Schwinn Bicycle Company 2000 Peloton Pro

Price Paid:  $1200.00

Favorite Ride:
Alta

Bike Setup:
Stock except for rear sprocket, seat and tires. I currently run a Dura-Ace 12-25 rear sprocket that

Summary:
I don't consider myself as a serious rider but I do use the bike daily on rides to and from work and on weekend rides. The work commute totals ninety miles and I generally ride an additonal one-hundred to one-hundred fifty miles on weekends. I'm nearly 6' 2", 230 lbs and have long arms. My Peloton has a 60cm frame and, with it's long top bar, fits perfectly. This bike replaces my Lemond Alpe-d 'Huez. I didn't have any problems with the Lemond other than the it was slightly too small and too short. I definitely suggest that any rider be fitted for a bike before purchase

Strengths:
Very stable. I wasn't certain that I would like the integral brake and shifter lever but it's fine. Shifting is extremely smooth and the brakes are more than sufficient.

Weaknesses:
The hanger for the rear deraileur isn't replacable. If it is bent, find a good welding shop that has experience in working with chrome-moly. Don't let someone straighten it cold. Silver spokes for the Mavik Cosmic Elite wheels are hard to find. Buy some spares now while they are available

Similar Products Used:
Lemond Alpe-d Huez and Motebecane Grande Touring ( O.K. the Grande Touring isn't in the same class but it wasn't bad when I bought it in 1971)

Price Paid:  $1900.00 at Bill''s Basement Bar

Favorite Ride:
West Carleton/Calabogie

Bike Setup:
Stock.

Summary:
I'm actually a mountain biker crossing over to road training.

I've put on about 4500km on this bike over the last year and aside from some squeaky hubs/spokes, the machine has performed flawlessly.

This is a great handling steel bike that takes my 200lb frame with good humour. The components on this bike are solid - Ultegra/Dura Ace mix. No need for upgrades here.

The wheels are on the heavy side - if I was to replace anyhing, it would be the wheels.

The stock Michelin tires wore through pretty quickly - I'm on my second set.

Strengths:
Solid bike, low maintenance. Simple design. Hey, it's a road bike, what do you want? Great componentry - wish I had this quality on the first MTB I bought a decade ago.

Weaknesses:
Wheels - slightly heavy - I would replace with either Velomax Circuit or the new Shimano wheelset. An initial squeak developed in the area of the hub/spoke interface. A quick visit to the Mavic website and some subjective shop advice told me to put a drop of oil in each spoke hole on the hub - fixed it like a charm. This is where I deducted the 1 point.

Similar Products Used:
Older Peleton frame with my old Bianchi components bolted on. I'm new to the current world of road riding....

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at gvhbikes.com

Favorite Ride:
bear mountain, anything upstate

Bike Setup:
Not exactly stock: Ultegra with a Dura Ace rear derr, 3T bar/stem, Michelin Axial Select rubber, Kestrel EMS fork, Shimano mtb spud pedals.

Summary:
So far very pleased with the purchase. I bought it in a leap of faith: online, never ridden. I checked the dimensions and materials and had a recommendation for gvhbikes.com, and talked over my wants and needs with Gary there. While he hasn't been quick to return questions regarding my original rear wheel, I guess that's the price of cheapness.
It's a great handling bike, great road feel. A little bit of chatter when I'm going downhill with my shoulders forward and my hands off the bar that I don't get on the Nishiki. I'm not sure how well the Ultegra stuff is going to hold up. I've put on a fair number of miles since February (no odometer, but I'm riding probably 120-160 miles per week), and it's feeling pretty solid. Good bike for the money.

Strengths:
Great ride. Smooth 853. Handling is either slow nor twitchy, just responsive and flowing.

Weaknesses:
My original setup came with 32-spoke Ultegra hubs and Mavic CXP33s. Maybe it was a lousy build, or maybe my 200lbs were too much for them, but I destroyed these rims in a couple months. Moved to a 36-hole Open Pro and haven't touched it yet.

Similar Products Used:
I'm a BMX rider turned XC mountain biker, primarily, though I've had an old Nishiki International for a while now.

Price Paid:  $1499.00 at Cycle 360

Favorite Ride:
LAF Ride for the Roses

Bike Setup:
Stock setup, switched saddle, Mavic CXP-23 rims w/Coda expert hubs. Ritchy seatpost,headset, Ultegra front derailler, cranks, brakes. Dura-ace rear derailler, Time Aero Carbon fork.

Summary:
Well worth the value paid for it. I feel motivated to ride alot now.

Strengths:
Smooth, Smooth Ride!! Ultegra/Dura-ace stock parts work like magic. Comparable to another brand aluminum frame, it weighed only 1 lb. more. However the ride is much smoother

Weaknesses:
Stock saddle is unbearable. Bike shop was nice enough to trade for a better Selle Italia Gel Flight

Similar Products Used:
Schwinn Super Sport

Bike Setup:
Stock, 'cept Ritchey SPD pedals, Shimano Flight Deck computer.

Summary:
This is my first road bike (been mtn. biking for a couple years), and I couldn't have picked a better bike. Nothing compares to the feel of steel. This bike makes me want to ride.

Strengths:
Steel frame!! Ultegra/Dura-ace components shift like butter. Mavic rims & Michelin tires.

Weaknesses:
No replaceable derailleur hanger.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 2200, plus test rode the other aluminum brands...