Schwinn 3rd Avenue 700C hybrid

[CharleyFarley]

The bike, new, was $199 from an Amazon dealer, and it came with a load of great reviews and very few negative ones. That should be a warning to anyone looking for a new bike; the shills are out there. If anyone buys one with the idea of putting it together and going for a ride, they would be disappointed. Walmart bikes are better. Seriously!

I knew that it would need some work because you don't get much for such a low price. The first problem I found was that the tires wouldn't inflate. Removing the inner tubes I found they would fit really skinny tires, not the 32Cs that came with it. They were made from some kind of junk, not rubber, that felt gritty. A patch wouldn't even stick to them, so down to the bike shop to get new tires and tubes. Even the tires were the worst I'd ever seen, having no discreet pattern, and looking hairy.

Next came some modifications that weren't really necessary but would be improvements. A set of fenders for wet riding came next. Heck, I should list the things I did to it!

Swapped the cup and cone BB for a cartridge.
Swapped the straight bars for swept back ones.
Swapped the grips for good ones, molded to fit the hands.
Swapped the twist shifters for lever type.
Swapped the saddle for a memory foam one.
Added a rear carrier.
Swapped the sprung saddle post for a two-bolt type for better adjustment.
Installed a new crankset because the Schwinn was garbage. The large chain ring had three teeth that weren't cut right and were just nubs so that the chain crunched over them.
Swapped the rim brakes for the type that has replaceable pads.
Cleaned the grease out of the wheel bearings and headset, and replaced it with White Lightning Crystal waterproof grease.
Had to true the wheels and properly tension the spokes. I have the tools to do that.
Replaced the freewheel with a Shimano Hyper Glide.
The chain soon wore out so I replaced it with a Sram PC850 chain.
Installed a good adjustable side stand that clamps to a seatstay and chainstay. The original let the bike fall over too easily.
Then to complete the bike I added a rechargeable front light, flashing rear light, tire pump, water bottle carrier, bike computer and tools.

It's now an excellent bike and has given me no problems in the 4,000 miles I've put on it. I'd guess I put about $350 into it, doing it a bit at a time. So it's now a bike that you'd pay about $600 for in a bike shop. Resale value? Probably about $120, but I won't be selling it.

[MamboNumber5]

Nicely done! What carrier is that?

[CharleyFarley]

(09-17-2019, 07:59 PM)MamboNumber5 Wrote:  Nicely done! What carrier is that?

Thanks!
It's a Bell, from Walmart, and has a quick release, which makes it easy to steal.
I have a similar one on my fat bike, with the 'Diamondback' brand name. That has four bolts to clamp it on. I got that one from the LBS.

[MamboNumber5]

(09-17-2019, 09:13 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  

(09-17-2019, 07:59 PM)MamboNumber5 Wrote:  Nicely done! What carrier is that?

Thanks!
It's a Bell, from Walmart, and has a quick release, which makes it easy to steal.
I have a similar one on my fat bike, with the 'Diamondback' brand name. That has four bolts to clamp it on. I got that one from the LBS.

QR mount is convenient. You can always instantly attach it or take it off
Do those bike enemies steal carriers as well? I know that saddles are popular ...

[CharleyFarley]

(09-18-2019, 08:12 AM)MamboNumber5 Wrote:  

(09-17-2019, 09:13 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  

(09-17-2019, 07:59 PM)MamboNumber5 Wrote:  Nicely done! What carrier is that?

Thanks!
It's a Bell, from Walmart, and has a quick release, which makes it easy to steal.
I have a similar one on my fat bike, with the 'Diamondback' brand name. That has four bolts to clamp it on. I got that one from the LBS.

QR mount is convenient. You can always instantly attach it or take it off
Do those bike enemies steal carriers as well? I know that saddles are popular ...

I agree that the QR mount is convenient.
Bike enemies will steal anything, even parts from bikes. While on a 20 mile run I came across a bike chained to a street light. It was missing it's wheels and saddle. It was quite a distance from any residences. Perhaps the rider suffered a flat tire and had no patch kit. I don't know why anyone would chain a bike to a light post so far from home if not for a flat tire. I'd have pushed it home if that was the case.

While on another run, I came across a ghost bike. That's a bike painted all white, and usually chained to something. It's to mark the place where a cyclist was killed. On my outward part of the ride, it was in one piece. On the homeward run, the wheels were missing. So I guess the thief, if he's building a bike from stolen parts, will have two all-white wheels.

If they can't get the whole bike, they'll take what they can get. The local police, here, sometimes chain a bike frame to a sign post at a Walmart entrance, as a warning.

I never leave my bikes anywhere that I can't see them. I'll stop for lunch at a fast food place and secure the bike as best I can, but I'll keep watching from inside to see if anyone takes a close interest in it. I have a large 'U' lock for the fat bike, to lock the back wheel, and a cable attached to the 'U' lock wrapped around a post. Even when my bikes are in my attached, locked shed, I have heavy duty locking cables through the frame and wheel attached to other things. Both my bikes are registered with the local police but as the cop said, thieves will remove the registration label from the frame. Over a million bikes are stolen every year and very few recovered. And when thieves carry battery-powered grinders, it doesn't take very long to steal a bike.

There's a YouTube video where two guys set bikes up to be stolen. One example of what they did was to saw the frame in two, then put it back together so it was rideable but not for more than five seconds. And they video recorded all of the bikes being stolen that they fixed up. It was hilarious to watch.

[Grizz]

Hello I have the exact bike and I need help finding a part to bike. Can you help me in founding the correct size for the rod/axle for the front wheel. Thanks again

[Mea1402]

Hi thanks for this post. Any chance you remember the size of the bottom bracket?