Classic & Vintage - Schwinn Travelller III Restore (sort of)

So I picked up a Traveller III today.

http://webpages.charter.net/redranger/letour/traveller3price.jpg

Cheap. Not in great shape so it will take some work.

http://webpages.charter.net/redranger/letour/traveler3.jpg

I don't really plan to make it look like new - neither perfectly restored nor really like it would have looked like in the late 70's.

I am planning on replacing:

Tires - sidewalls a bit dry-rotted. I am going to go with 1".
Brake levers - I am going to dig around on ebay for some of those cross levers
Then just the normal stuff - bar tape, new cables, some Kool Stop brake pads.


It weighs 32 lbs according to some sites I found so only a couple more than some of the LeTours I had fixed up previously.

I think I am addicted to fixing 70's Schwinn road bikes.

I can think of worse addictions. :)

Busy hands are happy hands....

Nice score - my first-ever geared bike, with the exception that mine was red!

Might also think about putting the shift levers on the downtube - I never did like the stem setup for those...

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but my question is pretty closely related.

I picked up a 1983 Schwinn Traveler and plan to restore it to working condition. Currently I need to replace the rim tape, tubes, and tires but have no clue where to start looking for the parts. Can someone help me out with the size tire and tube I would need? Also if there is a source that can teach me how to measure rim size that would be great!

thanks

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but my question is pretty closely related.

I picked up a 1983 Schwinn Traveler and plan to restore it to working condition. Currently I need to replace the rim tape, tubes, and tires but have no clue where to start looking for the parts. Can someone help me out with the size tire and tube I would need? Also if there is a source that can teach me how to measure rim size that would be great!

thanks

All Schwinn Travelers came with 27 x 1 1/4" tires. Some bike shops will tell you these are obsolete- in that case, find a better bike shop. There's a half dozen near me that have 27" tires in stock.

As to information sources, we all bow to the guru:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html
(Short answer: don't bother measuring anything. It won't match the tire's "real" size.)

Thanks Jeff, turns out I found an old catalogue w/the info too. I forgot to ask before, what size tubes go with the tires? I know they need schrader valves, and I was looking for tubes that are 27 * 1/4 but couldn't find any.

http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1980_1990/1984Ltwt19.html

^ never mind. Found them.

So, got it done. I skipped the CX brake levers for now.

http://webpages.charter.net/redranger/letour/trav_after.jpg

Here is a closer view of my amateur grip tape job:

http://webpages.charter.net/redranger/letour/trav_aerolevers.jpg

I remember once again that I hate trying to adjust centerpull brakes. I put on new tires and did a little minor cleanup.

I went for a longer ride today and I find that it is easier on my butt than my modified MTB commuter (http://webpages.charter.net/redranger/letour/daily_driver.jpg), but harder on the hands and forearms.