Looking for opinion on Road bike.
Jeff Cowles
over road bikes lately. I can't afford a $2700 Trek, so I decided to try and
find a used bike. I found a Schwinn 754 aluminum road bike (year???), and
paid $450 for it. I should receive the bike sometime next week, and have
been searching the net for any info on this bike that wasn't in the
description. From the pics it looks nice, and I figure it should be okay for
a beginner. So... I guess what I wanna know is... Did I get screwed???
Here's the description:
You won't see these come around too often! I've seen two, in 3 years on
eBay.....This item is the well renowned Schwinn 754 Paramount Design Group,
14-speed, All Aluminum Racing Bike. 21.5" from crank center to top of seat
tube, 31" standover height. Beautiful pearlescent ivory paint with minimal
scratches. A fantastic mid '90's machine with top notch all original
equipment: Suntour black anodized GPX brake lever/caliper, and derailleur
system, Levin CD Tange headset, Wolber GTX2 black anodized/grommeted rims,
Modolo anatomic bend bars, newer Paramount/Schwinn racing tires, Blackburn
Airstick pump (lug mounted), quick release hubs, and last but not least,
Trek multi-function odometer. Everything is true, tuned and ready to go!
This bike is tight and is responsive as though it were a part of you...
Here's the url to a pic of the bike. Kind of a large file...
http://www.geocities.com/jgs321/schwinn_754.jpg
--
Thanks for any info on this bike,
Jeff
That's "Mr Idiot" to you...
NAR#78230
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/jgs321/
aq...@chebucto.ns.ca
>over road bikes lately. I can't afford a $2700 Trek, so I decided to try and
>find a used bike. I found a Schwinn 754 aluminum road bike (year???), and
>paid $450 for it. I should receive the bike sometime next week, and have
>been searching the net for any info on this bike that wasn't in the
>description. From the pics it looks nice, and I figure it should be okay for
>a beginner. So... I guess what I wanna know is... Did I get screwed???
>
>Here's the description:
>
>You won't see these come around too often! I've seen two, in 3 years on
>eBay.....This item is the well renowned Schwinn 754 Paramount Design Group,
>14-speed, All Aluminum Racing Bike. 21.5" from crank center to top of seat
>tube, 31" standover height. Beautiful pearlescent ivory paint with minimal
>scratches. A fantastic mid '90's machine with top notch all original
>equipment: Suntour black anodized GPX brake lever/caliper, and derailleur
>system, Levin CD Tange headset, Wolber GTX2 black anodized/grommeted rims,
>Modolo anatomic bend bars, newer Paramount/Schwinn racing tires, Blackburn
>Airstick pump (lug mounted), quick release hubs, and last but not least,
>Trek multi-function odometer. Everything is true, tuned and ready to go!
>This bike is tight and is responsive as though it were a part of you...
>
>Here's the url to a pic of the bike. Kind of a large file...
>
>
>--
>Thanks for any info on this bike,
>
>Jeff
>
>That's "Mr Idiot" to you...
>
>NAR#78230
>
hi jeff.
i can't really comment on the bike as a whole, but i can
tell you that i own a full Suntour GPX group, and that it's
quite nice stuff in my opinion. i'm no weight weenie, and
someone will probably correct me, but i think they're quite
light and very durable. (my group is about 12 years old, and
though it's not currently on a bike, i know that if i were to
bring it out tomorrow it would work as if it were new. come
to think of it, i'm using the hubs on my current road bike.)
i've also got the Levin headset you're talking about. also
quite old, but only starting to show it's age. (coincidentally,
i should be replacing it tomorrow.) nice gear as well in my
opinion.
to be quite honest, $450 seems a little steep (and of course
i'm sure i'll be corrected again) but what the hell can ya
do at this point? my advice would be to ride the bike twice
as much and twice as hard `a)
c.
Paul Erickson
Hi Jeff,
I too have been looking for information on this frame, as I own two
of them. Mine are 62cm, so a bit bigger than yours, but I am very
happy with them. I am on the larger side, at @225lbs, and enjoy
the fact that I don't get the bottom bracket flex that I do with
some of the non aluminum frames I have ridden. I cannot comment
on the price you paid, as I am not very familiar with the components
you listed.
Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.
cheers, Paul
Jeff Cowles
$1000 I figure $450 must be okay. I had a hard choice between the Schwinn,
or a Trek that was older than the Schwinn, and $100 more. Price won out in
the end, and I got the Schwinn. The only real concern I have are the Suntour
components. Of course if the frame's good then I can change everything else
out later if need be. Right?
Thanks,
--
Jeff
That's "Mr Idiot" to you...
NAR#78230
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/jgs321/
"Paul Erickson" <pa...@sfu.ca> wrote in message
news:9alf4n$rfn$1...@morgoth.sfu.ca...
Tim Lines
for sure. If you find that you love it, you've done great. That's the measure
that really counts.
On a monetary level, it's a bit more cut and dry. Look through the classifieds
at www.roadbikereview.com to get a feel for used bike prices. With that as a
yardstick I think you'll find that older decent quality used bikes are
ocassionally listed at under $500. Finding one listed (decent quality or not)
for under $300 is rare.
My feeling is that you did OK. I wanted a bike for commuting and spent a long
while looking around. I ended up ordering a new KHS Flite 300 from
www.bikeswholesale.com. It was $369 + shipping for the 2000 model clearance.
It's a new bike and it comes with a warranty but the frame is likely heavier
(Reynolds 520 double butted steel) and the components are lower quality (Shimano
Sora). I took less of a gamble but you might have ended up with the nicer bike.
Bottom line: I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Ride the bike. I hope you
enjoy it.
Jeff Cowles
mountain bike I don't think I'm ever going to put as much emphasis on buying
"new" again. I bought a Fuji, and in less than a year I found that all the
parts that looked like alloy (handlebar, stem, brakes, and brake levers)
were actually steel, and started showing rust. I've just put almost $100
more into the bike replacing these this month, so I don't think I'll buy new
again. I feel a little more secure knowing that it's an alminum frame on the
Schwinn otherwise I wouldn't have bought it off of Ebay... I saw several
steel frame bikes that I could afford, but I don't trust the pictures enough
to beleive there isn't rust on them.
After hearing other's opinions I'm feeling much better about the bike. :-)
Thanks,
--
Jeff
That's "Mr Idiot" to you...
NAR#78230
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/jgs321/
"Tim Lines" <lin...@iname.com> wrote in message
news:3ACE6001...@iname.com...
Frank
think it was 1989. It was my first "real" road bike, and I believe it was
tig welded by Schwinn in Mississippi.
Bike was very nice for its time...not a real harsh ride like Cannondale, GPX
stuff shifted well but lost the marketing battle to Shimano, Wolber rims
stayed true, anatomic bars were new to me but I have used that kind ever
since. All in all, a nice bike.
The main thing is if the bike fits you well. If so, enjoy it
and think of it as an aluminum modern era classic...
MG Maestas
Exage parts) but the frame was the same. I had a different Cro-mo fork, yours
looks to be aluminum.
It was my first racing bike, and I rode it to within an inch of its life. I
blew out all of the components, then replaced them as they failed one by one
with Ultegra. After 2 years, I was hit by a car, replaced the frame with a
Guerciotti, and moved all of the parts over.
Hey, $450 for a starter bike isn't bad. The pictures show the bike to be in
practically new shape.
Put some miles on it, then do as I did and upgrade components.
With an Alu frame, you can't spread the rear triangle to fit an 8/9 speed hub,
but there are plenty of options for your 7 speed group.
There are plenty of 7 speed orphan wheels out there, now that the world is at
130mm 8/9 speed. A nice set of wheels is the best upgrade you can get.
Also, if you want brake/shift combo levers, you can set up a set of Campy ergo
levers (Veloce is a fabulous choice). An 8 speed shifter & rear derailleur
will index perfectly with your 7 speed rear cogs (the spacing is the same).
Good luck and welcome to becoming a roadie. Ride the hell out of that bike.
Mike
Dave Griscom
These were made from Alcoa 5086 aluminum. My bike had Shimano Exage
components, Sun rims, and had a cromoly fork which was quite stiff. The
handling was steady if not a bit slow. This bike gave me many good miles
and is, as far as a know, still being used by the guy I sold it too. A
friend of mine had the 434 which is now being put to good use by his son. I
have an old Schwinn catalog but it only lists the lower end Schwinn's
("Non-Paramount" line?) It does show the 354, 434, and 596 with the same
frame. These Aluminum frames were made for a couple of years in the US
before Schwinn went belly up. After Schwinn's re-organization they made
most of their bikes in Taiwan. While your price strikes me a slightly high,
it doesn't matter if you enjoy the bike. Best of luck.
"Jeff Cowles" <jgc...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:nepz6.5177$3e.38...@news3.mco...