MNiceGuy

I have a yellow 1974 Schwinn Collegiate that I'm not entirely sure what to do with. It was a garage sale rescue from my early childhood ($12 was a lot back then but it never really got ridden.

It seems that it's a Collegiate Sport that someone's added fenders to.

Condition:

Chrome: Fair to good. It's relatively bright with very little corrosion but some abrasions are visible.
Fenders: Fair. There are 1-2 dings and the lower portion is dented in slightly. No clearance issues.
Derailleur: Fully functional.
Wheels: Straight and rust-free.
Frame: No damage visible
Paint: Dull with a typical scratches
Tires: Absolutely shot. No way around replacing these.
Cables: In need of replacement.

I don't plan to keep this old Schwinn but then again I don't want to do a minor restoration if I can't get my money back out of it. For sure cables, tubes, and tires are on the grocery list.

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...0/1974_18.html

Esteban32696

If you can do all the work yourself, it sounds like it is worth it. Around here, nice old Schwinns sell for $125 up !

wrk101

+1 Depends who does the work. Pay a shop to do it, and forget it, you will be upside down on it really quickly. Do the work yourself, and shop around for parts (and don't go crazy and buy $50 tires), and you can do well. I spend an average of less than $25 on parts for lower end bikes, that includes new tires, new tubes, cables, housings and bearings. 2009 average parts spend: $19.88 per bike.

MNiceGuy

I have taken the afternoon and really dug into the Collegiate. I'm going to need tires ($24), tubes ($12), and cables ($?). I'm fortunate that the previous owner was a VERY strong believer in lubrication. So much so that the entire bike is coated in it! I cleaned most everything today and for the first time I saw bright, shiny chrome!

I'm even considering keeping this old Schwinn. The only thing that puts me off is the drop down handlebars and the fact it weighs 138,000 metric tons.

Time to sleep on it...

Esteban32696

You may fall in love with it ! WAX, WAX, WAX, to make it look better ! Don't overlook the fact that it may need cable HOUSINGS, & brake pads, too. All is available from;


https://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php

wrk101

+1 Your parts pricing is high, really high. Go to Niagara and save a lot. $5 tires, $3 tubes, cheap cables, housings and brake pads.

Note, Niagara is slow, really slow. So if you are patient, you can save a lot from your budget.

MNiceGuy

Here's what I was able to do with a few free hours this week. I didn't bother taking any before pictures but what wasn't coated in grease was starting to develop surface rust. I took everything apart and gave it a good scrubbing.

Esteban32696

LOOKING pretty good !!!

MNiceGuy

Thanks! I decided to sell and was able to fetch a price I felt was fair. I took the proceeds from this along with those from other things and funded a '10 Trek 2nd District. I am very happy with the way everything turned out.