Great *ROAD* bike for the Price. Ordered the Katana from Amazon about a month ago. Since then, I’ve put 20 miles on Diamondback Jr Viper BMX Bike riding through hard sand/gravel on the C&C Canal path by Georgetown, Maryland. Half way through, it started to rain, and we were pedaling in wet weather. Obviously the bike stood up well, even in those rough sandy conditions where it wasn’t designed for. After that, I used a high-pressure hose to spray off all the sand/gravel that got caught in it. Then after drying and oiling it up properly (brakes, chain, etc.), it works like a charm now on the city roads, where it was designed to be.
All said, this bike comes from amazon pretty much pre-assembled. It helps a lot to assemble it with someone who’s done it before, but I managed to do it alone, without ever assembling a bike before. All you really need is: 1) an adjustable hex wrench for the pedals, and for taking the back tires off. 2) allen wrench set for putting the handle bars on, and readjusting the brakes/gears.
The good thing about the cantilever breaks is that they’re very easy to adjust to the right tension with one person, one hand holding the cable, and one hand tightening the screw. (Read the instruction manual to set this up the right way so you get it right on the first try).
Then, after adding some chain oil (Finish Line, Wet Lubricant) to the chains, and some brake cable lube (Tri-flo mineral oil or White Lightening wax lube), your bike will run very smoothly.
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Excellent affordable bike.. For the money this bike is worth it. I wanted a street bike for traveling, but didn’t want to spend too much and that is just what I got. It is super lightweight, fast and easy to assemble with basic tools. The only complaint I have is the seat hurts. This was easily solved with an aftermarket gel cover. I have done 100 miles now with no mechanical problems at all.
good bike for your dollar.. I bought this bike a few days ago. It was very easy to assemble. However, the box was open when it got here, so I can see how several other people who also purchased this bike may have lost pieces. I suggest that you have a friend (who knows a lot about bikes) help you to fine tune it once you’ve put it together. ie the brakes, and the derailer. My derailer was very rough to begin with but now only slightly. I also had to turn the piece over which connects to the handle bars in order to elevate the bars. like the previous posts said to do…it will turn the schwinn logo upside down, but it will solve your problem. to sum it up…after a few days of use, it seems worth the money.