SchwinnMountain-Bicycles High Timber

This is the first bike I have bought for myself since 1986. My previous bike disappeared about 15 years ago and I have been without one since. I've gotten lazy and out of shape during the COVID era and decided I needed to do something to get active again before it's too late. I looked at a lot of bikes on Amazon trying to decide what to get, but this one managed to rise to the top based on features and price. I'm not going to be racing offroad or anything. I just wanted a basic bike suitable for riding around the neighborhood with perhaps the occasional excursion down a dirt road or path.The features that attracted me were the aluminum frame with lighter claimed weight than most of the competition in this category, disk brakes front and rear, and front suspension. I would have liked both front and rear suspension, but they tend to get heavier in that category. I also figured the Schwinn name has been around for a long time, so that might be worth something. (Though it seems like most reputable brands of our youth have become just marketing tools for the same offshore goods as every other brand)The box arrived in good condition within 4 days after I placed the order, including a weekend. There were few dings and scrapes on the outside, but nothing that appeared to penetrate to the bike itself. Unboxing was super easy: Opened the top flap and lifted the whole thing out.Assembly was typical for any bike. Just attach the pedals, handlebars, seat, and front wheel. The pedals took a 15mm box wrench. Most of the rest of the bolts took a 5mm hex key. Some of the adjustments required a Phillips (or JIS) screwdriver. The quick releases on the seat post and front wheel work well and hold securely when properly adjusted. The handlebars were the trickiest part mainly due to having to get all the cables routed properly. It took some fiddling and I'm still not 100% sure I have them routed the best way.At 5'7" with a 30" inseam, the height of this 27.5" version fits me just about perfect. I can stand over the bar flat footed and I just barely touch it. I wasn’t thrilled that yellow was the only color available for this model, but now that it’s here, I can say I kind of like the color. Certainly, easy to spot in a crowd. 😊As you would expect with any new bike that you are assembling yourself, there were some adjustments that had to be made. The rear brake did nothing out of the box. Easy enough to fix by taking some slack out of the cable. The front brake kind of worked, but also needed to take out a little slack. The front caliper was not centered on the disk and pulled it sideways when applied. Even though this is my first bike with disk brakes, it didn't take long to figure out how to adjust it even without looking at the manual. I moved the brake levers around a little for comfort. The front and rear derailers both required some minor adjustment in order to get them to move through all the gear combinations smoothly.All in all, I doubt it took more than an hour to get it assembled, adjusted, and road tested.First impressions are that it is a decent bike for the money. There are a couple issues though. One minor, and one that I am debating contacting the manufacturer about. The minor issue is that the seat is crooked. It tilts to the side quite noticeably. (see photo) I tried loosening the adjustment/mounting bolt on the bottom to see if I could twist it straight, but no avail. I don't notice that much while riding (the seat isn't very comfortable no matter what), but it does make the bike look cheap or damaged.The bigger issue is the forks. They have what seems to me like way more "slop" than they should have. Maybe it's because I am used to motorcycle forks which are pretty tight in comparison, but these have a huge amount of play in them. If I had to make a diagnosis, I’d say the bushings are either the wrong size or totally worn out. You can really notice by holding the front brake and rocking the bike forward and back. (see video) The whole fork twists due to the disk applying side torque. On top of that, the fork travel is quite stiff and they don't seem to do much other than make the front end feel looser. I am not impressed. Maybe that's typical of bicycle forks, I don't know. I haven't had much experience with modern bike suspension. I don’t notice it while riding though.Others have complained about the manual not being specific to the bike, but honestly, I've never bought a bike that didn't just have a generic manual. (I haven't bought myself many bikes, but I have assembled a LOT of them for others over the years). I didn't actually even read the manual until after I had everything assembled, and it didn't really tell me anything I couldn't figure out on my own. If you are experienced with bicycle maintenance, you won’t have any problems.Overall, it seems like a decent bike for the money. Pretty typical of others I have assembled. I haven't ridden more than a few miles yet, but it seemed to ride fine for the short tests around the neighborhood. My only real issue is with the forks. I may try taking them apart to see if there is anything that can be done, or contact the manufacturer to see if it’s normal.I also just noticed the price jumped up by about sixty dollars since I ordered mine. Glad I got it when I did. I might have chosen a different one had it been at the new price when I was comparing.

This is a great bicycle for beginners. The assembly is not difficult as it comes mostly assembled, with the exceptions of the front wheel, seat, pedals and the hand bar. Pedals and seat are no sweat. The front wheel is of the quick release version and you need two person, one holding the wheel, the other lifting the bicycle, to have the front fork latch onto the wheel. It is not super difficult but not effortless either. Securing the hand bar in its position took three tries and two test rides to prove the failure of the first two. It is not a good design to depend on friction to hold its position as the bar can easily slip and rotate. The third time, I wrapped some electrical tape over the handbar where it is latched on. it seems work for now but I hope that it will last.

I was very impressed with how well the packaging was. It came with every part wrapped up neat and tightly. Arrived with nothing broke and no visible scratches or nicks.As far as assembly goes, you might as well throw the manual out right away. The manual shows how to put everything together, however the bike comes with most of the pieces already constructed. All you have to do is put the handlebars, pedals, and front tire on. I was trying to follow the manual for a while until realizing that the piece they were constructing had already came put together. Assembly took about 30 minutes to an hour. You will need allen wrenches, pliers, and a cresent wrench.When it comes to riding the bike i was happy with the first couple rides. I am not an experienced rider, in fact this is my first bike in 15years+. It is pretty clear that the breaks and gears need tweaked to be perfect but they did fine for what i needed them to do. The bike rode very smooth. I did have to loosen the front disc brake as it was rubbing on the disk the whole time. The tires will wear out quick so be ready for new ones.Overall a good bike for the money. I did a lot of research and this one had the best reviews and I am happy i chose it. Even Arrived the day before it was suppose to. I rode about 20 miles the first time i had it out and other than all the mechanics needing tightened up/tweaking to your liking, you should be fine. Great bike for the price, especially if you are a casual rider.

Recent Updates: after few weeks, noticed the gear is sometimes slipping, plus the grip is so close to the gear Chang which sometimes swift the gear by accident. I really wish instead of plus and minus there are clear marking. Already spend around 60$ extra trying to tune the wheel as it was fine toned. I’m not expert in this and recently picked up this hobby/curiosity. Assembly was not complicated and with not much knowledge I manage to complete in 30-40min. BUT front brake adjustment was tricky and later found that front wheel is wobbly so learn from utube how to fix that issue. Finally took it to a trail which is intermediate trail as per the review and this survived. The only Big complaint I have is I wish they put some numbers on left handle to see which gear it’s running. Just plus and minus sign is very confusing. It also don’t let you know when this derail happen as you keep turning and hope it will eventually happen. Then again I think after a while you will able to figure out this. This good if you would like to test the mountain biking. If I become passionate follower then definitely need to upgrade. It’s basic, light but look great.

NOTE: The bike I bought was used so my review may vary on certain things.The price for the used bike was only $160. During the height of the COVID-19, bikes were sold out EVERYWHERE! Bikes that were retailed at $250, were now going for $700! The high demand for any outdoor activities increased so high that the prices for those market became unaffordable to many. Seeing this bike at such a low price, and it was listed as “Used - Like New”, I immediately jumped on the opportunity.Straight out the box, it wasn’t much of a hassle to put together. Being that it was used, I had a damaged headset bearing and a missing quick release skewer. The parts weren’t expensive to replace and costed just under $30 to fix at a local bike shop, brining the price to own at $190 so far.Once the bike was assembled as intended, I was able to judge the bike for what it really worth. First thing you’ll notice is that the bike is pretty heavy. It’s not the biggest problem but you adjust to it pretty quickly. Once you start riding, you tend to feel that most gears feel the same, but still provide enough range to get around without a problem. The shifting in the front is a bit clunky, and you have to find the right sweet spot to stay on the gear correctly, but the back is pretty smooth and responsive. The braking is pretty standard, but does the job effectively. After riding around for more than 30 minutes, you most definitely start to feel how uncomfortable the seats are. If you plan on making any upgrades, THIS SHOULD BE THE FIRST!!Speaking about upgrading, I changed the twist to shift to trigger shifter with a brake combo. Twisting to shift makes shifting easy while having your hands still on the bar, but my hands would constantly rub causing minor burns which got uncomfortable on longer rides. Switching to trigger shifters also freed up some space on my handle bars which allowed my to switch to custom handle grips as well. The stock grips did a pretty job a it was, but aftermarket ones are as cheap as $5-$15 which can improve ride comfort on a budget.All in all, I spent close to $250 on a used bike, with upgraded trigger shifter and brake combo, upgraded handle bar grip, and a comfortable seat. Rides pretty smooth, and I enjoy it. Other than the seat, thinking of cons took a bit of time because they don’t affect you much. It’s something you can definitely live with, without having to get upgrades.Pros:Good for beginnersEasy assemblySmooth rear shiftsBraking works goodCons:Bike seatHeavy/BulkyFront shifts clunkyMost of the gears feel the sameLimited upgrades