Product Description

Ideal for that morning commute or getting out for your evening ride, the Schwinn Katana has everything you need to get you quickly and easily from point A to point B. The Katana features a 14-speed Shimano drivetrain with a quick-shifting A050 rear derailleur, and lightweight Tru-Vativ IsoFlow alloy cranks to keep your legs moving fast. The alloy Aero frame, deep-dish alloy wheels and paired spokes make the Katana ready to hit the road in a snap.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11663 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Schwinn

Features

• Schwinn Men's super light Aluminum Aero Road Bike Frame and Fork
• Shimano shifers and 14-speed drivetrain with A050 rear derailleur
• Tru-Vativ IsoFlow Alloy Cranks
• Custom paired spoke wheel set

Customer Reviews

Frame too small for me
I ordered the 58cm frame but when it came, it was only 54cm. The bike in the picture is only 54cm. This bike was light and seemed to be well-built, but it was just too small for my 6'-2" frame. My pictures are the last 4 pictures on the Amazon site. You can see how high I had to raise the seat up. I had to return it to Amazon. Other than size, the bike seemed to be well worth the money for a bike of this quality. Everything functioned properly and it shifted smoothly. The seat should be replaced with a "specialized" or other good seat. Rims were nice and light, frame was nice, components were good for the price.

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.

Excellent, worth considering
I bought this bike to replace an old mountain bike that I rode just to make sure I could make a habit out of riding. This is my first road bike, and I was concerned about having my big body on such narrow tires at 120psi. I bought the 58cm, and I am 6'2 or 6'3 with a 34in inseam.. bike fits excellent, almost like I measured for it. After assembling I spent some time with adjustments and tweaking, oh and immediately flipped over head peice to raise the handlebars. Oh, and took the clips off the pedals.

I have spent some time tweeking and I still dont like how the rear and front derailers are acting. I blame my lack of experience though, not the bike. Although I did have to move the shifter for the front derailer, and now I cannot get it to tighten and hold securely... will probably try something serious, like glue or epoxy, as rubber does not seem to work. also when sprinting the handlebars occasionally make a creaking sound, but probably due to being aluminum, and not actually indicating probable structural failure. And fixed one flat, it was my fault though as I moved valve stem too much causing rubber to tear. The rim tape appeared good and thick, if people are having issues its cheap to replace, but I have not had a problem.

I've had this bike for almost 3 weeks, and as of today I've put a total of 270 miles on it. I love it. I did put on a new seat though, but never even tried the other one, I just had a better one on a different bike. the seat appeared to be well padded and ergonomical though. I now go 6mph faster than I did on my old bike without even trying, but being on a bike like this gives you more motivation (you gotta look like you know how to ride when you're on a nice looking road bike), so my rides to school and to work are much faster. I can easily put on 20miles in one day. I've had it up to 27mph, thats downhill and with a breeze, but not trying very hard. its pretty easy to hold 19-21mph on a smooth flat surface. Everyone thinks I paid double what I spent on this, which is good, other than my refusal to show my girlfriend the receipt. And I have ridden on some rough streets, and a mile down a deep graveled country road, and the bike seems to be holding up well. I am planning on tearing it apart sometime soon to make sure nothing is wearing badly.

All in all, this was a good purchase for the price. If you're trying to decide whether to buy this, I'd recommend it.

Update (11/09/08)- Something in the pedals of this bike broke during normal use on 9-9-08. Amazon told me I had to go through Schwinn for a resolution. Schwinn was going to send me parts for it. Two months and 5 calls to Schwinn later I never did get the parts. I was then told there was nothing they could do about my busted new bike. Had to call Amazon, a week of phone calls and emails and they finally let me return this. This bike lasted 1 month and 9 days, and had 332miles on it. I loved it otherwise, just didnt hold up. Not sure if I will get another one..