Schwinn Meridian

I bought this bike after reading every single review, both positive and negative. I even took the step of ordering the bike from Amazon's Warehouse Deals. I paid a very reasonable price. I am a 52 year old woman who does not really have a lot of mechanical experience, but it was a beautiful day when the bike arrived. I got my iced tea and sat on my porch with the box and spent a leisurely afternoon figuring it out. With only a little help from my husband and son (mostly to just confirm I did something correctly) I was able to assemble the bike. I'm glad I did, too, because now, adjustments make more sense to me...I know the parts and understand how they work and fit together.That said, if you are just hoping for a quick experience putting it together, you may want to get help or pay a bike shop. I rate the bike 5 stars because I love the style and I think it was a GREAT value. It seems to be working well. But for the sake of those who read reviews, here are some notes that might help you.--The color: I read a lot of reviews that complained that they were hoping for a more BLUE bike. This should be called "Ice Blue" or something like that, not Slate, because the bike is really a silvery blue not a darker color like I would think Slate would be.--Packaging: I ordered from Amazon Warehouse Deals, which said the item would be repackaged, so I expected that. The large box it came in was not TOO badly roughed up from shipping, but when I opened it, the inner box that was holding all the bike parts was fairly frightening. Torn spots, dents in the cardboard, etc. From reading a lot of reviews about dents, I wonder if shipping is just really hard on this. Mine came basically double boxed. I wonder if someone returned it because of the condition of the original box! The original box did not appear to ever have been opened and resealed? Anyway, I probably got lucky, but my guess is this is a shipping issue and perhaps unavoidable when you have parts, like fenders, that are easily bent out of shape.--Assembly: Yeah, there were a few head scratching moments where I had to look at the diagram, re-read and THINK, but I figured them out. I saw a YouTube video of a guy who was pretty mechanical and putting this bike together for one of his parents and he had pretty much the same issues I had! I used (after googling!) Vicks VapoRub for grease for the handlebar stem and it is working great. Did have to laugh at the whiff of menthol I got just before my second ride on it, when I adjusted the handlebars. Vaseline would work too if you don't have a tube of grease that they call for. I confirmed with a mechanical friend that this will be no problem, we're not dealing with high temperatures or huge amounts of friction. I had to really work to get fenders lined up to the holes for the bolts that hold them on, then I had to bend them into shape a little to keep them from rubbing. This is no big deal to me, but if it is to you, you're forewarned. If you can't find the stem for the seat, look inside the hole in the frame, lots of people think they don't have one then find it there! Brakes might take a while to get them adjusted properly. If any of this really doesn't sound like something you want to mess with then definitely find a handier friend or take it to a bike shop for assembly. I didn't mind the tweaking.--Riding: THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN A TWO WHEEL BIKE! You have to really remember this or you may think something is wrong when it is not. If you learned to ride a two wheel bike, you instinctively *lean* to keep balance. Leaning on this bike is not necessary and may even make your sensation of being off balance WORSE. You *might* even want to lean OUT of a turn (the opposite direction) a tiny bit! I did feel a bit wonky on this trike at first, but I just took a deep breath and tried to remember that this was different. Much better as time goes on! Also, the road where I live is slightly graded to allow rain to runoff so if I'm riding on the road, I realize that it is going to feel off balance. I only take the road for a short while, then I am on the rails-to-trails near our home. That too is ever-so-slightly graded for runoff, but I can work with it better there. If the trail is clear, I just take my spot up the middle and my fellow bikers let me know they are coming with a friendly call or ring of their bell and I move over. :)--Mount/Dismount: At first, I kept whacking the back of my legs with the back wheels. Just needed to get in the habit of remembering that unlike a 2 wheel bike, I have to watch for them.--Seat: I'm a middle aged woman with an ample middle aged figure. The seat is just *okay* for me but since I got such a nice price on the bike, I don't feel badly about seeking out a wider, more comfortable seat. Until switching the seat, I only had gone about 3 miles at a time to avoid a sore posterior.If you want a flawless, seamless experience to get up and running, look elsewhere or get professional help to assemble and fine tune. If you're willing to deal with a few little issues, you'll have a great trike at a great price.

For about a year I have looked at 3 wheel bikes(trikes)intending to get one for my lady friend. I ride road bikes for exerciser and pleasure and wanted her to accompany me when I leisurely explore small country towns or cruise bike paths.She has balance problems and is not able to ride a 2 wheel bike at this time and I felt she could ride a trike..To be honest, I choose this trike because it was the cheapest deal I could find on line.. Sorry honey..I never expected this much quality for the price though..The Low Price and the fact that it's a trike is the only reason I bough it....Being this cheap I felt it may be light duty and not very well made. I hoped it would get her riding before we trashed it and she got on a two wheeler..BOY was I SHOCKED.I opened the crate, saw this trike and fell in love..The trike arrived UPS, no damage, none what so ever, zilch but there was one hole in the box where an axle rubbed..The box had been opened and taped closed..Everything was in the box, no missing parts to my surprise due to the fact all the staples had been pulled loose on top of the heavy card board box and it was clear to see someone had taped it closed again using packing tape..I have mechanical skills so assembly was no sweat..Someone who has less skill may need to ask a few questions. There is an 800 number supplied. I did not call it so I can't say if it works or not.For assembly you will need metric tools. I recommend sockets and metric allen wrenches.. A strong Phillips screw driver may be handy too..My trike had two flat tires but there is nothing wrong with the tires.New rubber can be expected to slowly leak at times because before rubber ages a tiny bit of air can seep through the rubber even when there are no holes in the tube. No telling how long those tires had sat in storage.I squirted some slime in the tubes (like I always do with new bikes ) and inflated the tires. They are holding air well..The instructions are a single page tucked in the owners manual. Hard to find and not really good when you do.There was NOTHING mentioned about trikes in the owners manual. Strange..BUT if you insert the back part to the bike to the main frame and bolt it together using the 4 bolts and nuts provided you will get past the hard part.I hear complaints about the fenders...Mine are great..The fenders will need to be adjusted to cover the tires.. Do not bend the nice shiny metal braces.After the fenders are installed you can slightly bow the center brace to line the fender with the top of the tire..with an adjustable wrench you can grasp and slightly bend the bottom part of the fender braces outward to line the fenders up with the tires..If you are careful you can get them almost perfect..Someone could drill the fake lights ( red reflectors ) located on each fender from behind and install LED's through the back.. Fill the hole with something to keep water out. Hook up a battery and have red lights for night riding..Done correctly this would be nice..When you assemble the two main parts..Think of the front of the bike as the bike and the part with the long axle as THE REAR PART.The rear part attaches to the bike where the rear wheel normally goes.It has flanges that GO INTO not over the matching flanges on the main bike frame..Put them INSIDE where the back wheel normally goes. They fit tight and may not be easy to get INSIDE. A ball bat or other heavy wooden object, covered with rags to protect the pain will help bang the parts in place..You will also need to connect a short chain during assembly but do not fear. It comes with a master link that you clip in place using pliers.I have a chain tool and I replaced the factory short chain with a better chain that I had on hand. I made a replacement short chain out of a long chain using my chain tool..I recommend that everyone buy a chain tool and learn how to use it..All bike and trike riders should know how to splice a bike chain.The photo's do not do this bike justice.The basket is strong and BIGGER than I thought it would be.My 5 year old grandson loves riding in it. Place more weight slightly to the right because the right back tire does the pulling and needs the weight for traction especially going up hills..It will coast down hills very FAST... you may want to hold slight pressure on the hand brake at times.. Always be careful costing big hills and use the brakes to keep your speed in a safe range. I feel safe on the trike at about 17 MPH..Install a bike computer.. Keep up with your miles. This will encourage you to ride more. Gives you goals..Yes. I Recommend this bike and I recommend people get it from Amazon. They have always treated me well and they have the best deals on line. I love this product and I am impressed with Amazon's service..My lady friend is very happy with her new trike. We have ridden it tonight all over the farm.. I believe it will be good for some park trails too.I regret now that I did not get one for myself so when she rides hers I can leisurely ride along side..Did I say, I love this trike? The seat is big, soft, comfortable and nice too..The angle of the seat in relation to the peddles makes it fun and easy to ride.It almost feels like riding a stationary bike.. Comfortable with more leverage..The ONLY thing I did not like about the entire package is the cheap plastic peddles. Ouch.They are NOT what I know as cruiser peddles and they will not spin freely when I give them a spin.. That is how I check my peddles. If I spin them I expect them to rotate at least 10 times on their own before slowing to a stop..I suspect these peddles NOT have BEARINGS at all..They look like Cheap Mountain bike peddles that retail for about 7 bucks a set..They are Really cheap crap for a Schwinn.But when you saved 200 bucks, you can expect something to be cheap..We will just replace them and not look back..Wallyworld sells Cruiser peddles with bearings for about 12 bucks..I like THEM much better but in all fairness the Mountain Bike Peddles may not allow your foot to slip off due to the way they are made...Quality like this, sold this cheap, is a bargain. Cheap plastic peddles and all...Better get you one while you can.. Good luck Chief.