jaydeez

my uncle passed away a few weeks ago and he had some old bikes gathering dust in his garage, he always told me he wanted to sell them but he never got around to it. I don't know much about vintage bikes or bikes in general. I'll post some pictures I took of them here and hopefully someone can tell me more about the years these were built and how if they are worth selling. I still have to try and clean them all up a bit.

https://imageshack.com/a/yYcq/1


https://www.ebay.com/itm/301118970319...84.m1555.l2649

jaydeez

jaydeez

I have two of the "grey ghost" and two of the "lemon peelers" all of these bikes seem have all the original parts and tires.

dweenk

IMO they are kids bikes of average quality. If you are thinking of selling them, there is a following for those bikes, so you should seek advice on the proper place to market them.

muzpuf

go here there is some real Schwinn freaks out there

https://thecabe.com/vbulletin/forumdi...things-Schwinn

bikes look to be worth 500 and up ....now that yellow one being reproduction might go for around 400.00 (I stand corrected metacortex)

gomango

Agreed.

I sold a Lemon Peeler for a stupid low price four years ago.

The guy I sold it to made his money back
x 4.

Take your time and research this one thoroughly.

Metacortex

The new yellow one is a reproduction, not worth nearly as much as the others. The others however are real late '60s to early '70s Krates, and in that condition should be worth between $750 and $1.5K each. See the following sold examples on eBay for value:

Pea Picker
Orange Krate
Grey Ghost

Lemon Peeler Reproduction

I'd look for more advice here: https://www.schwinnbikeforum.com

brian3069

The Lemon Peeler is a reproduction, not nos.

Poguemahone

+1. If you're wondering how we know the yellow one is a repro, it's the sticker on the top tube.

Really, I think you should ask elsewhere, like the link above. We tend to specialize in old road bikes here; it's not that we don't like your bikes, it's that you'd really get better and more specific info elsewhere.

jaydeez

thanks for the help guys, i'll try out the link you posted above

muzpuf

LOL I was going to ask what the tell was

Poguemahone

Sticker is a helmet/safety warning. Not very seventies, when we lived like daredevils and our hero was Evil Kenivel.

repechage

I don't think the Pea Picker has the original rear derailleur.

A set of brothers had a pair of krate bikes when I was young.
They used to lock them up outside. one was just locked to the front wheel.
One morning one of the two boys owned a 16" drum brake front wheel.
I had bought a 16" front wheel with my Christmas money and had also bought a Varsity front fork and mounted it.
A "rigid" single speed Krate I had.
He eventually got a replacement coaster brake Sting-Ray. I helped him do a similar mod.
We were Kool.
One time when we were at the local Schwinn store/hobby shop a guy in a suit came outside and snapped photos of our bikes.
Later I was told he was a Schwinn rep.
This was 1970.
We liked the springer fork but found it was bad news to apply the front brake with the mini wheel and taking a sweeping turn where the spring was partially compressed. You met the pavement.

jaydeez

sorry for posting about these bikes again, but after I did some research on the serial number (HS00124) https://schwinncruisers.com/schwinn.php?serial=HS00124

so I know for sure it's an original Chicago built 1981 frame, in 1981 Schwinn closed its Chicago factory and moved all production to Giant in Taiwan. So maybe they moved all the parts to china and it put the thing together and sold it, cause it does have a made in china sticker on it. But like I said, the serial number shows the frame was build in america. ight i'll leave you guys alone now, time to hit up ebay.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/301118970319...84.m1555.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/301118970319...84.m1555.l2649

PatTheSlat 

I'm sorry to tell you, but this just isn't the case, and you're gonna get yourself in trouble by advertising it as an original. The Krate bikes were only made through 1973. Schwinn didn't start making bikes in China until the late 80s or early 90s. The serial stamped on it may just happen to match up with an old Schwinn serial number, but it definitly is a recent reproduction. In addition to the top tube sticker, it has a different stem, and the chrome plating will be of lower quality throughout the bike. I'm guessing it will also have a Hi-Stop rear coaster brake hub. I don't think the originals were ever made in single speed variants, but even if they were they would have had a Bendix rear hub.

oddjob2

Stong Ray circa 1970's, which I happen to be reconditioning right now for a friend. Replete with Bendix rear hub.

howsteepisit

OP says it was in his Uncles garage, Ebay ad says its been in his basement..... coupled with the obvious reluctance to believe its a reproduction I think the forum has been used as as advertising. oP will never be back

PatTheSlat 

Also just adding to this, saw in the ad the serial number is stamped on the bottom bracket, on the originals they were stamped on the left rear dropout or headtube.

jaydeez

my garage is connected to my basement lol, you can clearly see the pictures with most of my bikes in the garage. Also after doing more research it looks like some of the parts were made in china (tires for one) I will make sure to inform the buyer of all this before we finalize the deal.

im more interested in selling this next



https://imageshack.com/a/Qycq/1

all original 1971 grey ghost, not sure what I should list it for though.

PatTheSlat 

All of the parts were made in China, because it is a reproduction. Nothing "original chicago" about it.

jaydeez

I just don't understand why it has a Schwinn registered number on the frame then. Is it completely ridiculous to think the frame was made in chicago and shipped to china where they added everything else? The serial number is in the same location as the rest of the 1971+ bikes.

muzpuf

Only 900 of the exclusive Schwinn Sting-Rays will be available for sale in four unique colors. These hallmark Series Schwinn Sting-Rays will be individually numbered and exclusively available at independent retailers

HALLMARK SERIES HS

KonAaron Snake 

Yes - it's ridiculous - because it's a made in china reproduction that just happens to have a serial number that corresponds to older Schwinns. It's not made in Chicago, it's not original, it's what you were told - a nostalgia replica.

My experience with these bikes is that they're always worth less than you think and are only worth money when you want one. The people selling them near me seem to sit on them for long periods of time trying to get values from 10 years ago. They are increasingly less valuable from what I've seen. When you talk to Schwinn guys about their value, I recommend being skeptical - they seem to be unrealistic about selling prices and those guys are often in denial.

Poguemahone

I've seen absolutely nothing to suggest the Lemon Peeler is not a repro bike. The repros are so regularly presented as the real thing even those of us with limited experience in things Sting ray have seen many instances of this and learned to id repros. If that sticker is a safety warning, you have a reproduction bike. No Schwinn collector would ever put one on an original sting ray. Likewise, if the bike is festooned with China made parts, it is a repro. Schwinn never sent American frames to China to be draped with parts there; that's just silly. Also, China was a Communist country with almost no trade with the rest of the world in 1971, and every bike made there was a Flying Pigeon at that point. Nixon went there in 1972. By 81, they still had limited integration into the world economy.