Schwinn Loop Folding Bike, 20-Inch Wheels, 7-Speed

My LOOP came extremely well packed and secure. It is a gorgeous bike. I have not seen anything sub par about its construction. I was nervous due to the negative reviews. The manual was easy to follow and practice made folding and unfolding easier! The tires need inflating but that is pretty standard for bikes that are shipped . The weight of the bike seems heavier but it is indeed a sturdy bike not flimsy.
The brakes seem tight so I’m going to have the bike adjusted professionally at a bike shop before I actually use it. My friend who bought a $2500 Electric bike had to do the same.
I am feeling hopeful and optimistic that this will be a great bike for me. I’m short, 5’1 and of a medium weight and fairly active but being older I researched foldable bikes and due to being short I felt the loop was a great choice for me. I will review this bike again after it’s adjusted and I have used it. I’m keeping the box just in case it needs to be returned. So far it looks like a quality bike and I don’t really see any signs of sloppy workmsnship. I will do a follow up review . 4 stars right
now until I use it. May 16, 2024 Brought it to a bike shop as the brakes looked liked they needed adjusting. Will be spending $90 to have the brakes and speeds adjusted as those are needed. I’m not handy with that stuff and have no idea how to do it but decided it was necessary to have a safe ride. Be aware that this may need to be done if you buy this bike.
Will be updating when I finally ride it!
May 27, 2024 update – after a $90 level 1 tune up it works great! Very happy with it. I have no reservations about the quality. I really love it.
One very annoying thing about this Bike purchase is the fluctuation of price on the various colors on Amazon, you have to watch carefully and buy it at its lowest listed price on Amazon. I pd $412 then saw my white bike for $351 on Amazon now it’s up to $451.
Now 6/7/24 absolutely love my loop!!!
Important to: watch for the best price on Amazon as the price fluctuates
Also before use have it adjusted by a bike shop or someone knowledgeable about bikes
THIS BIKE IS SO EASY TO FOLD AND UNFOLD AND IS NOT TOO HEAVY! I’m very happy with it and glad I took a chance on it
AUGUST 2024- had to come back and write how happy I am that I bought this bike! It is always in the back of my SUV ready to go!
Unfolds in minutes and folds back up in minutes! I absolutely love it

I’m 5’4, over 200 pounds, and my legs are pretty short. I’ve tried so many bikes and had so much issues! I even tried youth bikes, still couldn’t find the right one! Either my feet doesn’t touch the ground with he lowest seat setting, or my knees were too high and I can’t pedal properly. I was so resistant in purchasing a bike on Amazon as I don’t drive so in case I need to return it, it’d be such a hassle. But after buying 4 different bikes of Walmart and having to return all of them on the bus, I finally bit the bullet and boy was that a good decision! Just gotta wait till spring to use it again.

What I like about this bike:
1. It’s crazy sturdy!
2. Can fit all sizes
3. Compact (perfect for small spaces or condo living)
4. Pretty light
5. Built in sturdy rack
6. Easy to maneuver (perfect for city riding/short distance)
7. Easy to put together

What could improve
1. The original seat is uncomfortable as heck! (I bought a wide and plush seat, so much better!)
2. Wish the wheels were a bit thicker
3. Not many affordable indoor training rack that fits this wheel size
4. Hard to find a basket that sit properly in the front
5. Handles not adjustable (but I had no problems with it)

Bellissima e funzionale!

So I just finished my commute on the Schwinn folding bike, and I can say it wasn’t too bad. I normally commute on a Retrospec Beaumont 7 speed, but decided to invest in a foldable bicycle for when I travel, or if I ever make a quick trip downtown. So there’s kind of two parts to my review; my thoughts on the Schwinn Loop, and how it stacks up as a daily commuter. So I’m no bike expert, but I have ridden a fair amount, work on my own bikes, and commute 10-15 miles daily (I’m a medical student and switch between clinic for outpatient and hospital for surgery). I used to commute on a big box mountain bike, but have recently upgraded to 200-400 dollar bicycles (which I would recommend to anyone putting more than 200-300 miles on their bike a year, or want a bike that lasts a long time). The old adage in biking goes, “cheap, durable, or lightweight…..pick two”. This tends to be a pretty good rule of thumb. The bike weighs 33 pounds which is more than other folding bikes, but it’s also one of the cheapest bikes in the folding bike world. The bike seems to handle pretty good and be a fun ride, but at this price point companies tend to have to take a couple shortcuts. The tires seem to be of a cheaper compound, which is fine in good weather, but don’t tend to grip as well in rain. I wish they would’ve put on a little bit more expensive softer compound tire that would grip better. I know comparative to other bikes it’s cheap, but I feel they could’ve made a better selection on the tires. I just did 10 miles in the morning and 10 miles after work, and the seat wasn’t my favorite, but you definitely ride a 10 mile each way commute with no problems. People also tend to have their own personal preferences on bike seats, so finding a seat to make everyone happy might be pretty hard. Schwinn went with a bike seat on the softer side with a hint of firmness. Really really soft seats tend to be good for a mile or two, but tend to fatigue and hurt your rear faster than a firmer seat. I think this seat is aimed at people making a 3-7 mile commute. If I rode this everyday, I might seriously start thinking of changing it out for a harder seat post to match my longer commutes. But again, I just rode 20 miles with no problem, and would have no problem doubling that distance with no issues. I like how the bike has a welded on rear rack, you could buy a nice pair of saddle bags and not have to worry about the weight snapping or bending your rear rack. The bikes factory setup was really well done. I was impressed that the derailleur, brakes, wheel alignment were perfect and didn’t need adjusting out of the box. While I got lucky, I would still recommend having a bike mechanic look over your bike before riding if you’re not familiar with brake adjustments or derailleurs. I probably unboxed my bike and had it ready to ride in 30 minutes. A quick chain lube and once over and I was ready to ride. While this bike isn’t going to ride like a 1000 dollar bike or be light as a feather, it’s a pretty good looking bicycle for the money which could be pretty dependable if taken care of properly. The rim brakes are easy to maintain, but switching out to a brand like koolstops will give you a much improved stopping power after the stock pads are worn out.
So how does this foldable bike compare to other bikes?? Well, I’d still prefer a full size bike over the foldable. You feel the bumps a lot more on the 20 in tires than say a 700. The hearing on this is very favorable to climbing hills, you won’t find yourself wishing you had a lower gear most of the time. On the same note, your not going to be flying by anyone either. The trade off on a 7 speed for climbing easy is that downhill or on a bike path you might wish you had a higher gear or two. You could always change this out, but I think most people will go with the factory setup. Plus who really is going to invest money modifying a brand new Schwinn bike that’s perfectly fine to ride. There is a little bit of flex, but I didn’t really notice too much difference on my commute. The main issues between this and a regular hybrid are speed ( this bike is slower due to gearing, weight, smaller wheels, and flex), but I don’t think the average person will care they’re going a tad bit slower around town. The bike is actually kind of fun to ride around, but I’ll be sticking with my 700. Overall, I could see this being a great bike for someone who works in downtown or somewhere where leaving your bike locked outside might not be an option, or for someone with limited space for a bike in their house or apartment. For me, it serves its purpose well for a the ocasional short commute if I want a quick change up from my 700, to lend out to friends if they wanna bike the greenway bike trails (this bike can be adjusted to fit virtually and adult with its quick clamp seat post), and to take with me if I visit any other cities. If you don’t see an update, you can assume the bikes been going good since the date of this publication with no major issues. While I wasn’t blown away by the Schwinn, and still prefer my Retrospec, I think this could be a really fun commuter bike for someone and is overall a pretty good bike.

Update 3/24/2020
So I’ve put a couple hundred miles on this, checked it on a flight, and think I can give a little better input. I changed the seat out to one from Retrospec I found on Amazon for ten bucks (scene in second picture). I was rotating at a clinic who wouldn’t let me bring a full size bike inside, but would let me bring a folding bike I could store in a corner of the office. So I’ve got close to a month commuting on this now. The only upgrades I’ve done is to add a Retrospec seat, and attach a plastic crate with zip ties and a towel underneath to keep it from scratching the paint. Like others have said, the stock saddle is just not comfortable for most people, and if it doesn’t work for you switch it out. I might recommend looking for a harder seat rather than super soft, as really soft seats tend to be more uncomfortable on anything more than a few miles. I find a semi-hard seat seams to be the best for commuting (5-20 miles each way). Second, I bought a plastic crate from Walmart for about 7 bucks, put a black towel underneath to cushion and keep it from scratching the paint. I have five bungee cords in the middle and two zip ties keeping it from sliding back (bungees keptvin on but didn’t prevent it from sliding off). This bike has really low gearing, and outside of commuting it’s become my grocery store bicycle because it’s steel frame is very rugged and it’s gearing let’s me pull a trailer with no problems. The smaller tires are able to withstand more abuse than a larger wheel would. I tried putting panniers on, but the rear triangle is a tad to small for most panniers ( my heels kept hitting the panniers). After a couple hundred miles, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Schwinn Loop. Change out the seat, and you’ll have a pretty rugged commuter than you can fold up in under a minute for the office. Do not fly without buying a hard shell suitcase. I ignorantly tried checking it with only the case it came with. I arrived at my location with a bent derailleur. If you want to fly with this, either see if you can bring it as carry on, or buy a hardshell suitcase that will fit its dimensions. In my opinion, the case it comes with is pretty useless for anything other than storage. Overall I think it’s still 4/5, but I would easily recommend this bike for anyone looking for a reliable and economical foldable commuter bicycle.

Update 9/3/2020
I’ve probably got 500-600 miles on this now, and I’m changing my review to 5 stars. This has become my errand bike. I constantly load this bike up with 20-40 pounds extra on the back and it does more than fine. Is it the best folding bike? Of course not, but at its price point you can’t beat it. In fact, I’d say it does better than any other bicycle for the same price. Also, it’s a conversation starter. People ask me all the time about it, or give me compliments on it. People also seem to think it might be an electric bicycle. It’s really fun to ride. The 20 inch tires and short frame length make it really nimble and responsive. You’re going to have to fight off smiles while riding it. Shortly I’m going to have to service the hub and crank, as they’re needing more grease. The front brake noodle broke a while back, but the bike has taken a couple spills so I don’t fault the company for that. For $250 dollars on sale you’re getting a more than competent commuter and folding bike. You will not find a better folding bicycle at this price point. I was worried things might start breaking quickly like other cheap bicycles, but this bike has held up well to bring my errand bike. If you’re looking for a do everything bike to get you around and I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on this. Be ready to swap the seat out, and re-grease and service the hubs sooner than a 600-700 dollar folding bicycle. For reference I’m 180 pounds and the stopping power on the brakes are perfect. When the stock pads run out (I’m guessing around 1000-1500 miles) I’m going to replace them with kool stop pads. Also, the brake noodles hit on the frame a bit on the front, I swapped to a bending brake noodle and it completely solved that problem. Enjoy your bicycle, you’re getting a great bicycle.