# Schwinn Coffee Cruiser?



## lazyrack (Apr 19, 2004)

Hi all, I've seen 1-2 little tidbits about the 'Schwinn Coffee' and Performance seems to have it listed on their website, albeit with a multi-month order time.

Does anyone have first-hand experience with this bike, or know of any real reviews?

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Aside from stupid ad text it doesn't seem like anything special and isn't available till late September (if then), save yourself a chunck of change and time, rehab a $10 Goodwill throw-away.

_Any two-wheeler can get you there :thumbsup: . But please, a little pizzazz is in order here. You need something to set you apart from *the nameless, faceless masses *  who are all too willing to conform to the mold. So Schwinn set the wayback machine, borrowed from their past, stretched out the geometry and busted out the metallic pains and chrome to fetch you admiring nods :idea: as you roll for the Java. *Go on with your bad self*._ :mad2:


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## slowrider (Mar 12, 2004)

I wanted to add one to my fleet of singelspeed commuter bikes. But this is my last year of commuting to work. I was going to change the rear gear from 22 to 18, trash the fenders, tires, seat, and handlebar. They must have sold a bunch, because they have been on back orders for months. Good for Schwinn. I hope somebody does a review.


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## lazyrack (Apr 19, 2004)

MB1, I've thought of resurrecting a garage-sale bike but when I price out any modifications the price starts to skyrocket very quickly. I don't know how folks do it, but rehab'ing a bike can be very costly. Even the cheapest wheelset costs good money, and then tires, tubes, fenders, a new chain and you're almost at $200+.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

I test rode one at my LBS. I wuz impressed. 

On my short ride, I found it to be pretty comfortable, easy to pedal in regular pants and not that heavy. The 3 speed shifter took some getting used to- BIG jumps between 1, 2 and 3.

At first I thought that having caliper brakes front and rear AND a coaster brake would be overkill, but after a while, it made sense- in the winter, how bad could it be to have 2 separate braking systems for your back wheel?

Styling was very nice- it's an attractive bike. Fenders are metal, not plastic. Rear rack felt pretty solid but would not work with arkel panniers- the rack curves, and any pannier with a solid bar supporting it's hooks would have a hard time attaching. Saddle was comfy. Big, but comfy. Probably not comfy for more than a couple miles. Handlebars, I didn't like. I'd prefer something closer to an On-One Mary bar. 

Frame is one size fits all, and it has a welded on kickstand.

Crank is a one-piece. didn't measure crank arms, though they felt a little short (whadya expect on a one size fits all bike?)

Tires were at least 40s, with room to grow, so studded tires in the winter would probably work. 

Honestly, it looks and feels like a really nice little commuter. 

My LBS is selling it for like $350 or so- at that price, I'm hesitant to just buy one. At $199, I'd have one already.

Oh, one other important point- all the sizes are standard- 1" headset, 700c wheels, etc. No proprietary schwinn-only stuff.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

lazyrack said:


> MB1, I've thought of resurrecting a garage-sale bike but when I price out any modifications the price starts to skyrocket very quickly. I don't know how folks do it, but rehab'ing a bike can be very costly. Even the cheapest wheelset costs good money, and then tires, tubes, fenders, a new chain and you're almost at $200+.


The usual procedure is to shop around and buy two beaters to yield one pretty good ride. Shop smart, don't be in a rush and you ought to be able to do it for less than $50. 

BTW dumpster diving is the new recycling! :thumbsup:


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

MB1 said:


> BTW dumpster diving is the new recycling! :thumbsup:


a friend of my rents yard space to a recycling/junk company. He checks out their dumpsters frequently for bikes & parts. Recently he found handfuls of Dura Ace and XTR parts, all like new.  

// Schwinn looks cool


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## gowencm (Mar 4, 2007)

MB1 said:


> BTW dumpster diving is the new recycling! :thumbsup:


Heck yeah. We found my wife's current (and first) road bike sitting in the trash outside our apartment. An 80's-ish Ross Grand Pro or some such. Fit her perfectly. The thing must have been sitting in someone's garage for its whole life, because it was only covered in dust. Wiped it off, pumped up the tires, lubed the chain and away we went. 

Definitely check local goodwill's, garage sales, etc.; and you also might look for a community place that rehabs bikes. We've got one near us where you can get forks for $5, wheels for super cheap. You can't be too picky, but it works. Good luck with it. Enjoy the process, it's half the fun (to me, at least).


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## lazyrack (Apr 19, 2004)

I ordered the bike from Performance and it should be here soon (shipped already, they say). I paid $229.99, which I thought was a steal but now I'm starting to find out that the Coffee model that Performance sells is slightly different from the specs on Schwinns site.

The Schwinn site says the Coffee comes with a 3-speed internally geared SRAM hub & shifter but it seems that the Performance model is truly a single speed. Not too big of a deal since it is $100+ cheaper. I'll try it out when the local shop gets it in and worst case I can always return it without too much of a hassle.


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## knucklesandwich (Feb 23, 2007)

lazyrack said:


> I ordered the bike from Performance and it should be here soon (shipped already, they say). I paid $229.99, which I thought was a steal but now I'm starting to find out that the Coffee model that Performance sells is slightly different from the specs on Schwinns site.
> 
> The Schwinn site says the Coffee comes with a 3-speed internally geared SRAM hub & shifter but it seems that the Performance model is truly a single speed. Not too big of a deal since it is $100+ cheaper. I'll try it out when the local shop gets it in and worst case I can always return it without too much of a hassle.


When did you order it, and if you ordered online, what was the expected ship date for it?

I'm looking at getting the coffee and cream bikes for my brother's wedding gift, but them men's version says ships 9/22...


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

lazyrack said:


> Hi all, I've seen 1-2 little tidbits about the 'Schwinn Coffee' and Performance seems to have it listed on their website, albeit with a multi-month order time.
> 
> Does anyone have first-hand experience with this bike, or know of any real reviews?
> 
> http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true


Schwinn is owned by the same people that do low end Walmart bikes now. There are much better cruisers out there these days. Look for Electra, Nirve, 3gbikes or Felt for starters.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Schwinn is owned by the same people that do low end Walmart bikes now. There are much better cruisers out there these days. Look for Electra, Nirve, 3gbikes or Felt for starters.


I think you're overgeneralizing. Schwinn does make some low end walmart crap, but they also still offer better quality LBS-style bikes as well.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

undies said:


> I think you're overgeneralizing. Schwinn does make some low end walmart crap, but they also still offer better quality LBS-style bikes as well.


Yes...I guess my point was that today's Schwinn seems a pale shadow of their old glory. IMO of course.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Schwinn is owned by the same people that do low end Walmart bikes now. There are much better cruisers out there these days. Look for Electra, Nirve, 3gbikes or Felt for starters.


Ride one at yer LBS before you judge- it's a really nice bike for $350. You can get a much better bike, but it'll cost you a lot more.

Metal fenders, a rack, chainguard, a kickstand, It's really a pretty ideal city bike.

Pacific (the company that makes them) is located here in Madison. I've met a couple of their people. They are pretty passionate about bikes. Yeah, they make stuff for walmart and target, but they make some really good stuff, too- very smart component choices for budget bikes. 

And to re-state for the thousandth time, Schwinn always made crap walmart grade bikes. They just sold them at their own stores (which had equally crappy service). The whole varsity/suburban line was crap. The beloved stingray was crap. Yeah, they made a couple nice bikes. But frankly, they make more nice stuff now than they ever did. 

And paramount was so removed from the schwinns we grew up with as to not even count.


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## lazyrack (Apr 19, 2004)

I ordered it about 3 weeks ago and got an email that it had been shipped to the local Performance Bike store about 4 days ago. The site also said 9/22 when I ordered.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Yes...I guess my point was that today's Schwinn seems a pale shadow of their old glory. IMO of course.


guy on our club ride last night rode a mid 70's schwinn Paramount, that was a nice bike.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

gutfiddle said:


> guy on our club ride last night rode a mid 70's schwinn Paramount, that was a nice bike.


Paramounts have always been sweet.


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## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> Yes...I guess my point was that today's Schwinn seems a pale shadow of their old glory. IMO of course.


check out their website. they've got the typical range of low end to rather high end but also some interesting commuter/tourer types, such as this:

http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=954


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

blackhat said:


> check out their website. they've got the typical range of low end to rather high end but also some interesting commuter/tourer types, such as this:
> 
> https://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=954


cool...though I still like the Felt design better...sure they have some good stuff. I was worried when Pacific bought them that it was the end for them.


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## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> cool...though I still like the Felt design better...sure they have some good stuff. I was worried when Pacific bought them that it was the end for them.


that felt's nice. Im not entirely convinced that pacific won't eventually destroy schwinn (and gt and cannondale) like they've mostly destroyed mongoose, but for the moment schwinn/GT are in good shape, apparently. If I were in the market for a pre-built coffee shop bike I'd probably hunt down one of the bianchi rollos myself.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

*Trash Day: The World's Biggest Free Yard Sale*



MB1 said:


> The usual procedure is to shop around and buy two beaters to yield one pretty good ride. Shop smart, don't be in a rush and you ought to be able to do it for less than $50.
> 
> BTW dumpster diving is the new recycling! :thumbsup:


+1 on the dumpster diving. I just scored a nice Centurion Lemans that someone put out for the trash. It's a 60-ish cm (c-to-c) with a 57 top tube. The wheels are poop, but it has nice SunTour shifters and derailleurs that are going into my component stash. The frame will be built up as a fixie for a buddy.

People throw out the most amazing stuff.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Gregory Taylor said:


> +1 on the dumpster diving. I just scored a nice Centurion Lemans that someone put out for the trash. It's a 60-ish cm (c-to-c) with a 57 top tube. The wheels are poop, but it has nice SunTour shifters and derailleurs that are going into my component stash. The frame will be built up as a fixie for a buddy.
> 
> People throw out the most amazing stuff.


you suck...I've been looking for a long time for a junked road bike (60+cm) that can be made into a fixie.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

*I just finished stripping it down...*



Bocephus Jones II said:


> you suck...I've been looking for a long time for a junked road bike (60+cm) that can be made into a fixie.


I just cleaned it up... it is almost too nice to give the normal "fixie" treatment (buzzing off the brake cable loops and braze-ons, trimming the derailleur tag, repainting). The paint is a fetching "metallic rose" color with a dark burgundy head tube, which looks good for being 30 years old. Nothing bent - it measures out nice and straight. Tange Champion 5 tubing, which isn't awesome but it beats regular old hi-ten steel. 

I'll keep an eye out for a big frame for you. For some reason the last two or three frames that I have picked out of the trash (a Nishiki, and a Schwinn Continental, all of which have been passed along to others) have all been 60+. I must live in the Land of the Giants.


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

gowencm said:


> Heck yeah. We found my wife's current (and first) road bike sitting in the trash outside our apartment. An 80's-ish Ross Grand Pro or some such. Fit her perfectly. The thing must have been sitting in someone's garage for its whole life, because it was only covered in dust. Wiped it off, pumped up the tires, lubed the chain and away we went.
> 
> Definitely check local goodwill's, garage sales, etc.; and you also might look for a community place that rehabs bikes. We've got one near us where you can get forks for $5, wheels for super cheap. You can't be too picky, but it works. Good luck with it. Enjoy the process, it's half the fun (to me, at least).


On my commute this moring I passed a house with an older road bike and two kids bikes out with the trash. All looked rideable and in good condition.  Guess it was too much of an effort to give them away. If I had been in my car, I would have taken them all and donated them somewhere.


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## lazyrack (Apr 19, 2004)

I should have updated this thread a while back once I had received the bike, but alas, I'm lazyrack.

I received the bike a while back and finally did a decent ride this morning with it (12 miles, with laptop bag on carrier). I rode the bike around on small test rides prior to this and it was very comfortable.

The bike is extremely comfortable for commuting, I'd say it's the Cadillac of bicycles. The seat post slides a little bit but I'm hoping that's just because the shop used too much lube and it'll get better as time passes. For the price I paid, I doubt I could have found a better and simpler commuter bike.


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