When you first start out with riding bikes as a hobby, buying bikes that cost a fortune can seem quite redundant. Quite frankly, seeing the price tag on bikes in general for the first time can come as quite a shock considering how bikes are the “cheapest” mode of transport. So if you are looking for an affordable bike that also does almost everything that a high end bike does, you are looking at exactly the right article. 

The Schwinn Phocus 1600 is of impeccable quality and comes at a price that does not break the bank. Half a grand is as low as bikes can possibly go and with the innovative features and make of the bike, you will not be complaining. 

The Schwinn Phocus 1600 is a road bike which means it will guarantee you both speed and low weight. Road bikes, as the name suggests, are designed to be used on the road for your average daily bike rider. They are also used to compete in low grade biking races. So road bikes are practically perfect for someone to begin their biking journey with. 

In the formative biking years, picking the right bike might seem a little trivial and you might want to pick the most inexpensive one to try your hands on it. But getting the right bike that will not only last you a long time but will also help you acknowledge your appreciation for the sport is extremely important. If you are riding the wrong bike, no matter how much you try to like biking, you just will not. So it is important that you get something both inexpensive and perfect for an amateur/beginner. 

For this purpose alone, the Schwinn Phocus 1600 is perfect. In this Schwinn Phocus 1600 review we will be discussing all of its features in detail so that you know what you are getting yourself into if you plan on buying it or for you to figure out whether or not you want to buy it. Either way, every single bike part from the frame to the brakes will be reviewed thoroughly so that you do not miss out on anything. 

Given below in Schwinn Phocus 1600 review is the list of all features and an in depth explanation of what they are and how they perform.

Bike frame 

The frame of this bike can be the cause of a little problem. There is only one frame size that it is available in and being a “men’s” bike it is quite big at 56 cm. The average height of people that can fit this bike easily and ride it without struggling is anywhere from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet 2 inches. So you have to be quite above the average height to ride this bike but you can’t be too above it either or you will have to cram your legs. If you do fit this lot, this bike is pretty great. 

Coming to the basics, the bike frame is a bit flexible when it comes to the seat tube, like most bikes are. The seat tube is adjustable and in my opinion, if you have got an adjustable seat tube you should always adjust it to ensure that you are the most comfortable you can be. There is no rocket science behind it, get it high enough for your legs to touch the ground but it should also not be so low that your knees feel like dying every time you pedal. 

The overall bike frame is made up of aluminum, which makes it both strong and light. This is the easiest way out for a lot of small scale bike brands/companies to shave off weight while still maintaining quality. With the aluminum, the fork of the bike is made of carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is one of the best component materials used by high end brands of bike to maintain weight and strength. Carbon fibre essentially does what aluminum does but with 10 times more strength. 

The overall make of the bike does not look cheap at all, in fact looks like it is worth a lot more than you actually pay for it.

The handlebar and the seat

Now this is where the problem arises. The price point at which this bike comes can be quite tempting for complete amateurs. The low price of this bike makes it a very famous pick among beginners who do not want to spend a lot of money the minute they start biking. However this bike has drop handlebars. 

For people who have been biking for a while and know what good posture is and what posture is making your back feel weird, this is not a problem at all. But for newbies, they would never be able to tell if their posture is wrong and resulting in slow back problems. One thing that is important in biking is to maintain good form in order for you to not injure yourself. 

Drop handlebars are made like that to maintain an aero dynamic form to cut through air easier and result in greater speed. I know, physics. Although if you are a complete beginner you will not know how to correctly sit yourself on the bike to for starters, not hurt yourself and secondly, have the handlebars actually serve their purpose. But if you are someone that knows their way around drop handlebars, you know how great they really are in essence. 

Next we come to the seat and the overall comfort of the bike. The joints on this bike are welded really well and as mentioned before metals and fibres like aluminum and carbon fibre are used in the making of this bike. Because of all of these things most of the shock coming from the ground because of rocks, potholes, etc, gets absorbed by either the joints or the bike frame itself. The more shock the bike absorbs, the more comfortable it gets for you to ride the bike. 

Tire Rims

Tire rims do not seem like an important part at all, but they are. Tire rims might seem negligible but they go hand in hand with the braking system and both of those decide how much wear the opposite takes. In this case, the rims are quite strong and durable. They are double walled and made of an alloy so you know that irrespective of how hard the brake pads rub against the rims, they will last you a long time. 

The whole motive of adding the “extra” weight by double walling rims is to make sure that they are durable enough to sustain a good and long life. In this case the friction is way less as brake calipers are used at the spokes instead of the traditional rims pads. This is not to say that there will be no pressure on the rims, getting the bikes to stop is a joint effort and all of the bike parts are involved. 

Rims are also the base for tires and tire tubes, the maintain form through the spokes that make up the wheels. It is important for the rims to be sturdy for the tires to carry out their work efficiently. If the rims are wobbly and no good, then it directly affects the functioning of the tire. 

Brakes and gear shifter

The brakes on this bike are caliper brakes as mentioned above. They are made of promax alloy and are part of a pivotal braking mechanism. The brakes are integrated with the shifter at the drivetrain to maintain smooth braking. They are located at the spokes where the drivetrain meets instead of the traditional upper end of the rim placement. What this essentially does is avoid a lot of friction and bring the bike to a crisp stop by blocking the momentum causing spokes from moving further. This might sometimes lead to harsh/abrupt stops but it all depends on how well you can manoeuvre your brakes. 

The gear shifter is the Shimano Claris(16 speed) gear shifter. Shimano is used by a lot of high end brands because of its quality and durability. This is definitely not the best out of all gear shifters from Shimano, there are shifters that give out a lot more gears and a lot more room for movement. That being said, this model from Shimano is not the worst either. It does the job and gives you 16 different gears to switch between. That is a decent amount especially for beginners who do not necessarily know their way around switching between gears according to terrain and slope of land. 

Tires and wheels

The Schwinn Phocus 1600 has 700C wheels that go perfectly with the tires that come with. These 700 C wheels are just about the average size and most road/hybrid make use of the same size of wheels. The tires however are a little too narrow for everyday use.

This should not pose a problem if you are riding your bike on concrete pavements where the terrain is smooth. However if you ride on any normal road with potholes and rocks, the ride is going to get bumpy. The body does absorb a lot of the shock but the overall balance and speed of the bike is thrown off. 

The tires on this bike are 23 mm wide which is noticeably less than your usual high intensity road bikes. Road bikes usually have tire widths anywhere between 25 mm to 28 mm. This is actually an advantage if you are planning to use this bike for racing but if you are not, this would only mean reduced traction.

When you plan on using it for everyday use, traction and security rank way above speed. It all depends on how you take it, if you love speed, the narrow tires work for you but if you like security, it might seem a little risky. The tread on the bike tire runs across the middle of it which does add to the grip of the bike. 

Obviously lowered traction does not mean your bike is going to slip all over the place, it just means that when you cut sharp corners, you run the risk of slipping but that too if you are edging on being reckless. 

Weight

Weight is a big factor that adds to the whole charm of the bike. Being a race bike, Schwinn Phocus 1600 has made various cuts to make sure that it is the lightest it can possibly be. Because of all of these efforts the bike stands at a total weight of mere 31 pounds. 

On paper low weight does not seem like much of an advantage but trust me when I say this, it is one of the biggest advantages. Bikes of lower weight are easier to adapt to and a joy to ride. If you have been riding bikes for a while and have previously ridden bikes that are even ten pounds heavier than this one, you will know the difference the minute you take this bike out for a spin.

Now we move on to a clear list of pros and cons, so that you can see exactly what makes this bike desirable and what does not. 

Pros

• Extremely lightweight
• Shock absorbing frame
• Easily adjustable seat
• Double walled rims
• Caliper integrated brakes
• High end gear shifter
• Fast
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Only one frame size
• Low traction
• Lesser gears
• Not amateur friendly (Drop handlebars, narrow tires)

Conclusion

There are a lot of things that go for and against this bike, both have their own appeal. For now you have all the information you need, laid out right in front of you. All you have to do is make the decision of whether or not you believe that the Schwinn Phocus 1600 is worth it or not. 

It is important that you always consider other options and weigh them against each other. Although you also need to know, not one bike does it all and has it all. So choose wisely!