Schwinn Prelude Road Bike Review

"The Schwinn Prelude is a lot of bike for 200 bucks The wheel hubs are aluminum (not stamped steel) so the bearings will stay tight and roll smooth with little or no maintenance. The cranks are aluminum, with replaceable chainrings. The rims are aluminum, in the international standard 700c size (not the old 27" size). The frame is aluminum, just like more expensive road bikes. Aluminum parts are lightweight, do not rust and should provide many years of trouble-free service. Those are all "must have" features. The 14-speed (7 x 2) thumb shifters are simple to operate while keeping your hands on the bars. The Shimano Tourney derailleurs should provide years of trouble-free service. However, I was disappointed to see that the frame does not have threaded holes (braze-ons) for mounting a cargo rack or fenders. Also, the stock saddle looks a little slim for some riders; but is easily replaced (I recommend a Terry Liberator or Velo Plush). Conclusion: This is a capable road bike, worthy of upgrades. The lack of rack and fender mount points limits its usefulness for commuting (though handlebar bags and seatpost-mounted pannier racks are decent options). I estimate that the Prelude will comfortably fit riders from 5' 10" to about 6' 2" (I only saw one size offered). If you are in that height range, looking for a great deal on an entry-level road bike, give this one a try. By not having the overpriced Shimano STI shifters, you'll save hundreds of dollars, and you'll hardly miss them".

" First off I do not give this bike a 5 star rating based on how wonderful it is. You need to spend Several thousand dollars for that bike. This gets a 5 star rating because it is not several thousand dollars yet it is an acceptable entry level road bike.

At just under 28 pounds it is 10 pounds heavier than a $4000 bike. Of course it is only a pound or 2 heavier than a $500 bike. And I argue that anyone riding an entry level bike has that on their own midsection anyway. If you are new to cycling you can get this and ride for a year before investing the big bucks while you decide if you like cycling and what you like and don't like about a bike.

I bought mine directly from Target (on sale!) so I could get an idea of the size rather than buy on line. I noticed another reviewer said a person 5' 10 - 6'2" would be comfortable. I somewhat agree with the top end but I am 5' 7 3/4" and am comfortable on it. The seat post could still be dropped an other inch and a half but I would say that I am about as short as you could be to have the right body to bike geometry. Someone 5'6" could ride it but I would not recommend it. I would say the same for someone 6'2".

I have put 300 HARD miles on it. I bought it to train for my come back into triathlons (My last tri was in '87) but I have wound up using it as my daily driver pulling my 2 daughters in the bike trailer 280 of the 300 miles.

I store it the garage but it has been aloud to get wet frequently on rides. The dérailleurs have begun to rust as a result of wet conditions.

It has only had one problem since I bought it - the crank bearings began to click. This probably is a result of pulling 100 pounds regularly".

Schwinn Prelude