Gbcue

My dad gave me his old Schwinn Varsity, he thinks it is either 72 or 73. It's YELLOW! I've always seen it just sitting in the garage, getting messed up by the spiders.

What are the common & quality tires (standard 27" or 27 1&1/4) and tubes(!) that I need? Can I just get them from a shop? Do they need to be ordered?

I will also be replacing, if needed, the chain, shifter cables, brake cables, brake pads, tuning it up (might let shop do that (new grease in the hubs and retooling the spokes to make sure the rim is circular) since the bike has been sitting around for about as long as I am old (20+ years)... If anybody has any tips on replacing those parts, please share!

Thanks!

crazyb

The bike definitely needs going over. If you have basic mechanical tools and knowledge, you can perform most all of the things you mentioned. A good bike shop should have all the parts you need in stock. Or the other route is to have it done by a competent shop. Not as much fun, but if you just want to ride it, not a bad way to go either.

tolfan

I would take the whole thing apart and clean every piece and wd40 all the moving parts. Then put it back together , its a good way to see what you have to work.You shouldnt need any special bike tool , just leave the chain on. Tires cables and brake pads are easy to get, thay havent changed that much over the years.

reverborama

Should be a fun project. You might be able to get by just by replacing the tubes, tires, and brake shoes. Whatever you do, don't destory anything taking it off, and don't throw anything away until you have a replacement part installed and working. This goes for the cables and housings too!

Bikedued

Definitely take it apart and go over the whole thing. Strip it to the bare frame, and hand polish the paint, polish the aluminum and chrome, and so on. The seat may have to go also if you plan on riding it more than a few miles at a time. Old school seats were not known for extreme comfort. Keep it for safe keeping though. It should be a nice looking ride once your done. Here's the last schwinn I went over end to end. It rode like a new bike.,,,,BD

kafkaesque

I have had no trouble finding tires and parts in stock at the LBS for the 72 Continental I got a few months ago. I would recommend replacing cables since that is not expensive. I looked mine over and they looked okay but then I had the rear shifter cable break right at the base of the shifter where I could not see it. No big deal, single speed for a day (okay, two speed since I had the front shifter).

There should be a serial number near the bottom of the head tube, that will tell you the year. The first two letters are month/year. January=A, February=B etc. Next letter is the year; 72 is H, 73 is J (I and O are skipped to avoid confusion with 1 and 0).


Bikedued, sweet ride!

Gbcue

Here are some pics (before, obviously):

https://gbcue.com/images/schwinn/

I don't actually get the bike until the beginning of May... I'm at college and it's a 5 hour drive back home.

old and new

Universal..Cambria ..MANY others have 27s, LBSs will give you a song and a dance though.They can be had cheaply.DON'T let anyone covince you into swichin' the size wheel either,THEY're cheap too.Don't rush into the derailers or hard brake parts..try fooling with them a little with WD40..maybe an LBS can help you get them right. Get it to work a little..easy does it.. it'll need a chain, it appears NOT much else. LBS's are fair generally.
I just clicked -on Performance and Nashbar,they have them.I just went through this, let's see if I remember..OH yeah..I do..TODAY !! They exist all-over the net.I'd go for 1 1/4s ..1' are really too thin .1 1/4 will ride better,still maybe skinny compared to the OE... thin enuff fer sure. I'd get the tires first..on ONE bike I hadn't,I lost time by letting him get them.

pastorbobnlnh 

Gbcue,

Thanks for sharing about your Dad's, soon to be your's, bike. If you have not found BF member Bob Hufford's website yet, you need to go here for more information and details about your Varsity,
https://www.geocities.com/sldatabook/...ml#1971varsity

Your's looks to be in great shape. Make certain you don't lose the original metal fittings at the ends of the cables. These are difficult to find and when you replace the cable they will be needed.

Pictured below is the "Kool Lemon" Varsity I found at the dump a year ago. It's a '71 and is the first year Schwinn used that version of yellow. In one of your photos I can see part of the serial number under the headbadge. If you can find out the first two letters of that number we can help you date the month and year your bike was made. Good luck on your project.

pastorbobnlnh 

BTW, Old Schwinn Electro-Forged frames can be fun to have. Here's a picture of the '62 Continental at the same place in the driveway, but a year and a month later. You can read more about it in my thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/286233-don-t-shoot-me-i-campagnoloed-my-continental.html. (There has been a wee bit more snow this year.)

John E

A Schwinn Varsity is the ideal learner's project bike, because it is significantly simpler mechanically than any other road bike (one-piece Ashtabula crank, sidepull brakes, etc.). I concur that one should completely disassemble it and clean everything up before reassembling. Essential upgrades are brake cables and brake pads (KoolStop salmons); optional upgrades are aluminum rims, cranks, and pedals and an "ultra" 6-speed freewheel to replace the stock 5-speed.

tci2

Gbcue, you have a good looking bike there.

The reason I really like this forum........not one post telling the young man "Varsitys are a dime a dozen" or "Don't waste your time" or any of a dozen other chants that I got (not here) when I started asking about my Varsity. You all are to be commended!

reverborama

Well, they ARE a dime a dozen, actually. And there is an upper limit to how much you should spend fixing one up before you should just buy a better one. That said, I still think they are a fun bike and I spent too much money fixing this one up:

pastorbobnlnh 

...and reverborama is not the only one spending too many $$$ on E-F, but it certainly is fun!

Gbcue

What should the tube sizes be on my Varsity?

Kinetikx

Tubes are, by their very nature, very forgiving. If you can't find one that is specified precisely for the size tire you are using you can go with a close approximation. Just go with a 700c tube that comes close to the width of the tire you are using.

Nashbar has plenty- both name brand and house brand:
https://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?c...ory%3A%20Tubes

*edit*
Of course just make sure you get one with the correct valve that your rim is drilled for- either presta or schrader

Gbcue

Thanks! Looks like it'll be about 32mm.

I remember the rim has the rim tape or rim strip falling out. What is some rim tape I would buy?

Bikedued

Is it in that shape right now?? Damn, that's near perfect compared to most I've found? Put some tires and cables on it, and maybe some brake shoes. Aside from any unforeseen problems, it's not going to be much work getting it back on the road. Rim tape? You might as well go for good stuff and get some Velox cloth style with adhesive. More expensive than rubber, but gives ultimate spoke end protection. Worth every penny!! Line up the hole with the valve stem hole, push it in good, and overlap it a bit. Snip off the extra, and you're done.,,,,BD

well biked

I've recently joined the ranks of electroforged Schwinn owners. I've always owned Schwinns but I've been kind of a le tour-traveler kind of guy. I picked up a '65 Schwinn Sprint, which is a women's three speed, and a '74 women's Varsity, both at a juntique sale for a total of $30. The Varsity, especially, is in great shape, needs a tune up and a polishing and should be very nice. I'm trying to talk my wife into using it, and it won't be too many years until my daughter is big enough for the Sprint. I figured these bikes would sit in my basement and collect dust for awhile, but seeing the great looking electroforged Schwinns in this thread has given me the urge to fix'em up sooner rather than later!

DynamicD74

That is such a gorgeous bike!!!! It brings back great memories for me of the one my dad bought me when I was a kid....my first Schwinn! And, as usual, I want some of that snow in NC!

stringbreaker

Here are a 71 varsity and a 72 Continental that I spent way too much on but I love em and nothing takes a bump like an electro forged Schwinn

pastorbobnlnh 

Thant was my first Kool Lemon Dump Find Varsity. It was sent to imabeliever in TX last summer. The second Kool Lemon Dump Find Varsity, which I single speeded, I donated to a charity silent auction. A kid in the church won it and he wants to put it back to as close to original. I guess I better start cleaning the derailleurs!

And I'd be glad to give you all the snow you can take!

stringbreaker

PB: Is that a door at your house? I hope its not one you need to use all the time. The only thing I miss about the East is not having a snow blower or a tractor with a snow blower that would be so much fun. I remember when I was a kid shoveling driveways and walks for some extra money. Then the kid down the street whose dad bought a snowblower one year took all our business away. We beat him up when he made a big deal out of it but he still got the business from us. Man I hated that kid then. Now I'm glad I don't have to shovel snow.

Kommisar89

Man, you couldn't get a kid around here to shovel snow if their lives depended on it let alone for extra money. I've lived here 8 years now and I've never seen a kid shoveling snow! Where I grew up (New Orleans) it was grass cutting. Or delivering papers. Now those jobs are all done by adults.

That Varsity the OP's about to get it damned near mint from the looks of it. I'm really not a Varsinental kind of guy but that one is very nice.

pastorbobnlnh 

No, that's the door to my gazebo behind the house. Here's the view 180 degrees behind that shot looking at the house and the back door. BTW, that window is above my head when standing under it.



SB, anytime you want to come over to NH and have some "fun" using my snow thrower, I'll be glad to let you spend all the time you'd like!