My bike is a schwinn falcon, how do you make it lighter, faster and durable?

i want to take off the handle brakes, but will it make a diffrence?, and how do you take of the grip?

Alright, so there goes b-day money, oh well. thanks for the advice though, and yeah your right, a new hub(coaster brake) new tires spokes and otheres would probaly be up to $60 and up i only paid $80 bucks for mine, oh well, thanks again peeps

I will respectfully abstain from any answer on the "S" brand. I got TD last time I did.

On Lyme has a good answer already, but I think the last part of your question is, "how to take OFF the grip".

Do you mean handle bar grips? If so, heating them with a hair dryer works. Sliding a thin flat blade screwdriver between the grip and the bar helps. I have seen people put a pan of hot water on the floor and tip the bike and actually dip the grip--bar and all--into hot water to facilitate removal. If you are finished forever with the grips you can cut them off.

EDIT: Someone warn Scotland Yard!! mirage and Mr. G are in the same country!

OMG!! A Schwinn and a BMX !!!! - If I am not carefull, I'm going to get myself in trouble here??

Schwinn aren't very popular here in the UK, so I had to look it up, all I can say is lose the chainguard! Removing the brakes will make very little difference.

The first thing us roadies do to improve performance is replace the wheels, - unfortunately in this case, a set of lightweight wheels would be far more than the cost of your bike!

Plain economics says,- 'leave it as it is'; Learn to ride the bike to the best of your ability, if you get skilled with your bike, - that will impress your mates far more than any 'modifications' you make!

Nice Bike, treat it as an entry bike to learn skills - but if you want top bling, you have to pay for it! Start saving!

EDIT: Don't panic McG - Mirage is about 150 Miles away! No doubt enjoying British TV and our weather!

EDIT: Leeds eh? It's 'Grim up North' mate - I am in Bridgwater, Somerset. - Cider Country lol.

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Mr G is right. Even though I am in the UK for just this week I have to agree with him.

Any upgrades to make the bike lighter or stronger will quickly add up to more than what the bike cost new... to this end you should have just chosen a better bike. The only difference removing the brakes will make is that you will make the bike dangerous to ride.

As far as making it faster, you are the bikes energy source so YOU will need to become stronger and faster. Eat well and stay away from the Wii and the XBox.

EDIT: I'm making a trip up to Leeds on Wednesday...

Upgrading would cost more than the entire bike originally cost or is worth. '

But the good news is riding a heavier bike a whole lot WILL make you stronger! I have a very old Schwinn from the 70s! I use it as my commuter/winter/training bike, it's a 10 speed and an awesome ride!

OK, so it's not that fast, and I only ride it when I'm by myself.

When I ride with my husband, I use my Titanium Airborne road bike, which, depending on the wheelset and gears I use, weighs somewhere between 16-17 pounds.

My husband is a big strong muscular guy and I'm a tiny little runt. He's got 14 inches and 80 pounds on me. Training on my Schwinn is about the only way I could build up the strength, speed and endurance to keep pace with him on my road bike. He used to get so bored he would either ride circles around me, or race ahead in search of guys in spandex to race. He doesn't have to do that anymore, I've come a long way.

Your heavier bike is making you stronger too, so that's a good thing! Appreciate the benefits and enjoy your ride!