Faced with a downward sales spiral, Schwinn went into bankruptcy in 1992.[59] The company and name were bought by the Zell/Chilmark Fund, an investment group, in 1993. The brakes are rim brakes on the Mesa 3, but on the Mesa 2, you get mechanical disc brakes which give good stopping power. Mountain bikes below $1,000 with a suspension fork and between 21 and 24 gears generally weigh between 38 and 41 pounds. The materials used for the frame, fork, and components usually account for most of the weight variation in this price range.
A subtle gold sparkle finish on the otherwise black aluminum frame adds some detail. Many who saw me riding this bike remarked that it’s not bad-looking. I even spotted a routing port for an internal dropper post, though at this price clearly buyers will need to purchase one separately. The head tube angle is 67.8° which isn’t nearly as stuffy schwinn bicycles as some other bikes in this price range. The 435mm chainstay length is pretty average for a 29er, while the reach and wheelbase are comparatively short, especially for riders like myself who are on the tall end of the height chart. Riders who are just starting out, or are on a tight budget, often start looking at bikes that cost $500 or less.
I don’t recommend doing this, but I mention this because many riders may do the same without even knowing something is wrong. After that first ride I had Chris from my local bike shop, Loose Nuts, check it out. He straightened the derailleur hanger just to be sure (these can get bent in shipping) and found the problem was a maxxed out B-screw. Unfortunately the screw is meant to push off a piece of the derailleur that was itself bent, meaning it couldn’t be fully fixed.
Questor/Schwinn later purchased GT Bicycles in 1998 for $8 a share in cash, roughly $80 million. The new company produced a series of well-regarded mountain bikes bearing the Schwinn name, called the Homegrown series.[62] In 2001, Schwinn/GT declared bankruptcy. By the mid-1970s, competition from lightweight and feature-rich imported bikes was making strong inroads in the budget-priced and beginners’ market.
Additionally, we share some alternative bikes for you to consider before making your final choice. The Schwinn Axum is a budget bike with a smart build spec that many riders will enjoy. While some things about this bike will annoy riders, it should provides a fun experience overall. The good news is the bike shifted much better after Chris worked on it, enough for me to ride without worrying about the shifting.
Then on other models, they will adjust the frame size and keep the wheel size the same. Schwinn makes solid bikes for beginners, over the years, has produced not just mountain bikes but some absolute classics such as the Schwinn Paramount, which broke the cycling fastest schwinn mountain bike mile on a bicycle at 108mph. While this bike’s suspension is great, we’d like to see a little more flexibility. A lockout feature for riding on level surfaces would be a welcome addition, as well as the option to tune the suspension for riders of different weights.