Schwinn S29 Men’s Mountain Bike Review 

You’ve heard us say it before but today were going to have to say it again, Schwinn, and in this case the Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike, simply does not fail to disappoint. One of the most well-known names in mountain bike, Schwinn has been making top of the line mountain bikes for over 100 years, and in all that time they have certainly learned what it takes to produce a high quality product like the Schwinn S29. I recently finished testing and reviewing the GT Aggressor Pro, a bike in the similar price range as the Schwinn S29, and it was an absolute blast. After riding the GT aggressor pro I thought that it might be nice to test out more bikes in the $400 to $500 range and after about a week of research our team settled on the Schwinn S29 mountain bike. About two weeks after our S29 mountain bike arrived and what you’re about to read is my full, in-depth experience riding the Schwinn mountain bike every day; on the trial, for my commute, and for leisure bike rides through our beautiful Southern California homeland. 

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Last updated on March 7, 2024 12:05 pm

 

The Schwinn S29: A full and complete review and overview

Schwinn S29

 

Our team here at mountain bikes lab ordered the Schwinn S29 on a Wednesday, and with free shipping our new Schwinn mountain bike had arrived at our office by the follow Wednesday. We tend to use free shipping as much as possible because we always want to know how long companies take to ship their items if the shipping if free. If you won’t be getting your new mountain bike for over a month that is something that we think you should know before making a purchasing decision, but alas I digress.

After a week our new Schwinn S29 arrived and upon opening the packaging there was an immediate sense of relief. Often times when bikes are shipped they arrive dented, scraped and occasionally damaged. Thankfully, this was not the case with our Schwinn S29 dual suspension mountain bike. In the past we have had to deal with a number of different bikes arriving with bent chains and gears, scrapped paint, and once even a popped tire. Of all the other Schwinn mountain bikes that we have reviewed in the past this has never happened and we are pleased to report that once again, with the Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike, the quality of Schwinn can be commended. 

The First Ride

These days with most of the bikes that we test here at mountain bikes lab we like to take out the mountain bike for multiple different test rides in a number of different conditions. We know that most people cannot afford to have one bike for the trail, one bike for leisure riding, and one bike for a commute so we try to cover all of these bases so that you know how your new bike will fare, no matter what you decide to use it for. 

Our first ride with new bikes is normally an urban ride on cement and asphalt, and what we decided to do with the S29 was no different. The Schwinn S29 dual suspension held up very well during my time riding it throughout my small town. The roads are fairly worn down so although this was an urban ride there was still a bit of terrain to manage and with the high quality dual suspension on the S29 I was able to traverse them with very little difficulty. For an inexpensive dual suspension mountain bike, the Schwinn S29 was able to handle flat terrain extremely well. Often times more inexpensive dual suspension mountain bikes are terrible to ride. While they might handle terrain well, because of their lower quality suspension, riding over flat surfaces feels like you constantly bumping up and down. The Schwinn S29 dual suspension mountain bike did not have this problem and its suspension was not so sensitive as to jumble you around while riding. 

Onto the Trail: The True Test

During our teams first couple days with the Schwinn we kept the bike on city street and put about 100 miles on the bike. This is something that we try to do with all our new bikes, because you never really know how a bike will hold up until you have put some real distance on it. After these first few days it was time to take the Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike onto the trail and see how it handled some real mountain biking. In our teams professional opinion the Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike is the perfect introductory mountain bike, and would be sufficient for an intermediate level mountain biker. 

I rode the Schwinn S29 dual suspension mountain bike of four different trails, two beginner and two intermediate difficulty, for more information on mountain bike trail difficulty ratings you can read this article.  On the beginner trails the Schwinn S29 held up beautifully. The gear shifting is smooth and consistent whether you are going uphill or downhill, or on flat ground or slightly rugged terrain. Which is what should be expected from a mountain bike with Shimano shifters and derailleurs like the Schwinn S29 has! Additionally, I had no issues with de-chaining, something that is very common with entry level mountain bikes. Often the chains on these bikes are too loose or they are adjusted incorrectly, causing them to jump and come off the gear when going over terrain. Our team thoroughly inspected every aspect of the assembly of the Schwinn and we were very pleased with it, so much so that we didn’t adjust anything ourselves before taking it out for a ride. 

On the intermediate trails the S29 still fared extremely well, however on the most rugged parts of the rides the dual suspension did leave something to be desired. When changing elevations quickly, aka going from downhill to uphill is a very small distance the suspension did not have quite enough support, especially the front suspension. The fork in the front of the bike would something fully compress and your body would take the rest of the impact. This did not happen very often however if you are looking for a mountain bike to take down very steep and intense trails you may need to upgrade the front suspension on the Schwinn S29. 

Overall the trail riding experience for the S29 men’s mountain bike was very good and I really enjoyed riding the bike. As I said earlier the Shimano shifters and derailleurs worked beautifully and shifting was never an issue. Additionally, the brakes were extremely responsive but not jerky which is one of my biggest pet peeves with beginner mountain bikes. In my experience entry level mountain bikes have one of two types of brakes, extremely unresponsive to the point where you can’t reliably brake, or super sticky brakes which makes braking jerky and dangerous. The Schwinn S29 and the perfect mechanical disc brakes for a beginner, not too powerful, but responsive enough to stop you quickly, efficiently, and smoothly. 

Commuting with the Schwinn S29 Mens Mountain Bike

In this section I’ll talk about my experience over the past two weeks of using our new Schwinn S29 during my bike ride to work. Luckily for me I am blessed with have a day job only 5 miles from my house, and I am able to ride my Velowave Electric Mountain Bike to work almost every day. These past two weeks however I decided to ride the Schwinn S29 to work to see how it would fare as a commuter bike. These days more and more people are looking to drive less to save money and help the environment, so its only logical that we should start testing most of our new bikes for the ability to act as a commuter bike as well. 

Unfortunately, the S29 is not the best bike out there for commuting. Like most full suspension bikes the Schwinn S29 takes more energy to ride than a fixed, or hard tail suspension bike which immediately makes it less appealing as a commuter bike. Overall my experience commuting with the Schwinn S29 dual suspension mountain bike wasn’t terrible but unless your commute is two miles or less, I wouldn’t recommend buying this bike for your ride to work. 

Conclusion

Overall our teams time with the Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike was above and beyond what we were expecting. This bike is far superior to all beginner full suspension mountain bikes that we have tested and for the price you are paying, the Schwinn S29 is a fantastic deal. From their high quality components and assembly, to excellent riding experience, to great customer service, our experience, from buying the Schwinn S29 to taking it out for some test rides was nothing short of excellent. I would recommend this mountain bike to any an all beginners who are looking to get into the world of mountain biking, in addition to intermediate mountain bikers who are searching for their next bike to really start improving their mountain biking ability. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes the Schwinn S29 mens mountain bike?

The Schwinn S29, like all Schwinn mountain bikes, is made by Dorel industries, which produces its mountain bike products in Montreal, Canada. 

Is the Schwinn S29 a good mountain bike?

Schwinn has been designing high quality mountain bikes for over 100 years and the Schwinn S29 is no exception. It is a great beginner level mountain bike and would be a perfect choice for some intermediate mountain bikers as well, depending on the trail difficulty they are planning on riding. 

How tall should I be to ride the Schwinn S29?

The Schwinn S29 men’s mountain bike has 29 inch wheels and an 18 inch frame. The recommended height for someone riding the Schwinn S29 is between 5’9” and 6’2” but anyone from 5’7” to 6’5” should be able to comfortably ride the S29 due to its adjustable seat. 

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