Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
I bought this at a discounted price (£112) from Wiggle, and with an extra voucher code I got 10% off. I then got a call from Wiggle to say they'd found a little cracked paint around the bottle cage holder, so gave me a £25 voucher.
The bike is no longer available but I have seen it in Argos for £289 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwinn-admiral-2015/
Firstly, it's a huge bike (one size only), I haven't measured it but I would say it's a "large". This is good though, as you sit nice and high. It weighs 13.2 kg but has full size metal (I will get to that later) mudguards, pannier, huge bars, chainguard etc so not too bad.
The tyres are budget but are a decent width with nice meaty tread. The seat is imitation leather with an old fashioned sprung underside (that is fairly comfy but I might change the saddle).
The mudguards are very sturdy, they don't rattle at all and do a good job of keeping the spray down.
The bars are "out and back" design to give it that retro look. They are quite comfy but the grips are imitation leather so are comfy now but I doubt they will last long.
It has a revoshifter which was well indexed when it arrived. The 7 speed is all i need for commuting and works well.
That is where the good points end I'm afraid. The brakes are very poor. I will be upgrading them as my first port of call. They might be ok in the dry (I haven't tried them) but in the wet they are useless, so much so that going downhill toward a roundabout, I had to be hard on both brakes about 10 seconds before I wanted to stop!
All of the metal is very low grade, which doesn't bother me so much for the mudguards etc but the cranks, cassette and other working parts are a worry. Also one of the cranks feels slightly bent which I'm not surprised happened in transit, but it's not a problem enough for me to send it back.
As above, budget has been kept low an all items. Noticeably the seat post is thinner and smaller diameter than "standard", as are the bars and the threads for the pedals (I now can't use my SPD pedals from my old bike because the thread is too big).
Overall - I needed a new commuter and for the price I thought this would foot the bill. But it looks like I shall be spending a bit on it to get it to a safe and acceptable level. That said, it would suit someone who wants a dry weather leisure machine, but be wary of the brakes. if those are sorted though, it would still represent good value for money, however I would certainly not pay more than £100 for one in the future!
The bike is no longer available but I have seen it in Argos for £289 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwinn-admiral-2015/
Firstly, it's a huge bike (one size only), I haven't measured it but I would say it's a "large". This is good though, as you sit nice and high. It weighs 13.2 kg but has full size metal (I will get to that later) mudguards, pannier, huge bars, chainguard etc so not too bad.
The tyres are budget but are a decent width with nice meaty tread. The seat is imitation leather with an old fashioned sprung underside (that is fairly comfy but I might change the saddle).
The mudguards are very sturdy, they don't rattle at all and do a good job of keeping the spray down.
The bars are "out and back" design to give it that retro look. They are quite comfy but the grips are imitation leather so are comfy now but I doubt they will last long.
It has a revoshifter which was well indexed when it arrived. The 7 speed is all i need for commuting and works well.
That is where the good points end I'm afraid. The brakes are very poor. I will be upgrading them as my first port of call. They might be ok in the dry (I haven't tried them) but in the wet they are useless, so much so that going downhill toward a roundabout, I had to be hard on both brakes about 10 seconds before I wanted to stop!
All of the metal is very low grade, which doesn't bother me so much for the mudguards etc but the cranks, cassette and other working parts are a worry. Also one of the cranks feels slightly bent which I'm not surprised happened in transit, but it's not a problem enough for me to send it back.
As above, budget has been kept low an all items. Noticeably the seat post is thinner and smaller diameter than "standard", as are the bars and the threads for the pedals (I now can't use my SPD pedals from my old bike because the thread is too big).
Overall - I needed a new commuter and for the price I thought this would foot the bill. But it looks like I shall be spending a bit on it to get it to a safe and acceptable level. That said, it would suit someone who wants a dry weather leisure machine, but be wary of the brakes. if those are sorted though, it would still represent good value for money, however I would certainly not pay more than £100 for one in the future!
