Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with schwinn

I am Schwinn's (what?)

Fuzzy Skinner — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:52:22 -0800

What do you call this part of a bike? (Photo inside) Here's a photo I took today at a bike repair clinic. (Other views are in the set as well.) I notice that a lot of bikes from days gone by have a similar decorative embellishment connected to the top tube, sort of resembling a motorcycle gas tank. I'm writing captions for the photos, and want to call attention to the vents in the (whatever it's called). So... does it have a name?

Fat guy on a little bike?

bluejayk — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:30:54 -0800

Is this bike sturdy enough for a 280lb man? I am buying a new bike in the next few days. I want something for city/suburban use, 99% of my riding on pavement. I'll be commuting (no more than 5-10 miles) and occasional weekend rides of (I hope) 25-30 miles.

Previously I owned and loved a Trek 7200 hybrid, but I noticed that my arms and hands started to get numb or painful after rides of about 20 miles. So I'm looking at something more 'fitness oriented'.

I tested this Schwinn Le Tour GS yesterday and I loved the feel, very responsive and zippy. I really prefer having drop handlebars so that I can switch hand position.

However, I'm a big guy (280, give or take) and I'm wondering if this kind of bike might be a bit delicate for someone my size. The salesperson didn't seem to be worried about it, but I figure worst case for them is that I have to pay for lots of extra maintenance. My understanding is that the frame will be plenty strong, but the wheels and/or spokes may get bent out of shape and need to be trued more often. Is that likely?

Also, I'm confused about what category this bike would be in: road bike, cyclocross, touring bike, etc. The category itself is not that important to me, but understanding what aspects of a bike make it better or worse for different uses is important to me.

Exercise bikes for the heavyweight user...

twine42 — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 16:35:54 -0800

So then... I'm a chunky bastard and I want to buy an exercise bike... Put simply, I'm over weight. I'm six foot five tall and one more fun size mars bar will put me at the 150kg / 330lbs mark.

I'm looking for an exercise bike and I need some suggestions. The requirements are...
* weight limit of at least 150kg/330lbs
* home spec not gym spec
* MUST be a recumbent type bike.
* It's got to be below the £500 mark.

Now, the only thing I've seen that meets these is this effort from a comapny called Schwinn - who I've never heard of.

So... does anyone have any helpful comments on Schwinn stuff or suggestions on alteratives?

Exercise Triggers My Gout

Didaskalos — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 01:00:36 -0800

How can I work out and lose weight without triggering the gout that has repeatedly sabotaged my weight-loss efforts? I seem to be in a Catch-22 situation with gout and exercise. When I workout (usually on a Schwinn Air-Dyne exercise bike with arm motion) I get gout attacks. Allopurinol does more harm than good. Indomethicin clears the gout but is tough on the stomach. I had my first gout attack at 25 and am now 36. I have lost over 120 lbs since gastric bypass in 2002 but am stuck because of this gout problem.

2006 Schwinn Varsity?

bradth27 — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:53:41 -0800

2006 Schwinn Varsity at Wal-Mart? Yesterday while shopping for a DVD player, I spied a road bike stuck in the middle of the Wal Mart bike rack. Thinking this was a bit odd, I walked over to check it out.
Now, WalMart has a cheap GMC Denali road bike that they sell for around $149, but this bike had Schwinn Varsity stickers on it. The old varsity road bikes were cheap and heavy - I know, because I owned one back in the eighties.
However, this bike looked pretty decent.... and felt amazingly light, compared to the other mountain bikes on the rack. So I went and got a bathroom scale, took the bike out, and set it up on the scale.... 23 and a half pounds. Not bad for the price.
Intrigued by the $199 selling price, I went home, lookat WalMart's site, did a google search, checked out Schwinn's online site, and found nothing about this bike at all ANYWHERE.
I know that the name "Schwinn" has been used by WalMart to sell some pretty crappy mountain bikes. This one seemed to be a pretty solid bike, however.... anyone know anything about this bike?