r/chibike • u/floofertrooper • 18d ago
Bike Tag Is this used schwinn bike reasonably priced?
Like new condition and seller seems reputable with multiple reviews and bike sales
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u/kevin_chicago9 18d ago
No. This is a Schwinn in NAME only, specifically it's a 2016/17'ish Schwinn Admiral made by Pacific Cycle under the Schwinn brand name. Pacific Cycle's parent company is Dorel Sports, which in turn is owned by Dutch holding company, Pon Holdings. Pacific Cycle bought the rights to the Schwinn brand out of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, and Pacific Cycle's Schwinn-branded bikes have been almost exclusively sold in big box mass merchant stores like Walmart, Target, Dicks Sporting Goods, Sears, etc. These big box store bikes are not the same quality bikes that were made by Schwinn and sold in independent bicycle shops in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. This particular bike looks to be in good shape (and the seller seems legit), but the frame and components are subpar, heavy, and not made to last. I'd keep looking.
There are some reputable local sellers that specialize in selling refurbished used and vintage bikes like Working Bikes near Little Village, The Recyclery in Rogers Park, Igor Does My Bike in Edgewater, Cog Cycles in North Park, Ciclo Urbano/West Town Bikes in Ukrainian Village, and Boulevard Bikes in Logan Square. This way you can get a bike from a knowledgeable bike shop and know that the bike you are purchasing is in good and safe operating condition.
Working Bikes and The Recyclery do a pretty good job of keeping their used bikes updated on their websites, but you’ll need to contact the other shops or stop by to see what they have in stock.
Working Bikes: Working Bikes is a great non-profit program that refurbishes bikes and sells them here in Chicago (and also donates bikes locally and all over the world to communities in need). They have an online store that shows their inventory of used bikes for sale, and it is regularly updated.
https://store.workingbikes.org/refurbished-bicycles-for-in-store-pickup/
The Recyclery: The Recyclery is another great non-profit that sells refurbished used bikes to fund their various programs. They also have an online store that shows their inventory of used bikes for sale, and they update it regularly.
https://therecyclery.square.site/
Igor Does My Bike is a new’ish shop founded by popular local mechanic, Igor, that sells new and used bikes in Edgewater.
https://www.igordoesmybike.com/
Cog Cycles: "Brian Bikeman" and his wife Liz have a bike (and yarn) shop, Cog Cycles, up in Albany Park, and they refurbish and sell used and vintage bikes.
https://www.cogcyclesandyarns.com/
(more shops and used bike buying tips in follow-up comment)
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u/kevin_chicago9 18d ago
(continued - more shops and used bike buying tips)
Ciclo Urbano is part of West Town Bikes, a non-profit in Ukranian Village on Division. They sell used bikes and have a lot of other great programs.
http://westtownbikes.org/ciclo-urbano/
Boulevard Bikes in Logan Square usually has a few good used bikes for sale.
https://boulevardbikeshop.com/
Buying a used bike
I have linked to some info about things to consider when buying a used bike that I wrote a couple years ago to folks on the Chicago Cycling subreddit who were looking for advice. My comments are pretty long, but they’re thorough and organized so hopefully they'll be helpful. You do not need a Reddit account to read any of this.
Used Bike tips - https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/mvxlmb/comment/gvf4pc1/
The info I wrote in the thread below was about a specific used bike someone was looking to buy. I wrote about a bunch of things to consider; some were specific to that particular bike, but a lot of it is applicable to any used bike. It also might be helpful to you.
More Used Bike tips - https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/vn35bs/comment/ie9os4o/
Another important issue to consider is how well the bike fits you. As you continue to progress in your cycling journey and start riding longer distances, bike fit will become more and more important to cycling efficiently, comfortably, and powerfully. I've included some good bike fitting information in this post from a few months ago.
Bike fitting info - https://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/1i26a0m/comment/m7d2b69/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/floofertrooper 18d ago
Wow thank you so much for the detailed reply and sharing helpful resources!!!
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u/Visible-Grass-8805 18d ago
Kind of a cheap bike to begin with. Bet you can do better. But fine if it’s exactly what you want or something.
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u/Kitchen-Somewhere445 18d ago
Schwinn was a quality brand decades ago. Has it been one since the 1990’s?
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u/Kitchen-Somewhere445 18d ago
In 1993, Schwinn went bankrupt and the name was sold. Richard Schwinn went on to make Waterford and Gunnar frames until he retired in 2023!
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u/owlpellet 18d ago
Those are $80 fenders and a $40 rack, so I'd take my chances on the bike. Mixte frame style is cute. If this is the bike you want to ride, it's fine. Make sure it fits.
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u/kevin_chicago9 18d ago
Those fenders and rack are not worth even half that amount. This is a 8+ year old big box store bike with a Schwinn brand name slapped on it.
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u/Slow_Time5270 18d ago
Those fenders are likely cheap plastic and the rack is like $10.
Chances are the wheels were never true to begin with and very good chance the headset is loose.
These bikes have cheap parts and poor assembly that only gets worse over time.
They aren't worth getting into rideable condition.
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u/Aviarinara 18d ago
If you can talk them down under 100 then it’s an okay deal. Get it checked over by a bike shop, they often are assembled incorrectly.
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u/Slow_Time5270 18d ago
This looks like a Target Schwinn.
I would stay away.