling around on a Fury Roadmaster.

Carl Fogel

Some years ago, I couldn't buy a seat tube like I wanted. By the time
I got it long enough, it couldn't survive a 3 foot drop without
bending, even though I took most of the impact in my legs and the
pedals. After bending two bike shop tubes, I bought a piece of steam
pipe and had a machine shop turn down a neck to fit my seat. Total
cost: $25.00.

Sure, the seat post weighed almost as much as a good roadie, but it
never bent! I bet it stuck a foot above the top of the seat tube.

NOTE: Why not a bigger bike frame? Bought the bike based on hilly
topography and then moved to flatlands.

I'll do that and take measurements and stop at the local Goodwill for
one. If they don't have one long enough, I'll go to the LBS. Thanks for
the tip.

Thanks for the advice. The Pacific Bike/Schwinn manual actually talks
about this and shows how to do it. I've never done it in my life but
I'll give it whirl.

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 23:23:16 -0500, GPSBlake wrote:

I'll do that and take measurements and stop at the local Goodwill for
one. If they don't have one long enough, I'll go to the LBS. Thanks for
the tip.

Shop around on that item if you get quoted prices over $20. One of
the local independent shops reliably has a decent generic brand for
$15.
--
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I had a friend that bought a Sidwewinder a couple years ago and liked
it. Or at least he liked it for the 1 season he rode it before it fell
apart. It all works out though since his whole plan was to buy a new,
cheap bike every year to avoid maintenance and replacing things like
tires.

I'll be sticking with my Trek.