General Cycling Discussion - Rescuing Old Bikes

The house I am living in has been sold. There are two old bikes in the basement which are to be thrown out. I can not bear to see them go to the dump. I am curious as to what I should do with them. They are ten speeds. They need some serious work. One is a Schwinn Traveller with no wheels but it has a frame, chain, and everything else. The other I don't know what it is. Any advice?

Convert to a fixed gear or a single speed. Cheap, since you don't need to worry about rehabbing the expensive drivetrains. Great for either workouts or a beater bike. See the police auctions thread for a road bike I rescued. I also rescued an old Specialized Mt. bike and turned it into a one speed commuter. I've only had to buy tires for it

You could donate them to the Salvation Army or other charity.

You could put them at the side of the road with a FREE sign.

If it is missing wheels, then I would just strip off the useable parts - brakes, bearings, saddle, derailures, maybe the handlebars, stem, and headset.

Be sure to take the Schwinn headbadge. Besides being collectible, they look need on walking sticks.

So one was a Traveler. What is the other bike?

I agree with Mike about the Schwinn. Strip off the parts and let the frame go unless, as also noted the frame is your size and you want a fixed gear. In that case strip off the derailleurs and keep the rest. If the other bike is complete, Salvation Army etc. is a great destination. They'll sell it for $10 to someone who needs transportation and you can even write it off if you itemize your taxes.

Usable bikes going to the landfill is a sad thing. I was at my LBS and someone was trying to give them a XMart kids mountain bike. LBS wanted nothing to do with it so the guy turned and gave it to my 6 year old daughter. Well she's not ready for derailleurs and hand brakes so I didn't want it but when the shop said they'd just pitch it in the weeds I figured I could at least take it to the nearby Goodwill (I do itemize :) ). But I had my Colnago on my trunk mount rack and I just knew that bike would scratch my baby. LBS still wanted nothing to do with it so I'd imagine it's still in the weeds. Shame b/c it worked as well as such a bike could work and I'm sure some kid would've liked it.

I guess my conscience is bothering me a bit....

:beer:

Originally posted by Walter


Usable bikes going to the landfill is a sad thing. I was at my LBS and someone was trying to give them a XMart kids mountain bike. LBS wanted nothing to do with it so the guy turned and gave it to my 6 year old daughter. Well she's not ready for derailleurs and hand brakes so I didn't want it but when the shop said they'd just pitch it in the weeds I figured I could at least take it to the nearby Goodwill (I do itemize :) ). But I had my Colnago on my trunk mount rack and I just knew that bike would scratch my baby. LBS still wanted nothing to do with it so I'd imagine it's still in the weeds. Shame b/c it worked as well as such a bike could work and I'm sure some kid would've liked it.

I guess my conscience is bothering me a bit....

:beer:

I am with you on that. Next time it happens, throw the bike in the car, drive to the poor side of town, and give it to somebody who looks like they could use it. In this day and age, it is probabl better to give it to an adult than to try to give it to a kic.

Okay I have more specific information. The Schwinn frame is a Varsity (not a Traveler) and the other bike is a Ross Eurosport which looks like it is in pretty good condition. All the Ross parts are there.

The parts from the Schwinn don't look compatable with my Schwinn. What should those parts be used for? The break pads are smaller than what is on Precious (my bike) and I would not know how to attach them....

A couple of other questions: These bikes are pretty old. They do not have the size on them. How would I figure out frame size? Also how would I convert them to a fixed gear?

Is there a boook or website about fixing up older bikes?

There is/are web sites for older bikes. They have been listed here, on the forums, in some older threads on the same subject.

One name you might look for is Harris Cyclery.

To determine frame size: Measure from the middle of the Bottom Bracket along the seat tube to the top edge of the top tube. That will give you the size in inches --or meters, if you have a metric tape measure.

To convert to a fixed gear, you need a rear hub that has a thread on freewheel (or a track hub if you want to buy that) and a frame that has horizontal dropouts (or semi-horizontal) so you can tension the chain. You remove the freewheel and put on a track cog. It is also advisable to but on a bottom bracket lockring w/ some locktite to prevent it from coming off. Remove all the frivolous gears, make sure the chainline is straight and away you go! Just remember you can't coast!

For some more detailed info, go to this web site
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

Sheldon is a fixed gear guru.

The Schwinn is not a candidate for fixed gear conversion IMO as it's godawful heavy even w/o derailleurs. The parts will not interchange with a newer Schwinn. Put it out front with a free sign on it.

Ross EuroSport is not a bad bike. Ross was mostly known for discount store bikes but the Euro line was decent quality and sld thru shops. If its complete and fits it's worth some new rubber if
you need a rider. If not donate it to a charity, it'll find a home.



:beer:

Originally posted by presfoxm

Is there a boook or website about fixing up older bikes?

Ya, we have discussed this a couple of times. Do a search on this forum.

also see:

http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/forumdisplay.php?forumid=5

and

www.oldroads.com

By a local area rail head, where there is a lot of rail traffic, loading and unloading cars, setting up trains, there is a pile of old frames. I am guessing they were picked up along the rails, from people disgarding them. I went looking for an old frame, but there really wasn't anything special there.
It was sad to see the pile though.
The next place that gets me is the University of MN, where there are a lot of bikes left with flat tires, tacoed wheels, still locked where their owner left them.
I've brought home a few older bikes myself, an old collegiate five speed Schwinn, an old World: now a fixed gear. And a bunch of older ten speeds. Which after fixing up to ridability, I was going to leave with residents at a local half way house, for transportation to and from work.

Thank you for the suggestions. The Ross looks pretty good so I think I will try to fix it up into a fixed gear. The Sheldon Brown site looks great.

The Schwinn I don't know what to do with that yet. I know it is not great to fix up but even if I leave it by the side of the road with a sign it is gonig to get thrown away or just put in another basement. After I deal with the fixed gear, I think I will fix it up and give it away. Put some basic wheels on it. It can be used by someone. We'll see if it actually happens. But it is nice to dream. Maybe I will become a used bike fixer upper-er.

Does anyone know if steel frames can be recycled? (No pun intended!) I don't think that a Schwinn Varsity frame is anything other than regular steel. Certainly this is a better alternative than putting it in the landfill.

Well, it happened to me, finally! The hillbillies next door to me have been having a yard sale for about the last month, so as to make some money (neither of them actually work, of course), and they have been selling all sorts of kitchen junk, worn out old clothes, and battered old cheap furniture. Then, yesterday, they started to throw things on the curb.

I couldn't believe my eyes-a 25" frame, Panasonic toring bike, minus pedals, brakes, and chain!! Of course, I snagged it as quick as I possibly could! Today, I tore the thing down completely.

This bike has a Tange DB frame, an Akai triple crankset, cantilever bosses, horizontal dropouts, and is built for 700c tyres, too. The bearings are in good condition-just needing some cleaning. Looks like I'm going to have myself a fixie, after all!!

My wife made me get rid of all those wonderful old fixers I had. Goodwill only wants running bikes--they don't even want them with just a flat tire. So I gave them to the Salvation Army--they fix them up for the local transients who ride them around with big steel pannier baskets on the back, milk crates on top of the back rack and front baskets, and pick up cans for five cents a piece. They're a noticeable percentage of the bike riders in this town--which of course makes all the car drivers think anyone on a bike must be homeless and worthy only of scorn! I also just found an organization that brings in disadvantaged teenagers and younger kids and teaches them to fix up bikes. They get a free bike out of the deal, and a useful skill and self-confidence as well. Ask around or talk to you LBS for info on anything in your area.

Clay