As someone who’s spent years under the hoods of cars, wrenching with parts from all over the globe, I’ve got a pretty good sense of quality. For a long time, “Made in China” was almost a joke in the auto parts world, synonymous with cheap and unreliable. We’d scramble to find parts from anywhere else if we could. But things change. Over the last decade, Chinese manufacturing has seriously stepped up its game. Now, you see parts coming out of China that are not just acceptable, but genuinely impressive, even better than some of the old standards.
This experience makes me think about Schwinn bikes. There’s a definite split in the Schwinn lineup. You’ve got the bikes you see at big box stores, and then you have the higher-end Schwinn bikes sold in proper bike shops. And let’s be honest, the cheaper Schwinn bikes, made by Pacific Cycle, have taken a toll on the Schwinn name. The brand reputation isn’t what it used to be. Walk into a bike shop and mention “Schwinn,” and you might get a knowing look.
But are all Schwinn bikes bad now? I doubt it. Just like those Chinese car parts improved, I suspect the higher-end Schwinn bikes are a different story. I haven’t personally torn one down and rebuilt it, but I’d bet that the higher-end Schwinns are genuinely well-made bikes and offer good value for the money.
Would I buy a new high-end Schwinn bike right now? Probably not. That reputation hit from the cheaper models is a real thing. In my mind, a new Schwinn loses a chunk of its value the minute you buy it, simply because of that brand perception. But a used Schwinn bike, say ten years down the line? That’s a different story. If those higher-end models are as solid as I suspect, a used Schwinn could be a fantastic deal – you’d be getting a quality bike for a fraction of what it would have been worth if the name hadn’t been somewhat tarnished. Pick one up cheap, cheap, cheap.
