Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apex, Costco, Fenders, Front Fender, HowTo, Midtown, Mount, Schwinn
In the quest to make my Costco Schwinn Midtown more “commuter friendly” one of the things I wanted to add was fenders. I took my bike to a local bike shop and asked if they had fenders that would fit. They found a front fender that would work, but didn’t have a rear fender that would fit. The Avenir rear rack I’m using has a solid section in the middle that provides some rear fender functionality, so for now I’m content without a rear fender.
The front fender I am using is an Apex Mountain Bike fender and it was not very expensive. It is plastic, with a bendable aluminum bracket for mounting.
Mounting the fender on the Midtown was very easy, as the front brake bracket has a hole in the middle that is a great fender mount point. The back of the brake bracket is hollow, so you have to align the fender bracket carefully to make sure it is straight, but it is secure once you tighten the fender mounting screw (included with the fender). I did have to bend the fender mount so that is was properly aligned with the tire and didn’t drag at all, The fender mount is aluminum and is designed to bend to fit, so this was also very easy. Here’s a detail photo of the fender mount…
Mounting this fender was a piece of cake compared to the challenges I had with mounting the rear rack, and it only took about five minutes. I haven’t ridden my Midtown in the rain yet, so I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of my fender solution, but I feel more prepared than having no fenders at all.
If this article helps you out then I’d appreciate a comment to let me know. Have you found a different fender that fits on the Schwinn Midtown? If so, then let me know so that I can share it with everyone.
6 Comments so far
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Drive My Bike 
Hi. I have this same bike and my problem has been that the tubes need extra long valves and my local bike store didn’t carry those. We tried to make it work by using medium valve tubes with a threaded metal thing that I could thread on to keep it from slipping back into the rim, and that seemed to work. But now I realize that’s why it was so hard to pump air in — I can’t actually get the pump snapped all the way onto the valve because the valve doesn’t come out far enough.
So I’m wondering where you buy tubes with the long enough valves? If you have a place, can you email me at roadyjane@yahoo.com?
Comment by Robyn July 4, 2008 @ 11:01 amI appreciate any help.
Robyn
Robyn, see my latest post for my solutions to the long valve stem issue.
Comment by Scott July 11, 2008 @ 10:22 amJust purchased a Midtown. I found your comments and pics very helpful and informative. I especially appreceate the fender moumt pic. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Comment by Tony February 20, 2009 @ 7:14 pmI too found your website very helpful. I too own a Midtown and love it! I found your site while looking for how to mount fenders. (It rains in Lake County, IL – who knew?)
Comment by Brad Norton June 20, 2009 @ 2:48 pmThanks for publishing your experiences!
Brad
I have this same bike and I wanted to get fenders as well. Is it not possible to put rear fenders on the Midtown Schwinn? Will the Apex Mountain Bike REAR fender work on this bike?
Comment by Vivian October 10, 2009 @ 3:53 pmI have had my Schwinn midtown for about 6 years now and still love riding it, this bike is my workhorse as I quit driving cars 1 and a half years ago due to serious health problems , even in new England weather, I have dual aluminum baskets on the back, which I bought from benny”s for $25, great buy. I also added an instep bike trailer from Wal-Mart for $40, this I use for my food shopping and trips to laundry, the trailer is the kind you may have seen people towing their kids in, it has a hundred lb. capacity, and you should see the looks on people”s faces when I pass them in traffic. I am 58 yrs. old and hope to stay healthy enough to not have to buy another car for at least another 5 or 6 years. I do not miss driving a single bit , love not paying for gas and insurance, and perhaps best of all not getting screwed by auto mechanics giving me the shaft every time I need a car repair! and by the way, my bike is the identical twin to yours same color and all. and I bought mine brand new from a bargain outlet for $150. best bike buy I ever made and I have been riding bikes for over 50 yrs. now. I wish you the best of luck with yours and hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine.it is also the most comfortable bike I have ever rode.i strongly suggest this bike for anyone looking for a great all around bike, kinda like a timex, it takes a lickin” and keeps on tickin” !!!
Comment by leo breton June 5, 2014 @ 11:19 am