Touring - Schwinn Passage project (pic heavy)

I'll let the images do most of the speaking.

Here it is as I received it. Paint is pretty scratched up on the TT. Also rust at the bb shell and in other places so I'm going to repaint.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4274876981_22989eca3d_o.jpg

Parts.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/4274877081_4678267791_o.jpg

Fork after sandblasting. The holes that are closer to the fork crown are for Schwinn's form of "lawyer tabs".:rolleyes:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4274878039_7313ba0f95_b.jpg

Frame after chemical stripping. The frame was too big to fit in the sandblaster at work so I had to resort to chemical stripper. Nasty stuff for sure, and very time consuming.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2745/4275624382_6b2498df2a_b.jpg

The right rack braze-on was busted off so I will be brazing a new one on. It will be my first time using a torch so wish me luck.:)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4275624882_3e2212dcf7_b.jpg

I'll be spray painting it black. My shopping list is as follows:

From Velo Orange
Grand Cru Bottom Brackets
VO Adjustable Brake Shoes
Down Tube Cable Stops
VO 48mm Polished Fluted Aluminum Fenders
VO Retro Cage
VO Leather Chainstay Protector, self adhesive

It will get a Brooks B.17, Shimano Bar end shifters, and if money comes around- nitto campee racks. Other wise I'll use a Blackburn ex-1, and probably one of the blackburn lowrider racks.

The bags will be a pair of eastpacks I picked up on CL, and I may try to get BF member Mechanical Ron to make me a pair of bags, as he is local ( and his bags are super ****ing awesome).

I don't have images of the wheels but they are Schwinn Approved hubs (I believe maillard) laced to somesorta aluminum single wall rims. 36h front 40h rear. Seems strange a wheel built for abuse would use a single wall rim (maybe the norm for the times?). Anyway, I'm sure they'll hold up fine.

Well thanks for looking and expect updates by spring.

Blake

Seems strange a wheel built for abuse would use a single wall rim (maybe the norm for the times?).

Yep.

Sounds like an ambitious project, good luck with it. I like '80's Schwinns, they're nice bikes. I've also always had a thing for touring bikes, so doubly nice in this case-

Yes, the most ambitious yet- hopefully I'll pull it off.:)

Here's an extra- Original Specs:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4274876903_eb83012850_o.jpg

looks great

one thing to think long and hard about is whether to go to 700c. now would be the right time to do it since it would be a good opportunity to move the canti mounts lower. doing this also gives you more room for larger tires/fenders.

fun project.

Shell out for powdercoat.
Spray paint wont make it through one season of use.

You probably dont need to move the mounts for 700c wheels- worth trying before you proceed.

Blake - Nice bike! I have an '87 Voyageur in a similar state - stripped and ready to start refinishing. Pretty much a twin to the Passage although I'm surprised the Passage actually has a longer wheelbase according to the specs.

Are you going to try and get copies of the original decals when you finish? Let me know if you find a good source. My frame has a lot of scratches but the decals are pretty clean. My plan is to sand out the paint nicks and mask the decals when I prime and repaint. I know it is not the best method but I found a good rattle can spray paint match and thought I'd give it a try. If it fails I'll go the powdercoat route but I wanted to attempt to keep it as original as possible.

Post some follow up photos

First attenmpt was semi-successful; In the sense that the rear-rack braze on is attached firmly to the frame. However, due to my lack of experience, I clamped the rack boss to the frame too tightly. This was fine until I applied the torch. The combination of heat and pressure smushed the braze on into an oval shape so a bolt wont thread through. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though if I can tap it out.


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I also picked up a rack- NOS Jim Blackburn CL-1 Custom Lowrider rack. This, however, just means more brazing- and drilling this time. Egad.

Oh, and I'll probably just keep the 27" wheels. Tough tires can be found, and I want to keep my 40 spoke rear wheel.

Badger- Yeah the voyage did seem pretty similar- nicer though. Lowrider mounts, sealed hubs etc. I don't plan on putting decals on unless they come across my path. I'm sure they'd be tough to find.

Here's an awesome set of pictures of a voyager. You may get some inspiration.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/sets/72157605576341958/

Cool! I have a Tenax Voyageur S/P that I'm planning on fixing up in the near future as well... Its currently the ugliest blue color I've ever seen.

The bar-tape will be shellacked.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4299301982_0bce1d570a_b.jpg

Loaded, pre tape
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4299300810_fcfaae3263_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4299299990_4f40945316_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4299299476_6bd48da1bf_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4298551291_3a778376b6_b.jpg

thats a cool old bike, well done!

sidenote question, what is the benefit of shellac on the tape? is it just a weather proofing thing or for looks or what? doesnt it make the tape feel plasticy?

by the way, are those Shimano PD-M324 pedals? If so, how do you like them?

Very nice job.

Thank you.

Yes, shellac is partly for weather proofing, and mainly for looks. Hopefully it will match the color of my seat.

The pedals are actually SR SP-250 pedals. They came with the bike and are good for around town, but once touring season comes around they'll be switched out for spd.

Looks great! Good job brazing on the new mount, too. What year is the bike, anyway? Mine is a 92 (pretty sure) Impact mtb.

Thanks rodar, it's an '86.

Is that a custom rack you've got there?

Nice choice on the SKS fenders. Ive found these to be of much higher quality in the mounting hardware; the design is much better than, say, Planet Bike. The front fender is also sufficiently long, but I put a mudflap on it anyhow as I was getting some spray up.

I'd like to see some full images of your bike.

Blake

Thanks, Blake. Yep- made the rack myself and I like SKS over Cascadias mostly because of color choice. More pics are on post 74 of the "MTB Conversion" thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?334033-I-would-LOVE-to-see-photos-of-your-MTB-conversion/page3
Since posting there, I got a dedicated road bike, so now I just leave the Schwinn in "tour and commute" mode with dyno hub, lights, and rear rack permanently mounted.

Can you tell me what kidda panniers those are?

Sure, they were both bargain buys. The rear are a pair of Eastpacks with a plastic internal frame. I got them on craigslist- I assume they aren't made any more. The fronts are old Nashbars; got em on ebay.

Tape after 3 coats of shellac and twining.http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/4304554411_cd2217da02_o.jpg

Hey, the bike looks really nice. Did you spray can it or did you go for the powder coating in the end?


Tape after 3 coats of shellac and twining.

Did you spray can it or did you go for the powder coating in the end?

I actually got it sprayed at an auto body shop. They charged me $30 for black, other colors would have been more.

Wow, that looks great! Nice job.

Nice job on the passage, looks awesome. How did you attach the front rack, you just drilled out the front fork? is that safe?

How did you attach the front rack, you just drilled out the front fork? is that safe?
A lot of forks have a rack boss brazed into the fork about five inches above the dropout specifically for mounting lowrider racks. I haden`t seen one like that on an 80s model before- thought it didn`t get popular until the mid 90s. Sometimes bosses can be added later to a fork that wasn`t built with them, but you would really be pushing your luck to just drill into the fork blade without brazing the little plug in to fill the void.

^Plenty of nice touring bikes in the 80s came with mid-fork braze-ons.

However, the third photo from the top clearly shows that this fork did not have them. I am interest in how he added them as well, given that rear-rack brazing was noteworthy and this apparently was not.

Oh, yeah- looks like you`re right about the lack of boss, probably right about them being common in that time frame as well. I guess I just hadn`t noticed them on older bikes. Hopefully the OP is "subscribed" to this thread so he can come back and tell us about it.

Hey guys, To add the front racks, I just drilled out the fork and added some braze-ons. They look sort of like a recessed brake nut, only they have no threading in them. They are simply there to resist the crushing forces from a bolt that goes through the fork. The measurements were included with the rack I acquired.


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Here's a picture of it on a dirt road north of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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