Name: Schwinn Phocus
Brand: Schwinn
Availability: InStock
Rating: 80 (339 reviews)

80/100

BikeRide Score

Users (339 ratings)

Experts (0 reviews)

Where to buy

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Facts

Gender

Men, Women

Type

Beginners, Commuter, Road, Non-Electric

Release Year

Brand

Wheel Size

Number of Gears

Gearing Type

Weight

29.0 lb

Suspension

None

Brake Type

Rim: Caliper

Frame Material

Aluminum, Carbon Fiber

Summary of Reviews

We have read all expert and user reviews on the Schwinn Phocus. In summary, this is what cyclists think.

8 reasons to buy

Commenters believed the Phocus presents good value and that componentry was good quality for the price.

The Phocus was often labeled as a good beginner’s road bike.

Owners often touted the lightness and quality of the 6061 aluminum frame.

Large models were tall enough for a 6’3” man, with scope to go taller.

It was easy to assemble and tune via YouTube or for the mechanically-minded.

Some owners found the Phocus solid and durable, even after 8 months, for one user.

Many reviewers loved the carbon-fibre fork.

A number of riders found that the Phocus shifted nicely through gears.

13 reasons not to buy

There is a known crank / bottom-bracket issue that involves sending the entire bike back to Schwinn, at the cost of the owner.

Generally, buyers needed to take the Phocus to their local bike shop for tuning, incurring extra costs.

There are a number of reports of poor-quality rim-tape coming loose and causing repeated punctures.

Braking power, or the lack of it, scared some riders. The brake pads were called ‘plasticky’.

At 26-29 lbs, its a little heavy for a performance road bike .

The Phocus has its shifters on the flat of the bars, requiring riders to move their hands away from the brake levers to change gear.

Out of the box, wheels may need truing and were sometimes out-of-round (vertically untrue).

Owners described a bike festooned with decals and sometimes bearing a lopsided head-badge. Bodywork scratches were rife.

For one owner, the bike was worn out after a month of commuting.

There are no eyelets provided to attach panniers or fenders.

A common problem was that ordered sizes were not accurate. Bikes were often unrideably large or small.

A mechanic reported pre-worn and unevenly machined chainrings on a new model.

Components were repetitively described as cheap, including Chao Yang tires that slid in the wet.

Bottom line

The Phocus seems to be a lot higher quality than a lot of Schwinn products. Owners were delighted by the aluminum frame and carbon fork. However, some owners replaced a lot of parts (including the cassette and bottom-bracket), in order to make the gears usable. Although it may not be recommended for the continuing enthusiast, it might be a decent entry into road-riding and provide a frame-set that serves as the basis of an upgrade project.