2016 SCHWINN AEROVANE CRUISER - REVIEW

[Rat Rod]

Stumbled upon this new 2016 Schwinn Aerovane 26" Cruiser the other day on Walmart.com and decided for $149 I'd give it a look. The vintage style double bar steel frame and the 26" x 3" fat tires with radial tread pattern intrigued me. Wasn't expecting much at that price point, but I was pretty surprised how nice the bike turned out to be. I'd say it was decent competition for the entry level model cruisers in the Electra, Trek and Felt line up.

I put my order in on Sunday and it showed up today (Friday) via FedEx. Fortunately it made it to my place in one piece without any damage. The bike I ordered shipped out of their California warehouse.

I would say for the money, it would be a great base for anyone wanting to build a cool custom rat. Larger sized frame for adult riders, painted S2 style wheels, bobbed fenders, etc. Not a lightweight bike by any means. I weighed it and it came to 43lbs. I think everything on this bike is steel...rims, frame, fork, seat post, bars, stem, fenders, etc.

Standover height on the bike is 31" and the top tube measures 25" from the center of the neck tube to the center of the seat tube. At 5'9" tall I'm just about resting on the top tube when I stand over it.

Typical issues with most cheap bikes these days...lack of bearing grease, cheap pedals and kickstand, but overall a solid cruiser for the price.

Bike available online here...

Here are a few pics, followed by an unboxing video.

 

[horsefarmer]

Steve, Thanks for reviewing it's a neat bike!
I recommend doing the coasterbrake mod right away - it's quite an upgrade.

 

[Rat Rod]

I did ride it around the neighborhood a bit this evening before it got dark and it seems to be geared pretty well. Not too hard to pedal and you can cruise along at a decent speed. Would be nice with a Nexus 3 speed for sure, but if you live someplace flat it's pretty easy to ride.

 

[Bicycle808]

Tires look killer.

 

[Rat Rod]

Tires look killer.

They're appear to be some no-name brand tire too...need to look closer for the maker's mark.

The big question is...will they be available for purchase separately?

 

[Jsparks]

Thanks Steve for the review, that does look decent for the price. Would be easy to make into something cool with out a whole lot of effort.

 

[kram]

Steve you need to stick that wheelset on a vintage frame just to see if they will fit! Also the tires kind of have that plastic look to them, or is that just the photos?

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Like you said, good base for a custom cruiser. I can see a springer and different bars easily.


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[Rat Rod]

Steve you need to stick that wheelset on a vintage frame just to see if they will fit! Also the tires kind of have that plastic look to them, or is that just the photos?

I think it's just the way they look in the photo. I had not ridden on them yet when I took the photos or the video so I think the finish will dull down a bit with some wear. They feel just like normal rubber tires to me.

One thing that I wonder is how wide a wheel and tire will fit in this F/F combo since it comes with a 3" wide tire.

 

[Rat Rod]

This will give you an idea of the size of the bike...Barney is 5'9" tall.

 

[Rat Rod]

The other nice thing about this bike is the neutral color scheme. No weird colored rims, seat or tires to deal with. You can paint the frame and fork whatever color you want.

 

[CrazyDave]

Looks like a nice bike for the $, fat tired and steel frame...$150...pretty hard to complain.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Steve you need to stick that wheelset on a vintage frame just to see if they will fit!

I was thinking the same thing. Stick them on your Klunker.

 

[Rat Rod]

Tires after some ride time...

 

[CrazyDave]

I checked the link and it seems Schwinn has a lifetime warranty as long as you own the bike. I don't know the details, but that is pretty impressive for a inexpensive bike.

 

[Rat Rod]

Decided to swap out the stock pedals with some bow pedals that I had and I also changed bars to some new Wald bars I had. Oh yeah, threw on a pair of Thompson Classic Coke Bottle grips too.

 

[Rat Rod]

Dorky riding video to give you an idea of the size of the bike.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Looks like a smooth roller


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[Wildcat]

I sure wish they stocked them over here. I need two of these for my trike project. Put a regular front wheel and tire on one and use both fronts on the second one.

 

[Rat Rod]

I threw a photo of the Swindler over the Aerovane for comparison sake. Looks like the frames are a bit different.