Classic & Vintage - Schwinn starlite ?

@ the LBS, told it was from the 50's, had the 1-3/4" tires and schwinn stamped on the rim side, is $50 too much for somethin this old, id say its in fair condition, s-s girlsbike, not overly rusty just been rode all its life. Just wonderin if it was worth pickin up before its gone.

On ebay it might be worth $50, maybe less, maybe more. Girl's bikes tend to be more readily availabe, and less costly.

Both of my 50's/60's Schwinns are boys bikes and were cheaper, but it sounds like they need more work too...

I bought my 1955 Corvette for $10 and it is going to take more work than I will probably put into it for this year, but I am going to work on it bit by bit.

My 1961ish Jaguar was given to me, and it is in somewhat better shape (at least the frame) and it is going to cost me $100 or so by the time I am done (new rims, spokes and SA 3 speed shifter/cable) plus the handlebar off of my Corvette... and it will be a nice 3 speed rider.

So, my answer is "it depends" if you want to ride an older bike, then it is a good deal... for me the attraction of the Corvette is that when I do ride it, I will be riding a bike older than I am. When my bike was manufactured, "Rock Around the Clock" was climbing the charts...

A few things to look for... My Jaguar that was given to me has a head badge on it that Schwinn only used for a year or two, and I saw the headbadge sell on eBay for $45 recently, it is a starburst type. Also, look for Schwinn serial numbers online, and you should be able to identify the year of the bike easily by looking at the left chain stay. The old "middleweights" didn't seem to change a whole lot with time other than the chain guards and seats... although when you look closer there are other differences in the components etc. If the bike in question is the first or last year for the model that may give it a little extra value as well.

So, if you want to ride an old bike, then go for it... If you are expecting to turn a profit quickly, it depends on other factors.

Are you sure it's not a Starlet? Did it have a tank? That would affect the value quite a bit. The Starlet model ran from 1951 (at least) to 1964 (becoming more and more plain along the way), then became the Starlet II and regained the tank.

http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn/195203.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/sldbdealer5/1960/60dlct23b.jpg (1959 actually)
http://www.geocities.com/sldbconsumer17/1964/64ccpg17b.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/sldbconsumer17/1965/65ccpg20b.jpg

yup it was a starlet, my mistake, no tank, looked like the bike in the third pic in the bottom corner, cept green and without the front rack, i bought an old cruiser 5 (im guessin 80's or so) instead of it, had some neat lookin pinstripe/scroll lookin stuff on it and a pretty cool lookin light set-up, just wanted somethin to tink on and ride, and i like the looks of the starlet too, just not the odd tire thing goin on. thanks for the info.