Living Car Free - Found a cool bike

So on a walk the other day I found a cool bike. It's a very old, probably 1970 or so Schwinn Breeze ladies 3-speed. The only thing wrong with it is it needs a tire.

I found out why it was abandoned when I went in search of a tire. They are a weird size and hard to find even though I went to the bike kitchen where they have all kinds of weird sizes and old bikes to pillage parts off. Whoever abandoned it probably couldn't find a bike shop that sells the tire. I couldn't. I ended up ordering a tire online from Harris Cycles after a total bike geek measured the rim with calipers and found out exactly what size it is. I'm waiting for the tire now.

I am looking forward to fixing it up and riding it. It weighs a ton and the gearing is really high. I can barely ride it anywhere in town (I know because I rigged up a way to temporarily ride it with the big hole in the tire just to test it out) because the lowest gear is really high even on flat ground.

I will probably sell it once I fix it, but I kinda want to keep it. Why don't modern bikes have chain guards and fenders? Sure it's heavy but how nice it is to ride and not get dirty and not have to roll up your pants or worry about puddles! I think car-free could be more possible for people if riding a bike wasn't so dirty.

Anyway, people regularly seem to abandon bikes in my neighborhood. So in addition to saving money being car-lite I can make money fixing bike tires. So many people abandon bikes just because the tire is flat or some other tiny little thing is wrong.

Blah blah blah. Enough from me. That's all I had to say.

Those tires are available...might have to order them. I use the Kenda brand and pay about $12-$15 a piece for them. What you are looking for is commonly known as the S-6 size or 37-597 ISO (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/597.html).(don't ask for that they will look at you like you have 3 heads....:roflmao2: ) But if it has that size on the sidewall it will fit.

They do still make bikes with fenders and chainguards, but they aren't what WM and other big box stores are selling so they aren't as common. I have a new Redline R530 that came equipped with those and that was the reason I chose it.

Aaron:)

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/8540/2590987330066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

I had this problem with my dads old schwinn collegiate. The size stamped on the old tire was in a format that the tire manufacturers no longer use. In the 26 inchers nothing makes sense, if found out. I kept buying different "26 inch" tires until I found one that fit. I'm not recommending this approach, I just get carried away sometimes when I want to get an old bike on the road.

I use the Kenda brand and pay about $12-$15 a piece for them.

They do still make bikes with fenders and chainguards, but they aren't what WM and other big box stores are selling so they aren't as common. I have a new Redline R530 that came equipped with those and that was the reason I chose it.

I predict that bikes with fenders and CGs will make a comeback. The bike shops around here are carrying several models. Even Kmart (http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/s_10151_10104_Fitness+&+Sports_Bicycling_Bicycles) has a couple, like these:

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00680931000?hei=180&wid=180&op_sharpen=1&qlt=75http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/080W743640110001?hei=180&wid=180&op_sharpen=1&qlt=75

The S-6 is what I ordered. It's on its way.

It seems that for bikes with fenders and chain guards your choices are beach cruisers, over-priced commuter bikes and old bikes. I've tried the plastic fenders but they do not last very long.

If the Breeze has a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, you can knock the gearing down into reasonable territory. Probably changing the rear cog is the way to go.

The S-6 is what I ordered. It's on its way.

It seems that for bikes with fenders and chain guards your choices are beach cruisers, over-priced commuter bikes and old bikes. I've tried the plastic fenders but they do not last very long.

There are a variety of all metal fenders (http://velo-orange.com/fenders.html) available too. Places like Velo-Orange (http://velo-orange.com/) have a good selection.

What do you consider "over priced"? FWIW my Raleigh Superbe cost around $80-$90 new in 1972 in 2007 dollars that would be around $460. However there are many other things that drive the cost.

I paid about $600 for my Redline pictured above, I will probably put another $300 in upgrades into it before I am done, but that is typical for most of my bikes. The fenders on it are aluminum imbedded in plastic, pretty tough fenders in my experience.

Aaron:)

Those tires are available...might have to order them. I use the Kenda brand and pay about $12-$15 a piece for them. What you are looking for is commonly known as the S-6 size or 37-597 ISO (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/597.html).(don't ask for that they will look at you like you have 3 heads....:roflmao2: ) But if it has that size on the sidewall it will fit.

They do still make bikes with fenders and chainguards, but they aren't what WM and other big box stores are selling so they aren't as common. I have a new Redline R530 that came equipped with those and that was the reason I chose it.

Aaron:)

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/8540/2590987330066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

Oh wow! That's a really good looking bike! The chainguards look like a great way to keep your pant hems clean.