Schwinn Volare Hybrid Bike, Aluminum Frame, 700c Wheels

I was really excited for this bike because it was exactly what I was looking for and I got a decent price for it. However, on the first ride the rear derailleur completely obliterated itself when I tried to shift down going into the wind. I have no idea why/how it happened because it wasn’t giving me issues prior. Hopefully this was just a defective bike.

Very easy to assemble, light weight & a overall great ride. I’m a bigger guy so needed to replace the little factory seat with a bigger cushion seat, but overall great bike.

There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this bike, but there was some definite cost shaving going on that will affect your experience. The most notable issue is the brake levers – their manufacturer, Power Bicycle, claims them to be suitable for side pull calipers (i.e. what this bike comes with) or linear-pull V-brakes. Pretty sure they were actually designed for the latter, though, so the brakes have an odd, unresponsive feel – yes, they’ll stop the bike, but not as readily as would be desired. Replacing both levers and blocks is roughly a fifty dollar venture, and probably worth it. One other noticeable cheap-out moment came with the cranks (Prowheel brand, couldn’t locate a model number) – rivets with a little fake hex cut in to look like bolts (i.e. for replaceable chainrings) – really? Tires (Chaoyang brand/Hangzhou Rubber Factory) are plastic-y and lack grip, even after allowing some mileage for them to break in, but I did not have the issue other reviewers reported with punctures – I suspect some chose to ignore the recommended inflation pressures (check the sidewall). Some people will also knock on the thumb lever shifters, and while I understand that integrated shifters require less hand movement, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the shifters that come with this bike. The front is a friction shifter, however, but with two chainrings it isn’t a huge issue, and has the unintended benefit of allowing fine adjustment to eliminate chain rub on the front derailleur in crossed gears. The rear cogs are of the freewheel type, which, while they function just fine, are not easy to track down replacements for if needed; further, if you want to upgrade the drivetrain beyond 7-speed, you’ll need to replace the rear hub.

There are some really strong positives to this bike, though. The aluminum frame is sturdy, and not as heavy as steel, though this bike still weighs in on the heavy side. Rims are also aluminum, and have a machined braking surface. The wheels showed up true and stayed true – not always a given, sadly. For all the hate people give Shimano’s Tourney not-groupset, it’s still reliable – no issues whatsoever with the rear half of this drivetrain.

Overall, for the price, this is a decent value, but it does show some cut corners.

A few assembly notes: once you put it together according to the directions, go back and check the following:

rear derailleur adjustment – mine actually arrived adjusted pretty perfectly, but it should still be checked. Look up how if you don’t know – this is a maintenance skill you will need to learn at some point anyway

pedals threaded into correct crank arms ALL the way – you may not be able to accomplish this with an ordinary adjustable wrench – it may be too thick. Either get a pedal wrench or find a crescent thin enough to fit between pedal and crank. If you don’t do this right, the pedals will strip the threads out of the crank arms and fall off – it’s steel vs. aluminum – not a design flaw, just demands proper assembly.

front derailleur adjustment – set the limiter screws so you can’t throw the chain clean off the rings. Again, if you don’t know how, look it up.

tighten the headset

check brake adjustment – mine shipped way too loose, requiring the brake levers be pulled all the way to the bars for the brakes to make contact with the rims.

Finally, on your test ride, listen for sounds. If it isn’t the sound of tires on pavement or wind noise, it’s telling you something needs to be fixed.

I am an avid cycler and ride about 80 to 100 miles a week normally sticking to gravel trails and some paved bike paths. I own a Trek mountain bike and a Fuji hybrid (I ride the Trek about 70% of the time). I was looking for a cheap road bike just to use when I am out on the paved bike trails so I do not wear down the tires on the other two bikes. I have never bought any bike on Amazon or any direct ship but I figured I would try it and worst case send it back. I received the bike in 2 days (prime). The assembly was very easy (but this may be because I have maintained my bikes for so long) just attach the handle bars, seat and front wheel (it comes with quick release so its a snap). The frame is very well built, light weight and the seat is comfortable. Heres the bad. The gears are a mess out of the box to the point its not really rideable and even with my knowledge of bikes I could not even make the adjustments. The tires are cheap but will pass for a season at least and the breaks are loose. So liking the price and frame, I decided that I would invest in taking it to my local bike shop for them to tweak it. A week later I picked it up and love it! It rides very smooth, the gears shift great now and it handles the hills fairly easily. So, if you buy this bike plan on having to invest a little more money to have it adjusted by a pro; if not, don’t bother buying it as is not adjusted at all out of the box. That’s the only warning I have and I will defend schwinn as its like that with most every bike you buy out of the box.

I love cycling and I decided to buy my bike to start cycling long route distances. Looking around the web I could only find chinese brands that would fail after 100km. I found the best compromise with Schwinn Bikes that It is a good brand for beginners.
Overall the bike is stable and reliable. after few rides I have good feeling with bike. brakes and gear is working fine, after several adjustments.
The dark red color is amazing I really like it.
the Bike arrives almost assembled, the problem is that inside there are no tools, but the minimum requirement is few screwdriver. Easy to assemble for everyone, but if you are not comfortable just go to a bike shop.
The chassis is Alluminium and the bike is light about 12kg but I was really disappointed when I read MADE IN CHINA.
for this reason I give 4 stars.
Overall I really recommend this bike for beginners and for everyone who wants to stars long routes.
Have a nice ride!

The nut in the rotating arm where you attach the left pedal came badly stripped/damaged, so it is impossible to attach the pedal and use the bike.
The handling is not very smooth