I opted for the coal krate. I am 5' 10" and 210 pounds. The bike rides well and there are no signs of stress on it. I bought the upgraded springs to replace the ones in the sissy bar, but have been unable to replace them as the cotter pins are in there tighter than Dick's hatband. As is , i feel the suspension seat sink a bit but nothing to worry about. I didn't expect construction to equal the originals; but am pleasantly surprised by just how high the quality is. No complaints! I replaced the seat with a black glitter seat by Alta. It could use a little more padding. The schwinn seat has more padding and the edges of the seat pan seem to be a little more rounded. Definitely a more comfortable ride. There is a book on amazon about working on original krates. I found it to be very useful as the included assembly instructions are close to useless. Also, be sure to check out the youtube video on assembly. The book will be useful for repair and maintanance as well because so many of the parts are the same or very close. Adjusted for inflation, the price is about the same as it was back in the day so don't let that stop you. Just get some cool valve stem caps and you are in business. Btw, if you haven't ridden an old school bike in decades- it's just as much fun as you remember!! Enjoy!!

Very happy with my orange krate purchase. Assembly was fairly easy, front drum brake cable setup gave me the most grief, but not horrible. Very helpful videos showing assembly on youtube. Don't be afraid to assemble it yourself. Nice paint, correct style tires, well built & nice quality. For those saying "fake krate", that's not correct. Schwinn offered coaster brake krates for 3 years, '70, '71, and '72. The chainguards were specific to coaster brake models, and this one is correct. The front drum brake was not offered on coaster brake krates, but it's a cool touch. I added lights, speedo, mirror, orange lock, restored a '72/'73 Milwaukee (my hometown) bike license plate and a schwinn bell, just as I would have done over 50 years ago. I wanted one in 1970 (actually a 5 speed orange) when I was 8, but settled for a Ross. Yes, it's pricy, but the new krate I wanted 53 years ago is mine now, at age 61. Once the weather here in Wisconsin is warmer, you bet I'll ride this bike a bit! If you're around my age and wanted one new, don't hesitate to buy. Way cheaper than buying a nice original one, and it'll make you smile!

Overall it's a good bike every thing is snug and moves smoothly. I would say it's pretty comparable to my 1972 Krate. Only issue I had was the brackets for chain guard was very flimsy and bent immediately. It had to be reinforced. Great looking and fun ride.

This bike is worth every penny, waited almost 60 years to own this bike, unless you are at least 60 you will not understand that this is truly a dream bike. Very well made and I have no plans to ride it, just plan on admiring it.

LOOOOVE the look of this bike, it's been a HUGE hit up here in Alaska and I've had MANY people inquire about it.
The ONLY downfall is the assembly of the actual bike!!! If you buy it, bring it to your local bike shop to put it together if you don't have experience with bike assembly. As you see I made it as far as my posted picture before I stripped a bolt and had to take it to the local bike shop. They had to Dremel it off and keep my bike for a week to do a "safety check" And install the breaks probably and all the nuts and bolts.

But once I get it back I can not wait to ride it around the neighborhood and around the valley.