Help Identifying My Schwinn

[mikehuangsd]

Hello –

I just picked up this bike for cheap off Craigslist, mostly because I love how it looks – I’m now trying to identify it.  From the catalogs posted on this site, it appears to resemble the 1998 Homegrown Factory XT the most.  Some differences though:

1) no tomato logo or the words ‘homegrown’ anywhere

2) the bike has a sticker that says S-40 – I don’t see any reference to this type of name on this site

3) paint is bright blue and subtlely metallic  – not nearly as ‘glittery’ as the one in the catalog

4) the rear chainstays are not polished chrome – they are silver painted. 

5) sticker on the back says it’s made of 6061 alloy

What can you tell me about this bike?  It’s totally cool if this is not a ‘desirable’ bike – I’m riding it every day and loving it.  But anything at all anyone could tell me about it would be appreciated – 

 

Thanks-

Mike

 

 

 

[john]

It’s not a Homegrown, but shared much of the tech and frame geometry. It’s a 1999 S-40. The frame was made in Taiwan instead of the US and it used lower-price components. Looks to be in great shape.

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1999&Brand=Schwinn&Model=S-40&Type=bike#.UJFonMXEbkU

[mikehuangsd]

So it’s more of a Taiwan-grown mass produced version.  That explains everything.

It IS in excellent shape – Barely a scratch on the paint when I got it, and the shocks look and work like brand new. I’ve since polished every last speck of rust off of the steel nuts and bolts, and recently changed out the knobbies to whitewall road slicks. 

Thank you for the info! 

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[mikehuangsd]

just an update – My 1999 Schwinn s40 is still going strong – now with 27.5″ wheels!

 

[mikehuangsd]

new suspension stance front/back, new crank, and a splash of color

 

 

 

 

[letenn]

Hello, Just curious what rear shock did you use?  The original Rock Shock Deluxe seems really weak.  I guess it’s not rebuildable.  Looking for a replacement.  

Thanks.

 

[mikehuangsd]

I actually really like the original Rock Shox deluxe that was on there – but changed it to this one to try a different length out:

https://www.amazon.com/GUSTY-Mountain-Electric-Absorber-Anodized/dp/B085VF18DG/

[letenn]

oh cool.  My origial rock shock measured at 5.5″.  Is that what your measurement was too?  I could only find 6.5″, but didn’t look on Amazon.

[mikehuangsd]

My original Rock Shock Deluxe is 5.5″ (~140mm), with a 750 lb spring.   If it seems too squishy, you can turn the adjuster thing and really crank it down to compress the spring more and stiffen it up a ton.  When I did that, the ride got pretty stiff/harsh for me (I’m about 150 lbs).

I recently changed the shock to the ‘Gusty’ brand 125mm (1000 lb) one to lower the bike’s unweighted stance.  I wouldn’t really recommend going that short though – there’s not much travel left, but my s40 is really only for pavement riding anyway, so it’s fine for me.

That exact 125mm Gusty shock I installed appears to be sold out now at the Amazon link I posted above, but there’s always Ebay or AliExpress for about a million different options that would work. 140mm is kinda rare but not impossible to find, and you could go a little longer or a little shorter, or you can even put an air shock on there.  Just try to find a shock with actual rebound resistance/damping – some of the cheaper units are just springs, which will give you a more pogo-effect than shock absorption. 

Also, you will likely need to use a few m8 washers to get it to fit well with our frame:

 

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[letenn]

Thanks for the info.  The Rock Shox deluxe has the pogo effect.  I cranked down the spring, but havent tried it yet.  I had to rob the crank for another bike, so Now I’m on the lookout for a crank too.  

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