Actually, I like classic Schwinns. Good workmanship, though not everyone agrees with how they are made.
Huffy I have never owned. Classic Huffy has workmanship I do not like, especially spot welding the stays to the drop outs. Concerned about safety.
Alas, neither make exists now. The names are used for making bikes in China, and they are not the same. And nothing really looks wrong about the new Huffys.
I had the Evel Knievil Huffy edition. Red white and blue with a banana seat. I was 8 years old, Later I upgraded to a Schwinn then later to a yamaha motorcycle
Schwinn's were decent bikes. One piece cranksets, one piece fork sets. Good welding throughout. They did though tend to have their own proprietary standards for everything, like tire sizes, head sets, seat tubes, and bottom brackets. Pedal threadings though were like everyone else.
Of Huffys and Murrays, I could not say the same about their workmanship. And Murrays had cottered cranks, which in my observation were not that reliable.
Thing is, in the US, people have tended to look at bicycles as toys. Still true with the Mountain Bikes and the Crusiers. Also true in other ways about the Road Race bikes. Not intended for practicality. Tends to be more other countries where bicycles are considered serious transportation.
Also, the spot welding on Huffy stays meant that the metal had to be even thicker. Huffy made the store brand 10 speeds for JC Penny's. When you add the extra gears, derailleurs, long stays and fork blades for the 27" wheels, and the hand brakes, those made for one of the heaviest bikes I had ever tried to pick up.
17 comments
SJG
And then Shailynn has been gone for even longer.
I could see the both of them at the center of this.
SJG
san_jose_guy - commonly referred to as SJG this forum member is usually mocked or ignored, his comments should NOT be taken in any way as legitimate
SJG
Huffy I have never owned. Classic Huffy has workmanship I do not like, especially spot welding the stays to the drop outs. Concerned about safety.
Alas, neither make exists now. The names are used for making bikes in China, and they are not the same. And nothing really looks wrong about the new Huffys.
But I do prefer different types of bikes.
SJG
Of Huffys and Murrays, I could not say the same about their workmanship. And Murrays had cottered cranks, which in my observation were not that reliable.
Thing is, in the US, people have tended to look at bicycles as toys. Still true with the Mountain Bikes and the Crusiers. Also true in other ways about the Road Race bikes. Not intended for practicality. Tends to be more other countries where bicycles are considered serious transportation.
SJG
SJG
Never gone along with the indexed shifting systems.
But either way, if you ride say 300 miles per week, you go thru a lot of parts.
So an alternative is gear hub, going beyond the old 3 speeds, to more usable speeds and a broader range than the old 10 speeds.
But then you still have chain and sprocket wear.
I am intrigued by the development of shaft drive bicycles:
http://glendalecycles.com/bike-technolog…
SJG