I bought a 76 Schwinn Varsity 10-speed at a garage sale yesterday. It has all the original Schwinn components. It's been beat to hell, the odometer says 920 miles, but has been failing for quite some time.
I have two bikes that suit my commuting and recreational needs. I think it might be fun for touring, except it's heavy as hell, and I'm a grad student, so I don't really get any fun.
I'm trying to figure out where to start and where to go with it. Anyone?I bought wheels and tubes for starters, but each wheel needs truing to be of any use. I think I will take them down to the LBS. Basically, I'm a little toolie when it comes to basic repairs, and thought this would be a fun learning experience for me without letting me fubar my good girls.
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Thread: Complete rebuild?
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08-03-2008, 06:56 PM #1
Danger: Chemist on Bike!
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Complete rebuild?
My bike is my Benz.
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08-03-2008, 07:20 PM #2
Grease Monkey
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Heavy as hell is right. But you should be able to make it functional. It has a 1-piece steel crank and takes a seat post and stem size that may be hard to find.
Oil is good, grease is better.
2007 Peter Mooney w/S&S couplers/Terry Butterfly
1993 Bridgestone MB-3/Avocet O2 Air 40W
1980 Columbus Frame with 1970 Campy parts
1954 Raleigh 3-speed/Brooks B72
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08-03-2008, 07:34 PM #3
Now in the PNW
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but built up could look like this:
http://velospace.org/node/11840
or this one right here
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=21564Last edited by Trek420; 08-04-2008 at 05:58 AM.
Fancy Schmancy Custom Road bike ~ Mondonico Futura Legero
Found on side of the road bike ~ Motobecane Mixte
Gravel bike ~ Salsa Vaya
Favorite bike ~ Soma Buena Vista mixte
Folder ~ Brompton
N+1 ~ My seat on the Rover recumbent tandem
https://www.instagram.com/pugsley_adventuredog/
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08-04-2008, 03:39 AM #4
Danger: Chemist on Bike!
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Hey! That's exactly the bike I have but not in as good of shape. I also have a Schwinn odometer/speedometer which I think I will make into a little clock and a dynamo for the lights.
Originally Posted by Trek420
I will keep looking to see what people have done!
My bike is my Benz.
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08-04-2008, 08:25 AM #5
Registered User
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perhaps heavy as hell does not matter when touring. you are already adding so much weight to the bike, what are a few pounds?
Thanks TE! You pushed me half way over!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/seagull08/tnguyen
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08-06-2008, 06:46 AM #6
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I had a Schwinn Suburban as my first fix me up. Heavy as hell doesn't quite cover it. My next bike was a Nishiki mixte which felt like it was half the weight of the Schwinn (and that's saying something...those Nishikis aren't lightweights by any means!). I loved it though and the weight really didn't matter as I used it as a commuter. You will learn a LOT!
The best resources that I have found:
DebW
bicycletutor.com
Sheldon Brown
Big Blue book of bicycle repair
Park tool website
Have a blast!Claudia
2009 Trek 7.6fx
2013 Jamis Satellite
2014 Terry Burlington
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