Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - 80s Schwinn Traveler

Is a Schwinn Traveler from the 1980s a good road bike for an uber clyde???? The pics show the downtube with a sticker/paint listing the bike as True Temper CW 4130 Chromoly Frame Tubes made in the U.S.A. Any advice on this bike as a potential road bike would be appreciated.

Should be good. Just watch the wheels, box section wheels aren't as strong as modern wheels. If the price is right and it fits, though, go for it. The frame will be fine. :D

Schwinn frames are like trucks.....heavy, but very strong and durable.

A Schwinn Traveler with true Temper 4130 is an excellent frame for a clyde. However, I don't think it would make sense to pour a lot of money into upgrades. I'd just ride it as is for awhile. As Tom said, the wheels may not hold out for you. You'd probably notice a wheel/tire upgrade more than anything else, but that would probably cost you 4 times what you paid for the bike.

A couple of things to watch for. Does it have brake extension levers that allow you to brake from the top of the handlebar? You can see them in this catalog photo (http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1980_1990/1983Ltwt10.html) of the 1983 Traveler. Those extensions are commonly known as "suicide levers" since they do not give you much stopping power from the tops of the bar. Any issues would be heightened for a Clyde. I'd consider ditching those if you have them, or at least getting in the habit of braking from the drops.

Also, depending on your flexibility, you may find the downtube shifters a little inconvenient. I wouldn't mind them so much except that I ride large frames with an extra tall techonomic stem which puts my hands a long distance from the downtube shifters. I've swapped mine for bar end shifters in most of my vintage road bikes.

If you decide to upgrade your wheels, you'd probably want to get 700C wheels, while your bike probably came with 27" which has a radius that is 4 mm larger. You'd need to take a look at your brake calipers and look at the brake pads. They are fastened with a bolt in a slot that has about an inch of travel up and down. In order to use your calipers with 700C wheels, you'd need to be able to slide the pads down 4 mm from where they are now, assuming they are properly adjusted. Most of the time, that is no problem, but just a thing to verify.

Also, you probably have 126mm spacing between the rear dropouts if your bike came with a 6 speed freewheel. If you upgrade to a modern wheel, they're almost always 130 mm spacing. You can just gently spread the dropouts and slide the wheel in whenever you have to remove and replace the rear wheel, but just something to keep in mind. It is also possible to "cold set" (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html) the frame to make it permanently wider.

Thanks Tom.....I'm still fairly new to the bicycling thing and I'm learning as I go along. What kind of wheels should I be looking into for this 80s Schwinn Traveler? What pricing should I be looking to for the wheels on this bike? Thank you for your time and help.

Thanks for all the info friend. How much do you think I should be paying for this bicycle? I appreciate all the details you gave.....it will definitely help me.

You will only need 1 wheel. The back one. You can find something good on ebay for $100-$200. I build my own but when I was looking I remember finding some really strong ones at around $125. some are advertised for "tandems". 40 hole double wall rims.

The front wheel will be strong enough. It most likely is a 36h aluminum rim. This setup should hold a clyde 275-375 fine.

Last, the travelers are pretty strong bikes. I have one and its sturdy. I would pay anywhere between $100-200 depending on the condition. Keep in mind you will have to replace the chain too, thsts like $5-$10.