Classic & Vintage - Talk me out of keeping this....or....how do I fight this disease.

Now I know the LeTour is not a high end Schwinn but they do ride nice and I feel they don't get the credit they should at times and I just happened to find this nice one today and it was a screaming deal and it fits me just perfectly and it took no work to be able to ride it down the road and it is all original and...............aaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhh.


I can't keep them all............but I want to. As it is I have 8 bikes that are mine...and I ride them. I have 3 more that are projects for this winter that I have no plans to sell. And of course there are the half dozen more that I want to add if I find them. The good thing is that my wife could care less as long as I don't ask for money........and I keep them out of her space.

Any way here is a picture.....

268375

i'm not sure what i like best -- the derailleur hanger, stem shifters, kick stand, or suicide levers? it's got it all.

you should get your friends involved in C&V
then you can pawn off your bikes to them and you get riding partners.
then you get to see your bikes actually being used.

I cant get any more 24" kids bikes but I am happy if some friends around hear would take interest in them.
more people riding them!"

The problem with such finds is not the cost, but the space required. If you still have space, enjoy it while you can. Wife isn't troubling you, you are damn lucky. The Le Tour looks to be in splendid condition. And if it's a bargain, indulge. It's cheaper than collecting cars, or playing golf.

Had a simular affair with an early UO-9. After aquiring it, I rode it a bit and hung it up. It took me 3 years to come to terms to sell it. The buyer was so happy, it made my day! Glad I bought it, happier I sold it having owned it for a bit. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

I'm not advocating flipping, that's a separate affliction, but culling ones own collection can be a very pleasurable experience.

Buy the Schwinn and be done with it!

Well the durrect forumula for nice C&V ownership is N+1, N being the number of bike you currently own.

You have 8 bikes...if you buy this one, you won't have room for another down the road. This isn't worth the opportunity space.

I'll do my best to talk you out it!

Although it rides nice, with 8 bikes, I'd move that one on to someone else. You need room for nicer bikes.

You need room for nicer bikes.

Nonsense! He needs more storage space!

Keep the Le Tour for a while and ride it a lot. Once you have done that you can determine if it is really a bike you want to keep. You might find that you like it better than one of your higher end bikes, nothing wrong with that. It just means you will get more money for thinning the herd.

Confession: I am in the process of selling down from 12 (my goal is 5), so maybe I am not the best person to give advice.

This may not be what you want to hear, but I think you are suffering from BAD (Bicycle Acquisition Disorder). Pass it up.

Steve

just let it go, it's just a schwinn.

These should be enough reasons to put it on the chopping block


i'm not sure what i like best -- the derailleur hanger, stem shifters, kick stand, or suicide levers? it's got it all.

Think about overhead storage, vertical storage, flat-against-the-wall-like-art storage. Then under the workbench storage, with wheelsets stored overhead. I'm sure you can fit 10 more bikes if you get creative ! :thumb: After I sell my '61 Pontiac Catalina Safari, I too will have a lot more storage.....I feel your pain !

Cheers,

Joe

Be selective. It helps.

You bought it for a good price and put some work in. Now go sell it for a profit!

Lots of sage advice............thanks to all. Only a few problems, it is already mine, I bought it before I posted this thread. I am not against flipping it out for a profit........I do that fairly regularly.......so I have that problem too. It looks so nice, it is in great shape. Storage is not really an issue most of my bikes are hung overhead along with wheels and get this (hope I don't make too many of you angry), my wife has agreed to allowing the finer specimens of two wheeled art into the basement for viewing pleasure once it is done (which I am currently coming close to doing). Really the only reason I have to get rid of it is to make some cash for just what was suggested, so I can purchase something nicer. And yes I do suffer from BAD, I can't pass up a cheap (cost) bike, if I think I can make a few bucks and keep a good bike rolling down the road instead of heading to the dump I will buy it. My son is also learning the finer points of bicycle repair from the flips, he wants a LBS when he sets off on his own.

Beautiful bike, I like how busy is it with chrome, don't let the Purests run you down about suicide levers, derailleur hangers, stem shifters, kick stands and foam grips. All that jazz makes the bike interesting and lovable. Strive to have you own style!

There is no cure.

IST or Image Shock Therapy is sometimes useful, I've heard it can also lead to JTS or Justification Theory Syndrome.....you're screwed just face it!
http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Hoarding_5ec20e_396454.jpeg (http://static.fjcdn.com/large/pictures/5e/c2/5ec20e_396454.jpeg)

The only cure I have found is to find something similar, but better. For example, my nice Lotus, that was a tad small, got replaced with a nicer full chrome Katakura Silk, with much better components.

My challenge is dealing with "ties". I have a handful of bikes right now that are tied, each has its strengths....

I think that "it rides great" is a common response to riding a new-er (to us) bike. But if you'd compare its ride to one of your finer bikes over a stressing course, where you must shift, turn, climb, accelerate and flat out burn, you'd find that it's not that great of a riding bike. That's where the dividing line is. Good enough is the enemy of better, in this example. Sell the Schwinn...be done with it.

I'm adopting the attitude that all [of my] bikes must work for their living. If I don't ride it and use it regularly for some purpose, it gets sold. I hand my wife the cash for deposit in the bank. She likes receiving the money. I like removing the clutter. The buyer likes buying a bike that's in perfect mechanical condition (for whatever it was designed to be).

Does this help?

Beautiful bike, I like how busy is it with chrome, don't let the Purests run you down about suicide levers, derailleur hangers, stem shifters, kick stands and foam grips. All that jazz makes the bike interesting and lovable. Strive to have you own style!

Don't worry, I have my own style..............to old not to. I generally stay away from the general no no's such as turkey levers and the such but lately I have taken a liking to some of those things just because that is the way the bike came from the shop. A good example is my Grand Prix,

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac211/fixed1313/1976%20Raleigh%20Grand%20Prix/P1020099.jpg

I would not change a thing on this bike aside from the bar tape............... I tried to keep it but just could not stand my hands slipping on the green stuff.

At any rate, still on the fence with the Schwinn. Leaning towards moving it out just to get something better but I may keep it for the winter to use as a bad weather commuter. As of now I am using the Grand Prix and I don't want to expose that to salty roads.


I think that "it rides great" is a common response to riding a new-er (to us) bike. But if you'd compare its ride to one of your finer bikes over a stressing course, where you must shift, turn, climb, accelerate and flat out burn, you'd find that it's not that great of a riding bike. That's where the dividing line is. Good enough is the enemy of better, in this example. Sell the Schwinn...be done with it.

I would agree with this statement as well, except I try to compare like bikes and what the intended purpose (my purpose) will be. I would not compare the Schwinn to my Bridgestone RB-1, of course the RB-1 rides better.......but I am not going to put racks and fenders on it and haul 30lbs of stuff to work.

Talk you out of it? You're on the wrong forum, mate, we're all suffering from the same disease here!:p