Schwinn Boundary Mountain Bike Review: 2024 Guide

Hardtail

Hardtail mountain bikes have front suspension and a rigid frame. Hardtail bikes are lighter and more agile than their full suspension counterparts, but they’re not as well suited on ultra bumpy, rough terrain. By 1990, other United States bicycle companies with reputations for excellence in design such as Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale had cut further into Schwinn’s market. Unable to produce bicycles in the United States at a competitive cost, by the end of 1991 Schwinn was sourcing its bicycles from overseas manufacturers. This in turn led to further inroads by domestic and foreign competitors.

Scott founded FunOutdoors to connect his professional life with his passions. When Scott isn’t working, you’ll find him on the bike trail, riding a wave, or skiing down a mountain. Custom tubing reinforces the bike’s strength while adding no extra weight. The Shimano 1×9 single-ring drivetrain minimizes accidental slips and delivers great performance over the miles. Schwinn’s development in the handlebar widening makes this model more suitable for grasping, and the irregular ellipse at the joint area stabilizes the handlebar. In addition, the seats are adjusted to suit cyclists who are 5′ 4″ to 6′ 2″.

schwinn mountain bike

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 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.

While Schwinn’s popular lines were far more durable than the budget bikes, they were also far heavier and more expensive, and parents were realizing that most of the budget bikes would outlast most kids’ interest in bicycling. In the 1950s, Schwinn began to aggressively cultivate bicycle retailers, persuading them to sell Schwinns as their predominant, if not exclusive brand. During this period, bicycle sales enjoyed relatively slow growth, with the bulk of sales going to youth models. In 1900, during the height of the first bicycle boom, annual United States sales by all bicycle manufacturers had briefly topped one million. By 1960, annual sales had reached just 4.4 million.[10] Nevertheless, Schwinn’s share of the market was increasing, and would reach in excess of 1 million bicycles per year by the end of the decade. schwinn tricycle is a good choice if you are looking to get into cycling and don’t want to break the bank.

Mountain bikes were originally based on Schwinn balloon-tired cruiser bicycles fitted with derailleur gears and called “Klunkers”. A few participants began designing and building small numbers of mountain bikes with frames made out of modern butted chrome-molybdenum alloy steel. Using the standard electro-forged cantilever frame, and fitted with five-speed derailleur gears and knobby tires, the Klunker 5 was never heavily marketed, and was not even listed in the Schwinn product catalog.