Classic & Vintage - My first 2 starter road bikes!!! A love hate relationship. 85 peloton and 84 traveler

Hey my names gilbert a newbie to road biking. Well after injuring my left heel from running i picked up biking as a new work-out and hobby. I first picked up a 1984 schwinn traveler, it is in rough shape but got me riding...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/Trdracing/trav.jpg

A few days later i picked up this 1985 schwinn peloton its in way better shape and alot more comfortable for my size...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/Trdracing/peloton19851.jpg

I had alot of problems adjusting the shifting levers and it takes some getting use to but all in all ive only spent less than $200 for both. Im saving up to buy a better one in the near future, just thought i would share with you guys my first road bikes.

The Traveler was a entry level bike for Schwinn but the Peloton was one of their best. Interesting to see both ends of the spectrum. <$200 for both is exceptional. If you ever get that better bike, I'd be interested in some of the Peloton parts :) but I doubt you can find too many bikes as nice as the Peloton.

If you "de-Tri'd" that Peloton it'd be a sweet ride for sure!

Not sure what de-tri'd means can u explain?

De-tri'd as in taking off the aerobars and using a regular seatpost...that's one funky looking seatpost.

Not sure what de-tri'd means can u explain?
He means getting rid of the areo bars and probably that seat post.

How tall are you?

I concur == turn the Peleton back into a standard road bike and enjoy it!

Also, what are those wires along the top tube and the wires hanging down along the downtube?

How tall are you?

Oh, I'm good at this...I'll say he's 6'2"

Oh, I'm good at this...I'll say he's 6'2"

That's about what I was thinking. He needs to be a big boy to fit that bike.

nice Peloton, check and see where the min. insertion line is on the stem, looks pretty damn high to me.

Is there a cable that goes from the seatpost, along the bottom of the top tube, then attaches to some sort of pod on the aerobar? Anyone know what that is? The seatpost is unbelievably hideous, but I'm intrigued.

De-Tri'd because it is basically a triathlon setup, correct?

the seat post is a "seat shifter"
from http://www.adventurecorps.com/when/raam/ultrabike.html


Steep angled seat tubed bikes will be non-existent, as will LeMondesque shallow angled seat tubed bikes. In fact, seat tube angle will become largely unimportant as riders adopt systems for altering their seat positions and effective seat angles while riding. Virtually everyone will utilize a system such as the brand new Seat Shifter (an American product from San Carlos, California), which allows the rider to choose four different positions of the saddle in relation to the bottom bracket via a small handlebar mounted lever. Riders can set the Seat Shifter to provide their standard/ hill-climbing/ behind the bottom bracket position as the rearward most setting on the seat shifter, thus allowing three forward positions with a total of 4" of travel. When hill climbing, riders can move the saddle back, sit up, and climb in their most effective and efficient position. On a long climb, they can alternate between this position and the next forward position to change muscle group usage and reduce fatigue. On downhills and flats, riders can slide all the way forward and stretch out onto their aero handlebars, gaining a two to three MPH speed increase by dramatically increasing their biomechanical positioning, efficiency, and comfort. Once again, riders can alternate between this forwardmost position and its next closest position to reduce fatigue and enhance recovery. Not only will this type of system make cycling faster, more efficient, and more comfortable, but it will also eliminate almost all cases of lower back fatigue and Shermer/Solon neck.
That sums up my predictions for ultra-marathon bikes of the 90's. Happy trails and gears to you!

Yeah the cable is a seat adjuster, the cable in the bottom was a uncut zip tie holding the mph monitor. I bought it just like this.. im only 5' 9" does it look like its to big for me? Im 31 inches and the upper bar measures at 30 so i thought the frame was just right.. Feels comfortable, and like i said earlier im just begining to ride so dont know a whole lot. What do u guys think?

That Peleton is sized for a person 6'1-6'4 or so, I'd say you need a 54cm frame to be really comfy. Don't worry though, if you take all that extra stuff off of it and make it a normal road bike you'll easily be able to get $350 to $400 for it and buy something nice that fits you.

lower the stem for sure, go to you tube and watch bike fitting vids, park tool is good to if they have this kind of thing

Yeah the cable is a seat adjuster, the cable in the bottom was a uncut zip tie holding the mph monitor. I bought it just like this.. im only 5' 9" does it look like its to big for me? Im 31 inches and the upper bar measures at 30 so i thought the frame was just right.. Feels comfortable, and like i said earlier im just begining to ride so dont know a whole lot. What do u guys think?

It could possibly work for you with that crazy forward seat position. If you don't need to straddle the bike often, then the high top tube won't bother you much. If you go on rides on long straight roads with few hills or stoplights that bike would be OK for now. Might as well keep the aero bars if those are the kinds of rides you do. Oh, and definitely drop the stem a bit.

Extreme seat forward setups bother my hamstrings for some reason, so keep an eye out for that.

I just measured the bike frame and it measures about 24 inches from crank to seat post. A youtube video said multiply that by 2.54 to get cm so is this a 60cm frame?? Ouch but why does it still feel comfortable for me?

I'd guess most likely because the saddle is pushed so far forward. By my guestimation, it's effectively shortening the top tube by 2.5-3".

I see that now... I guess i still wanna keep it. So for my height at 5' 9" a 54cm frame would best suite me?

I see that now... I guess i still wanna keep it. So for my height at 5' 9" a 54cm frame would best suite me?

Personally, I'm your height and ride anywhere from a 54 to a 56. If you let us know what area you're in, we might be able to look around and find you a bike more in your size.

I have a 32.5 cycling inseam, height 5'6" and prefer 52-56, depending on the bike. I'd guess a 54 would work well for you.

The Schwinn could work well for you too, depending on your riding conditions. When I lived in PHX, I rode a Tri setup cuz I was almost always on long, straight, flat roads. I don't like Tri setups for hills.

If you're in the flat lands, I'd roll the Schwinn 'til you find a road bike that fits better.

I see that now... I guess i still wanna keep it. So for my height at 5' 9" a 54cm frame would best suite me?

Sizing is based on your inseam more than your height, some people are strangely proportioned, I'm 5' 8" and I ride a 56/58.

mega monster frames for a dude 5-9...

that said-- that peloton was one of the bikes i used to dream about as a 15 year old... sigh.. is it all superbe pro save for the absurd seat-thing (i won't demean the word seatpost by calling it that) and death bars?

im only 5' 9" does it look like its to big for me? ?

54-58cm at most depending on your body proportions. Both bikes are too big for you.

Sizing is based on your inseam more than your height, some people are strangely proportioned, I'm 5' 8" and I ride a 56/58.

Same here. I am 5'8" and ride a 58 cm and have plenty of clearance to stand over the top tube. I switched to a shorter stem to cure my back aches from stretching to reach the bars.